Guarding the Public Trust: Brittany Thorley (‘23)

By Valerie Mills

A few years ago, while a busy BYU Law student, Brittany Thorley (‘23) took time to advocate publicly for preserving public ownership of Utah Lake. Her compelling editorial in The Salt Lake Tribune highlighted the importance of the public trust doctrine.

Recently, Brittany was recognized and received an Earth Steward Award from the Utah Valley Earth Forum at BYU's Green Week. In her editorial, Brittany wrote: "If you have never heard of the public trust doctrine, perhaps [sacrificing one-fifth of the lake to private real estate developers] sounds reasonable. But this kind of exchange violates state and federal law. The public trust doctrine is a legal principle that requires a state to preserve public use and access to larger bodies of water, and Utah’s Constitution and statutes incorporate this principle into our state law."

Gérald Caussé reminds us that "the divine gift of the Creation does not come without duties and responsibilities. These duties are best described by the concept of stewardship. In gospel terms, the word stewardship designates a sacred spiritual or temporal responsibility to take care of something that belongs to God for which we are accountable.”  In accepting the Earth Steward Award, Brittany shared that advocating for public ownership of the lake was among the most meaningful things she did during law school.  

In accepting her award, Ms. Thorley shared a poignant quote from Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech: "[T[here is but a small field of usefulness open for [those] of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride or slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day; nor yet for those others who always profess that they would like to take action, if only the conditions of life were not exactly what they actually are." Her example underscores a simple truth: public advocacy is rarely easy, but it is essential. Brittany Thorley stands among those willing to speak out in defense of shared natural resources and the legal principles that protect them.