Alyson Merlin
Staff Attorney
Alyson’s work centers on public lands litigation and environmental justice advocacy, with a focus on collaboration with community partners in Western North Carolina. At the intersection of those aims, Alyson pursues renaming opportunities for geographic features to help ensure that all cultures and backgrounds are celebrated in our shared spaces. To increase government accountability and transparency, Alyson also leads SELC’s Freedom of Information Act work focused on changes within the current federal administration.
“I am most proud of my work on the Ela Dam in Swain County. For nearly 100 years, the Ela Dam has impeded the free flow of the Oconaluftee River, degrading water quality and blocking migration of aquatic animals, including culturally important fish species like the sicklefin redhorse— Ugiidatli in Cherokee. We are currently working together with partners at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, federal and state agencies, and local conservation groups to facilitate the dam’s removal after these many long years.”
Alyson grew up outside of Atlanta, but having a base in Asheville is very familiar territory from a lifetime of childhood trips to the nearby Pisgah National Forest.
“I work for SELC because of its place-based focus. I was born and raised in the South and its people and places matter deeply to me. Every day I come to work and know that I am doing my part to make the region I grew up in a happier, healthier, and more inclusive place to live.”
- J.D., Columbia Law School, Alfred S. Forsyth Prize
- B.S., University of Georgia, summa cum laude
- Fellow, National Wildlife Federation