Indiana University Maurer School of Law students were recognized on Apr. 30 for their work in drafting Senate Resolution 34, which raises awareness about the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape, a conservation partnership involving government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and landowners.
The resolution highlights the important role that law students play in supporting environmental efforts through legal frameworks. Their work aims to protect Indiana’s natural landscapes by addressing issues such as water contamination, air pollution, hazardous waste, and wildlife destruction.
Erin Shea, a third-year law student from Fort Wayne, said she was motivated by the chance to make a real impact. “I was drawn to the idea that students could contribute to projects that had real environmental and community impacts,” Shea said. “The Conservation Law Clinic is a great opportunity to get actual legal experience and connect the concepts I was learning in class to real situations.”
Through the Conservation Law Clinic at Maurer School of Law, second- and third-year students serve as interns at the Conservation Law Center under supervising attorney Robert McCrea. They help clients with natural resource conservation issues across an area containing military installations, state parks and forests, nature preserves, national forests and wildlife refuges. McCrea focuses on land conservation within this region: “Rob and the other Conservation Law Center attorneys taught me how to approach these situations… We must understand the impact these environmental challenges have on them and their communities,” Shea said.
Ryan Dibble, another student involved in drafting Senate Resolution 34—which passed in February—said: “Working on the concurrent resolution supporting the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape was rewarding. The Sentinel Landscape project showed me how the law can coordinate efforts between government agencies, local communities and conservation organizations.”
In addition to legislative resolutions, clinic students also drafted a bill expanding prescribed burning capacity in Indiana—a practice used for controlled fires to reduce wildfire risk—which became law when signed by Gov. Mike Braun in April 2025.
Christian Freitag of the Conservation Law Center credited Maurer students’ involvement: “Seeing the bill get passed was such a rewarding experience because that will likely have an impact on Indiana landowners and conservation efforts for years to come,” Freitag said.
Indiana University Bloomington contributes significantly to Indiana’s economy and cultural life according to its official website. The university features historic limestone architecture as reported by its official website and draws a diverse community from all U.S. states as well as more than 150 countries according to its official website. IU Bloomington functions as a public research university focused on advancing research while serving as a hub for higher education according to its official website.
