O FF THE RECORD

Professor Lauren Simpson: Advocate for Gardens that

Sustain the Web of Life

Professor Lauren Simpson, 1 a legal research and writing professor at the University of Houston Law Center, is a wildlife citizen activist with a passion for pollinators. She first grew interested in wildlife habitats when she lost her traditional garden landscaping in the droughts following Hurricane Ike. She and her husband, who share an environmentally friendly mindset, tried to find flowering, droughttolerant plants that would support pollinators, but few pollinators visited her gardens.

She connected with a few naturalist organizations around Texas—including Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas, the Houston Audubon Society, and the Native Plant Society of Texas’s local chapters—to learn how to adapt her gardens to support wildlife. Through their mentorship, Professor Simpson learned simple changes to create a beautiful, wildlife-supportive garden. Now, just five years later, Professor Simpson’s home gardens—which she has named Saint Julian’s Crossing Wildlife Habitat—welcome 49 species of butterfly, between 25–30 species each of bee and wasp, and numerous other pollinators and wildlife.

Professor Simpson’s love for pollinators is founded on more than just an appreciation of their beauty. As Professor Simpson explains, “Pollinators and other insects need our help now more than ever.” A recent study concluded that wild insects provide annual eco-services in the U.S. equaling almost $60 billion a year. 2 But insects are declining at an alarming rate. 3 “The drivers of this decline are varied and complex,” Professor Simpson states, “and include things such as climate change, pesticide use, habitat loss and fragmentation, competition by non-native insects and plants, disease, and more.” 4 “So here’s the ‘rejoice and be glad moment,’” Professor Simpson says. “Right here, right now, right in our own gardens, we form a critical link in the chain that will help sustain insects and thus the web of life. If each of us changes even just part of our home gardens into wildlife habitat, we can together create the ‘stepping stones’ that pollinators and other insects need to survive. 5 This is something that all of us can do, and it’s thus the message of hope that I share in my advocacy.”

Her advocacy continues to grow alongside her gardens. Now, as Professor Simpson speaks in the community, she learns of the impediments people face to creating wildscapes at home. The challenges are numerous, from neighbors’ resistance, nuisance laws that may hamper wildscaping, and—most significantly—deed restrictions requiring non-native plantings or traditional landscaping.

But Professor Simpson believes that lawyers, who are well-suited to understanding the legal paradigms affecting private land use, can make excellent advocates for change. As Professor Simpson explains, “We can counsel individual homeowners and HOAs to help resolve or prevent disputes, while educating about the need for wildlifesupportive decisions. But we can also advocate for statutes, ordinances, and regulations that support homeowners’ wildscaping efforts.”

Professor Simpson is already inspiring the next generation of lawyers to share her passion. Recognizing the legal well-being crisis, 6 and the correlation of nature connectedness to wellbeing, 7 Professor Simpson has begun to infuse the therapeutic qualities of wildlife into her classroom. Every week, for example, she hosts a Monday Nature Moment—a brief mindfulness experience focused on nature—wherein students may get closer to nature by holding native prairie grasses and butterfly caterpillars, selecting native prairie seeds for their homes, or listenBy Liz Furlow

Professor Simpson in her garden. –Photo courtesy of the University of Houston Law Center.

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Equal Access Champions

The firms and corporations listed below have agreed to assume a leadership role in providing equal access to justice for all Harris County citizens. Each has made a commitment to provide representation in a certain number of cases through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers.

Large Firm Champions Baker Botts L.L.P. Bracewell LLP Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Kirkland & Ellis LLP Locke Lord LLP Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP Vinson & Elkins LLP

Corporate Champions CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Exxon Mobil Corporation Halliburton Energy LyondellBasell Industries Marathon Oil Company Shell Oil Company

Mid-Size Firm Champions Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP BakerHostetler LLP Beck Redden LLP Chamberlain Hrdlicka Clark Hill Strasburger Foley Gardere LLP Gibbs & Bruns LLP Gray Reed & McGraw, P.C. Greenberg Traurig, LLP Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. Jackson Walker L.L.P. Jones Day King & Spalding LLP Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Porter Hedges LLP ReedSmith LLP Sidley Austin LLP Winstead PC Winston & Strawn LLP

Boutique Firm Champions Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner Blank Rome LLP Dentons US LLP Fullenweider Wilhite PC Hogan Lovells US LLP Jenkins & Kamin, L.L.P. LeClairRyan McDowell & Hetherington LLP Ogden, Broocks & Hall, L.L.P. Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart P.C. Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber, P.C. Wilson, Cribbs & Goren, P.C. Yetter Coleman LLP

Small Firm Champions Coane & Associates Frye, Benavidez and O’Neil, PLLC Fuqua & Associates, P.C. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Givens & Johnston Katine & Nechman L.L.P. Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP KoonsFuller, P.C. MehaffyWeber, P.C. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP Shortt & Nguyen, P.C. Squire Patton Boggs Trahan Kornegay Payne, LLP

Individual Champions Law Office of Peter J. Bennett Law Office of J. Thomas Black, P.C. Burford Perry, LLP The Dieye Firm The Ericksen Law Firm Law Office of Todd M. Frankfort Hasley Scarano L.L.P. David Hsu and Associates The Jurek Law Group, PLLC Law Firm of Min Gyu Kim PLLC The LaFitte Law Group, PLLC Law Firm of Catherine Le PLLC C. Y. Lee Legal Group, PLLC Law Office of Gregory S. Lindley Martin R. G. Marasigan Law Offices Law Office of Evangeline Mitchell, PLLC Rita Pattni, Attorney at Law Law Office of Robert E. Price The Reece Law Firm, PLLC Sanchez Law Firm Law Office of Jeff Skarda Angela Solice, Attorney at Law Diane C. Treich, Attorney at Law Law Office of Norma Levine Trusch Law Office of Cindi L. Wiggins, J.D. Trey Yates Law