Crag Law Center
“To protect and sustain the Pacific Northwest’s natural legacy.”
The work
What they do
Nonprofit environmental law firm defending the Pacific Northwest’s wild places.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “CRAG LAW CENTER IS A CLIENT-FOCUSED LAW CENTER THAT SUPPORTS COMMUNITY EFFORTS TO PROTECT AND SUSTAIN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST'S NATURAL LEGACY.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Holding the line in court
$376KCRAG LAW CENTER PROVIDES LEGAL SERVICES TO CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY GROUPS & COMMUNITIES WORKING ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
Read it as they filed it
CRAG LAW CENTER PROVIDES LEGAL SERVICES TO CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY GROUPS & COMMUNITIES WORKING ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS, CRAG HAS PROVIDED SERVICES TO OVER ONE HUNDRED ORGANIZATIONS WORKING IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. LEGAL SERVICES FOCUS ON PROTECTION OF THE WILD, COMMUNITIES & THE CLIMATE. THESE SERVICES WERE PROVIDED FOR FREE, AT BELOW MARKET RATES AND/OR ON A CONTINGENCY BASIS TO THE COMMUNITY. CRAG SERVICES INCLUDE ASSISTANCE WITH BRINGING LITIGATION IN STATE & FEDERAL COURTS, WITH MEDIATION & SETTLEMENT OF COMPLEX NATURAL RESOURCE DISPUTES, & WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION. CRAG ALSO PROVIDES LEGAL ASSISTANCE IN NON-PROFIT FORMATION, MANAGEMENT & OUTREACH FOR NON-PROFITS WORKING IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. CRAG ALSO WORKS WITH OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO HOLD PUBLIC EVENTS INCLUDING SCREENINGS OF FILMS THAT ADDRESS VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. THESE EVENTS HELP TO EDUCATE COMMUNITIES ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES & THE LEGAL TOOLS THAT CAN BE USED TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. CRAG'S 2025 CASES LITIGATED OR IN LITIGATION WERE WHERE FEES WERE RECOVERED: (1) GREATER HELLS CANYON COUNCIL ET AL - EASTSIDE SCREENS. REPRESENT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS CHALLENGING RULE CHANGE TO REMOVE PROTECTION FOR LARGE TREES ON FEDERAL FORESTS EAST OF THE CASCADES. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTION OF LARGE TREES AND WILDLIFE HABITAT ON PUBLIC LANDS. FEE AWARD: $364,946 (2) OREGON WILD - GRASSHOPPER PROJECT. REPRESENT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS IN CHALLENGING LOGGING PROJECT ON MT HOOD NATIONAL FOREST. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTION OF FOREST HABITAT AND WATER QUALITY. FEE INCOME: $9,000. (3) WATERWATCH OF OREGON - WINCHESTER DAM. REPRESENT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS IN ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS RELATED TO PRIVATE DAM REPAIRS. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTION OF WATER QUALITY AND FISH HABITAT. FEE INCOME $6,923. (4) CASCADIA WILDLANDS, - ROGUE GOLD LOGGING PROJECT. REPRESENT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS IN CHALLENGE TO LOGGING PROJECT. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTION OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND WILDLIFE HABITAT. FEE INCOME: $5,000 (5)COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER, 1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON - NEXT RENEWABLES. REPRESENT CONSERVATION GROUPS TO CHALLENGE CONVERSION OF FARMLAND TO INDUSTRIAL USES INCLUDING ALTERNATIVE FUELS PRODUCTION. PUBLIC BENEFIT. PROTECTION OF FARM LANDS AND RURAL ECONOMIC VALUES. FEE INCOME: $5,000. (6) GREATER HELLS CANYON CONSERVATION COUNCIL V. US DEPT OF AG - REPRESENT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS TO ENFORCE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT FOR RELEASE OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS RELATED TO RULE CHANGE TO ROLLBACK PROTECTIONS FOR LARGE TREES ON FEDERAL FORESTS EASTS OF THE CASCADES. PUBLIC BENEFIT: GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AND PROTECTION OF LARGE TREES AND MATURE FORESTS ON EASTSIDE PUBLIC LANDS. FEE INCOME: $80.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Holding the line in court
$376KCRAG’S WORK ALSO INCLUDED NON-LITIGATION SERVICES WHICH GENERATED $62,482 IN FEE INCOME AT WELL BELOW MARKET RATES: (1) NEZ PERCE TRIBE - REPRESENT TRIBE IN NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT & CLEAN UP FOR THE PORTLAND...
Read it as they filed it
CRAG'S WORK ALSO INCLUDED NON-LITIGATION SERVICES WHICH GENERATED $62,482 IN FEE INCOME AT WELL BELOW MARKET RATES: (1) NEZ PERCE TRIBE - REPRESENT TRIBE IN NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT & CLEAN UP FOR THE PORTLAND HARBOR SUPERFUND SITE. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES IN THE LOWER WILLAMETTE RIVER. (2) SURFRIDER - ADVISE SURFRIDER ON COASTAL ACCESS AND BEACH PROTECTION POLICIES AND ENFORCEMENT. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTION OF OREGON'S COASTAL ECOLOGICAL AND RECREATIONAL RESOURCES. (3) 1000 FRIENDS - FRIENDS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY. REPRESENT COMMUNITY GROUPS TO CHALLENGE REZONE OF RURAL LANDS TO URBAN USES. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTION OF FARM AND FOREST LANDS. (4) JUST CROSSING ALLIANCE - COLUMBIA RIVER CROSSING. ADVISE COALITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS TO ENGAGE IN PUBLIC PROCESS RELATED TO INTERSTATE BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT. PUBLIC BENEFIT: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN GOVERNMENT DECISION MAKING FOR PROTECTION OF COMMUNITY AND RIVER HEALTH. (5) WASHINGTON CONSERVATION ALLIANCE - TYPE NP RULE. REPRESENT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS IN DEFENDING WASHINGTON STATE REGULATION TO INCREASE BUFFER AROUND WATERWAYS FROM LOGGING ACTIVITES. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTION OF WATER QUALITY AND RIPARIAN HABITAT.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Reading every lease sale
$376KCRAG ALSO PROVIDED LEGAL SERVICES FOR FREE ON ISSUES & FOR A WIDE RANGE OF INDIVIDUALS & GROUPS INCLUDING: (1) CLIMATE - WORK WITH PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & COMMUNITY GROUPS TO RESEARCH, DEVE...
Read it as they filed it
CRAG ALSO PROVIDED LEGAL SERVICES FOR FREE ON ISSUES & FOR A WIDE RANGE OF INDIVIDUALS & GROUPS INCLUDING: (1) CLIMATE - WORK WITH PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & COMMUNITY GROUPS TO RESEARCH, DEVELOP & ENGAGE IN CLIMATE POLICY AT THE STATE & LOCAL LEVEL. PUBLIC BENEFIT: SUPPORT POLICIES TO PROMOTE A SUSTAINABLE CLIMATE & CLIMATE RESILIENCY IN IMPACTED COMMUNITIES. (2) PUBLIC LANDS DEFENSE - ADVISE PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATIONS ON POLICY CHANGES PROPOSED FOR PUBLIC LANDS. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PUBLIC OUTREACH & EDUCATION TO DEVELOP SOUND POLICY FOR LAND MANAGERS THAT PROTECT COMMUNITIES, WATER SUPPLIES, WILDLIFE & FOREST ECOSYSTEMS. (3) CONSULTATION ON CONSERVATION ISSUES & POLICY GUIDANCE FOR VARIOUS CLIENTS - PUBLIC BENEFIT: WORKING WITH CLIENTS ON COLLABORATIVE & CREATIVE OPTIONS FOR PROTECTING OREGON'S NATURAL RESOURCES, INCLUDING ITS AIR, WATER & PUBLIC HEALTH. (4) FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE - REPRESENT PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATIONS TO CHALLENGE NEW OR EXPANDED FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSALS. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTING AIR QUALITY & REDUCING CLIMATE IMPACTS. (5) PROTECTING FARMLAND - WORK WITH GROUPS INCLUDING THRIVE HOOD RIVER AND 1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON TO UPHOLD LAND USE LAWS. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTING FARMLAND AND FOREST LANDS FROM URBANIZATION, PRESERVING LOCAL FOOD SECURITY. (6) NATIVE FISH RECOVERY - REPRESENT ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER AND WATERWATCH OF OREGON TO ENFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND DAM ENFORCEMENT. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECT AND RESTORE HABITAT FOR THREATENED OREGON COAST COHO SALMON AND OTHER NATIVE FISH. (7) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE - WORK WITH BEYOND TOXICS, VERDE, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPROVE STATE AND FEDERAL IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POLICIES, SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT OF WATER QUALITY & HAZARDOUS WASTE LAWS. PUBLIC BENEFIT: PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH & ACCESS TO CLEAN AIR AND WATER. (8) COASTAL ACCESS AND ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION - REPRESENT OREGON SHORES CONSERVATION COALITION IN A VARIETY OF LEGAL FORUMS IN ORDER TO PROTECT COASTAL WETLANDS, STREAMS & FORESTS FROM THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENT. PUBLIC BENEFIT: REDUCING IMPACTS TO WETLANDS & STREAMS FROM DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
74 cents of every dollar goes to the work
Read it as a snapshot, not a scorecard. Splits move year to year with grants and campaigns, and healthy shops live all across this range.
$1,126,647 programs, $98,964 management, $298,248 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at Crag Law Center? Claim this page.
Those 70 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Crag Law Center is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 71The filings
14 years of filings
14 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $479,204 |
| 2012 | $439,233 |
| 2013 | $486,739 |
| 2014 | $745,849 |
| 2015 | $621,058 |
| 2016 | $845,361 |
| 2017 | $587,483 |
| 2018 | $832,250 |
| 2019 | $956,853 |
| 2020 | $1,483,465 |
| 2021 | $1,965,442 |
| 2022 | $1,366,350 |
| 2023 | $1,091,832 |
| 2025 | $1,887,134 |
From $479K in 2011 to $1.9M in FY25, across 14 public filings. The 2021 peak of $2.0M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
Fights alongside Oregon Wild (2 shared cases), Cascadia Wildlands (1 shared case), Great Old Broads for Wilderness (1 shared case), Greater Hells Canyon Council (1 shared case) and Klamath Forest Alliance (1 shared case) and 4 more. Same case, same side, on the federal docket.
Their ground
The places they defend
Counsel of record for the conservation groups fighting BLM logging across the O&C forests
Who’s defending it On the groundWestern Oregon State ForestsFiled the June 2018 Endangered Species Act suit against the Oregon Department of Forestry over coho-harming logging and road practices in the Tillamook and Clatsop state forests, litigation that produced the March 2023 settlement.
Who’s defending it On the groundElliott State Research ForestRepresented Bird Alliance of Oregon, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Cascadia Wildlands in the 2012 Endangered Species Act suit over logging occupied murrelet habitat, which ended in the 2014 settlement canceling 28 timber sales.
Who’s defending it In the fight42 Divide Timber ProjectFiled the federal lawsuit and represents the plaintiff coalition against the project
Who’s defending it In the fightLast Chance Timber SaleRepresents the plaintiff groups in the federal case against the sale
Who’s defending itSee every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
The Oregon congressional delegation averages 87 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Help complete this profile. If you work here, claim it to add your current campaigns, recent wins, and the best way for supporters to get involved.
Ways in
How to help
74 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with Crag Law Center
25 years on the ground, 70 volunteers, 74 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.