Christian M. Stock is a third-year student at the West Virginia University College of Law and a recipient of the EMLF Scholarship.

Raised in rural New Hampshire with a parent in the timber industry, Christian developed an early understanding of the critical connection between natural resource economies and local communities. He earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Forestry and Surveying Engineering Technology from the University of Maine at Orono before building an extensive technical career in public land management. For over five years, Christian served as a Cadastral Surveyor for the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado, leading surveying crews, managing complex boundary data, and navigating title conflicts on federal lands supporting active mining operations. A licensed Professional Land Surveyor, he has channeled this technical expertise into his legal education, focusing on Property, Land Use Resiliency, Coal/Oil/Gas, and Environmental Law. His legal experience includes a summer associate position at BCM

Environmental & Land Law, PLLC. Looking ahead, Christian plans to participate in WVU’s Land Use Law Clinic and intends to use his unique dual-background to advocate for practical regulatory frameworks that protect private property rights while allowing energy and mineral industries to operate sustainably.

“Determining land use policy that satisfies environmental concerns and doesn’t overburden mining operators requires committed and talented advocates to develop a practical regulatory framework,” Stock stated in his personal statement. “I see myself contributing to this field of law by advocating for private landowners and their property rights in addition to advocating for policy and regulation that allows these industries to sustainably operate.”