From tonight (Thursday) through Sunday, roughly 2000 attorneys, environmentalists and community members will gather at the University of Oregon Law School.

The 26^th annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference is an international gathering of people interested in natural resource issues. The four-day event includes over 125 panels, workshops, and multi-media presentations. Topics include: forest labor and human rights, air and water pollution, environmental justice, and urban growth. Conference co-director Dawn Winalski says this year’s theme is “Compelling a Climate of Change”.

Dawn Winalski: “Ultimately we hope that people leave here with either a renewed enthusiasm or a new excitement about working on environmental issues and trying to then translate it into either legislative actions or just actions in their daily lives.”

Keynote speakers include former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, this year’s Green Party Presidential candidate And Dave Foreman, best known as co-founder of Earth First!