Chris Winter is an attorney and advocate with 25 years of experience in the field of natural resources and environmental law. Over the course of his career, he has developed an expertise in public land management, environmental justice, climate change, and fossil fuel infrastructure projects, and he has extensive experience working with and representing Indigenous communities.
In 2001, he co-founded a non-profit law center based in Portland, Oregon that represented public interest clients in federal and state courts across the Pacific Northwest. Over the next 17 years, he developed a reputation for winning difficult cases on behalf of grassroots organizations facing daunting odds and formidable opposition. For a decade, he represented Alaska Native organizations in the U.S. Arctic in their successful work to protect their subsistence activities from the impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration. He also served as lead counsel in Rosemere Neighborhood Ass’n v. U.S. E.P.A., which brought national attention to the EPA’s disappointing record of investigating citizen complaints under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. He has litigated and won dozens of cases in federal and state courts on a wide range of issues.
He also served as Executive Director of Access Fund, a national advocacy organization working at the intersection of outdoor recreation and public land management, spearheading its work to restore Bears Ears National Monument, promote human powered outdoor recreation, and conserve public lands.
He has previously taught as an adjunct professor of law at Lewis and Clark Law School, and he is a frequent public speaker on environmental and natural resources issues.
Outside of work, Chris spends his time climbing up and skiing down mountains, traveling, taking a few photos, and weed-whacking his property in Jamestown, Colorado.
Chris received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. from Cornell University.