Speaker Series

Subject:          Legal Advocacy: Fighting for Environmental Justice
Speaker:         David Nicholas, Attorney at Law
When:             Thursday, May 7, 7:00 p.m.
Where:           Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick

Join Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) on Thursday, May 7 at 7pm for the final presentation in this season’s Winter Speaker Series; ‘Legal Advocacy: Fighting for Environmental Justice’. The evening presentation features David Nicholas, Attorney at Law and will be held in the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.

More and more, “representative” government from local to state and federal levels seems to be failing when it comes to enforcing existing laws. The courts with some immunity to political winds have often been the last bastion of “righting wrongs” though even here, many citizens are becoming frustrated. If we are to have civil discourse and meaningful peaceful dissent on differing issues, tenants of our democracy, these then are predicated on the avoidance of retribution. The natural extension of this peaceful process is to utilize, in our system of checks and balance, the judicial system. In a society of increasing executive branch power and with the rise of corporate influence and personhood, the necessity of legal access is crucial to maintain and uphold environmental and other social justice. Many of the rights we sometimes take for granted; clean air and clean water for instance, are constantly under threat and could not be preserved without public interest attorneys and accessible courts.
 
David Nicholas is a former Senior Attorney for the National Environmental Law Center.  While with NELC he represented public interest groups and citizens in federal environmental enforcement suits against large industrial companies and the military, and in administrative permit proceedings. As a sole practitioner since 2003 he has continued his specialization in public interest lawsuits on behalf of citizen and environmental groups to protect natural resources and public health.  Nicholas’ clients include Sierra Club, Lake Michigan Federation, Toxics Action Center, Environment Maine, Beyond Pesticides and Friends of Merrymeeting Bay. He has had legal victories against Shell Oil, Stolt Sea Farm [salmon aquaculture] and the US Army to name a few.  

The FOMB Winter Speaker Series takes place monthly from October-May on the first Thursday. The series, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Friends of Merrymeeting Bay with support and valuable door prizes from Patagonia Outlet in Freeport. The FOMB Summer Outside Series begins on June 6, National Trails Day, with a walk at Green Point in Dresden. Green Pt. is part of the Steven Powell Wildlife Management Area which also includes Swan Island.

To receive more information on FOMB’s programs call Misty Gorski, Executive Coordinator, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, at 582-5608 or fomb@gwi.net. Full speaker schedule and biographies are available on the web at www.friendsofmerrymeetingbay.org.