Message From the President

ELI Mourns the Loss of Colleague and Friend, Don Baur

Donald C. Baur, a partner at Perkins Coie and a member of the ELI Leadership Council, passed away in December. Don joined the firm in 1987, becoming a partner in 1993. His practice focused on water, wildlife and endangered species, public land and energy resources, protected areas, coastal and ocean law, and Indian law.

Don began his career in the Solicitor’s Office of the Department of the Interior before serving as the general counsel of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. He was the lead author of the American Bar Association’s books on the Endangered Species Act: Law and Policy and Ocean and Coastal Law and Policy. He dedicated hundreds of hours of pro bono work to help whales, sea otters, parks, and the environment and was a mentor to young professionals. Don was on the faculty of Vermont Law School and served on the boards of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Shenandoah National Park Trust. He was a member of ELI’s Ocean Council and faculty for Eastern Boot Camp, as well as a proponent of and speaker for ELI’s Emerging Leaders Initiative.

—Jordan Diamond, December 20, 2022