On Friday, September 20th, the student-run U.C. Davis Law Review will host a most timely conference examining an environmental crisis facing many of the American West’s iconic “terminal lakes.” That term refers to lakes that have no natural outlet.  For many years, protracted droughts and human diversions from freshwater rivers and streams feeding those lakes have combined to reduce lake levels dramatically and significantly increase their salinity (i.e., salt content).  These alarming trends have in turn triggered crashing ecosystems, dramatic reductions or even elimination of fish and wildlife resources, public health problems including toxic air pollutants, and the loss of cultural resources treasured by Native American communities. … The threatened Western terminal lakes that will be analyzed and discussed in detail at the September 20th Symposium include: California’s Salton Sea, Owens Lake and Mono Lake …