OLLI Talks: Western Water Issues: Law, Management, Policy (DRAKE HALL)
OSHR 3403This course explores the history and development of water law, including the management of water resources by state and federal governments. Participants will examine how policies have evolved in response to shifting social values, as well as the growing challenges associated with aridification and climate change. The course will also provide an overview of recent developments affecting the Colorado River, highlighting the complex legal, environmental, and political issues shaping its future.
Jennifer Gimbel is the senior water policy scholar for the Colorado Water Center, based at Colorado State University. In this position, she teaches graduate and undergraduate students interested in water policy issues and develops published articles on the Colorado River and water issues facing Colorado. She served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for water and science in the Department of the Interior and was deputy commissioner for external and intergovernmental affairs for the Bureau of Reclamation. From 2008 to 2013, Gimbel was the director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, an agency within the Department of Natural Resources that works to protect and develop the state's water resources. As a water lawyer, she worked for the Attorney General's Offices in Wyoming and Colorado.
Notes
- A current OLLI membership is required to register for all courses and lectures.
- If you do not have a Fall 2026 membership, one will be added to your cart at checkout.
- OLLI membership fees and course tuition are critical to the Institute's sustainability and are non-refundable.
Recommendations
- Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water, Mark Reisner
- Last Water Hole in the West, Daniel Tyler
- Water is for Fighting Over: and Other Myths about Water in the West, John Fleck
- A Ditch in Time: The City, the West and Water, Patricia Nelson Limerick
- Citizen's Guide to Colorado Water Law, Water Education Colorado