Maine’s Beaches Are Public Property: The Moody Beach Decisions Must Be Reexamined

Join distinguished law professor Orlando E. Delogu as he advocates for a re-examination of court cases that ceded title to Maine’s intertidal lands to upland owners and limited public use of these lands to “fishing, fowling, and navigation.”  An extended question and answer session will follow professor Delogu’s presentation.

The presentation is part of a multi-year series offered by the Wells Reserve that examines laws and policies affecting public use and private ownership of the Maine coastline. Recordings of other sessions in the series can be found on the Wells Reserve's YouTube channel.

The event is free but a donation of $5 per person will be accepted.

Orlando Delogu is emeritus professor of law at the University of Maine School of Law. His most recent book, published in December 2017, is Maine’s Beaches are Public Property: The Bell Cases must be Reexamined. 

Professor Delogu has taught and conducted research at the Law School for 51 years and has a long record of public service and engagement in land use, property and environmental law, and public policy. He served for five years on Maine's Board of Environmental Protection; he was a Portland City Councilor; he served five years on the Portland Planning Board; and he chaired the Association of American Law Schools' Environmental Law Section. He has traveled overseas to provide guidance to other countries on approaches and solutions to environmental issues and problems.

Professor Delogu has appeared before Congressional and Maine legislative committees; he has participated in cases dealing with environmental and land use issues as well as cases testing the limits of governmental tax and spending power. Professor Delogu is a regular contributor on land use, environmental and state/local government tax issues to the Maine Lawyers Review, the Portland Press Herald, the Forecaster, and other news outlets in Maine—over 75 pieces have been published in the last ten years. 

Since 1981 Delogu has participated in the preparation of four amicus briefs that sought to protect public interests in intertidal lands and has published five Law Review articles addressing aspects of these issues.  Professor Delogu received his BS degree from the University of Utah and an MS and JD degree from the University of Wisconsin.