Robert Wigington © The Nature Conservancy

The Global Freshwater Team

Brian Richter, Co-leader Nicole Silk, Co-leader David Harrison, Senior Advisor  Karin Krchnak, Director of International Water Policy Eloise Kendy, Director, Environmental Flows Program Andrew Warner, Senior Advisor for Water Management Robert Wigington, Western Water Policy Counsel Tom FitzHugh, Water Management Analyst Jeff Opperman, Technical Advisor for Water Management Diédre Paterno Pai, Outreach Manager  Sharon Davis, Program Coordinator

Robert Wigington
Western Water Policy Counsel
Global Freshwater Team

Robert Wigington provides water management and legal consultation to the Global Freshwater Team and project teams in the Colorado River Basin. He guides the team’s efforts to develop a collaborative partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation and leads the irrigation sector of the Program.  Additionally, Robert provides technical support for the flood and floodplain sector of Global Freshwater Team’s work.

Robert began practicing water law in 1979 and joined The Nature Conservancy in 1986 as its first water attorney and has been affiliated with both western water issues and the Conservancy's freshwater biodiversity conservation efforts ever since. Robert contributed to the Conservancy’s Freshwater Initiative and helped establish the Freshwater Legal Team (an assemblage of Conservancy attorneys interested in the legal side of freshwater issues). 

Robert has also provided corporate legal guidance to The Nature Conservancy and served as manager of the western legal staff. Robert has written and contributed to several scholarly scientific and legal papers, including  Turning Instream Flow Water Rights Upside Down (2000). 

Robert holds a JD in law from the University of Colorado (Boulder) and a BA in economics from Colorado College (Colorado Springs).