A Hudson Valley native returns to intern for Riverkeeper

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My name is Renee Seacor and I am the new Legislative Advocacy Intern for Riverkeeper for the 2020 legislative session! After spending nine years out West, I am thrilled to return home and begin advocating for environmental issues in the Hudson Valley and the State of New York. I grew up and attended school in Ossining, NY. Growing up in the Hudson Valley, I developed a strong admiration for the communities, people, and ecosystems of the region. The saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” could not be truer in my case. It feels very special to be back home advocating to protect a place very close to my heart.  

I attended undergrad in Montana at Rocky Mountain College where I received a B.S. in environmental science and studies. There I spent 6 years living and learning about environmental issues affecting Montana communities and ecosystems. I worked on environmental campaigns such as the fight against the increase of coal trains coming from the powder river basin, the decommissioning of the J.E. Corette coal-fired power plant on the Yellowstone River, as well as increasing renewable energy development across the state. I also received the opportunity to study Osprey nesting in the Yellowstone River watershed. This research inspired my strong passion for protecting the environment and inspired me to pursue my legal education to become a more effective environmental advocate.

In 2017, I moved to Oregon to attend law school at the University of Oregon School of Law because of their strong public interest environmental law program. During my time in law school, I served as a board member for the Land Air Water Environmental Law Society, the world’s oldest and largest environmental law society. I am also currently a sustainable land use fellow for the Environmental and Natural Resources Center researching legal issues surrounding how we choose to develop, or not to develop, land within our communities. In addition, I’ve had the opportunity to assist with legal research on active litigation including endangered species, and NEPA claims. Specifically, I assisted in drafting the complaint challenging the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for their lack of action on reclassifying the Marbled Murrelet (an imperiled seabird) to endangered status pursuant to the Oregon Endangered Species Act.   

I am currently in my final semester of law school at the University of Oregon School of Law. I am thrilled to have received the opportunity to spend my last semester as the Legislative Advocacy Intern at Riverkeeper. During the 2020 legislative session, I look forward to advocating for upcoming environmental legislation. More specifically, I am excited about the current bills aimed at expanding protection for freshwater wetlands in New York in place of the rollback of protection at the federal level, as well as increasing protection to New York’s Class C streams which currently lack protection. Since attending law school, I have primarily worked on environmental advocacy through litigation so I am excited to expand my experience in environmental policy by advocating on the state level. During my internship, I hope to learn more about environmental issues affecting the Hudson Valley and how to effectively advocate for environmental policy in the state of New York. 

Graduation is this coming May and hope to continue in a career advocating for environmental issues in the Hudson Valley region and the state of New York using the experience I’ve gained during the course of my internship at Riverkeeper!