Welcome to CELP's Celebrate Waters 2026!

Celebrating 30 years as a statewide non-profit charity dedicated to protecting and preserving clean, abundant and free-flowing waters in Washington State.

Come join us for our annual fundraiser and award reception on October 16, 2026 at 5:30pm at Ivar's Salmon House, at 401 NE Northlake Way, on the shores of Seattle's Lake Union.

The event features a reception for the Ralph Johnson Water Hero Award. Our 2026 recipient: Janette Brimmer, Earthjustice for her amazing legacy of protecting waterways, fish habitat and tribal fisheries around the region. 🙌

Tickets: $75 per person. Includes appetizers and buffet, wine, beer and refreshments. Sponsorships and donations in lieu of attending are available for businesses and individuals.

Our Mission: To protect, preserve, and restore Washington’s waters through education, advocacy, policy reform, and public interest litigation.

Our Current Priorities:

Achieving effective climate resilience and drought response measures that value water for nature and that protect the public interest in healthy watersheds, tribal fishing rights and clean, flowing waters.
Securing strong state-level wetlands and stream habitat protections to replace recently-eroded federal regulations, and to better protect against uncontrolled development around these important water features.
Removal of deadbeat dams and defeating new dams, which are a false solution for sustainable electricity generation and water storage.
Better regulation, monitoring and transparency for large data centers, which threaten our waters, climate and the clean energy transition.

Our Story: 30+ years of protecting Washington Waters!

The Center for Environmental Law & Policy was initially co-founded by Professor Ralph W. Johnson and Rachel Paschal Osborn in 1993 to serve as a voice for the public interest in water resource management and preservation in Washington State. Initially affiliated with the University of Washington Law School , CELP would go on to become an independent nonprofit charity in 1996 and is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a public interest water protection charity this year.

From CELP's founding, Professor Johnson and Ms. Osborn recognized that water belongs to us all, showing how the Public Trust Doctrine could be used to protect this precious resource for humans, wildlife, and life itself. This provided the foundation for legal actions and policy initiatives by CELP and countless others to protect the public’s right to clean water and free-flowing rivers and streams. Professor Johnson's important scholarship on Federal Indian Law and close relationships with Native American Tribes of the Pacific Northwest inspired CELP's dedication to working closely with Tribes on water matters. Professor Johnson sadly passed away in 1999. Rachel Paschal Osborn built on their joint legacy, guiding CELP's early development as a non profit advocacy organization, serving as our first Executive Director and in other roles since.

Today, more than thirty years in, and true to Ralph and Rachel’s vision, CELP has improved water laws, protecting rivers and streams throughout Washington watersheds, including those feeding the Salish Sea, the Columbia River Basin and coastal areas. See some of CELP's victories here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

📸 Photo Credit - Yakima Basin Sockeye Salmon: Tom Ring

CELP Celebrate Waters 2026

Ticket Sales and Donations for CELP's annual fundraiser: Celebrate Waters, Ivar's Salmon House - Oct 16, 2026.