Founded in 1994, the journal primarily covers environmental law and policy and related subjects with a regional focus in California, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Hawai'i.

"[2] The founding editors had the goal of establishing an "interdisciplinary journal" that would feature "articles by legal scholars, practicing lawyers, biologists, economists, engineers, historians, hydrologists, land and resource managers, and other professionals.

[3] Although the journal primarily covers environmental law and policy, it includes complementary fields, such as economics, anthropology, regional planning, engineering, biology, and Earth sciences.

[1] The journal also features photography and other artwork relating to nature and the environment in California, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawai'i, .

In 2008, the journal published an anthology of its "most important" articles to honor Joseph Sax's award of the 2007 Blue Planet Prize.