The River Management Society is teaming with the National Association of Recreation Resource Planners (NARRP) to host our biennial symposium on river management. Recognizing resource protection as a core value, the symposium will explore how scientists, planners, and managers are maintaining or restoring ecosystem sustainability while providing opportunities for high quality recreation experiences on rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Participants at the symposium will interact with regional and national leaders in river conservation and recreation management through a diverse program.

Symposium Theme ~

Symposium Format ~

As with previous symposia, the format will provide two days of presentations and work sessions (on Tuesday and Thursday), with a day of field trips in between (Wednesday). There will also be organized and informal social events including an opening social, a “media night,” a closing banquet, and the ever-popular silent auction. Additional pre- and post symposium field trips and short courses may also be developed in conjunction with the symposium.

CLICK HERE for - Lodging Information

CLICK HERE for - Final Program (5/4/10; subject to change)

CLICK HERE for - Sponsorship & Exhibitor Brochure

CLICK HERE for - Poster Session Guidelines

Pre-Symposium Field Trip ~ Lower Deschutes Wild and Scenic River Trip (May 15-17, 2010, Saturday-Monday)

Don't miss a great opportunity to float the Lower Deschutes River in Central Oregon before the 2010 RMS / NARRP Symposium Starts in Portland, Oregon.

The price of this professionally-outfitted river trip has been reduced to $425!

This includes a guided trip for 3 days and 2 nights with great buffet meals and sunny days on one of the Northwest's classic and unique Bureau of Land Management's rivers.

There is room for up to eight more people to join the trip. First-come basis.

Please register online by this Friday, May 7, 2010 or call Lynette Ripley (541) 416-6781 if you have questions.

Enjoy three days and two nights on one of your wild and scenic rivers in sunny central Oregon before the symposium starts. This 45-mile whitewater ride through Class I-IV rapids will be hosted by the Bureau of Land Management who cooperatively manages the river with 7 other managing agencies. Along with great scenery, buffet meals, fines wines in camp and enjoyable company, many river topics will be discussed along the way. The Lower Deschutes River is a learning ground to compare notes and share ideas as managers aim to please its 250,000 visitors and protect the resources every year by tackling challenging issues routinely.

This trip is one for the novice boater as well as the expert river runner as Ouzel Outfitters provides us with a Class Act on the river. Ouzel will provide a professionally guided trip to include boats, kayaks, all camping gear as needed, wetsuits and paddle jackets/pants. You will leave more informed about wild and scenic rivers along with good memories, a suntan and a free t-shirt and water bottle for souvenirs.

Trip Cost: - $425/person (Until Friday, May 7)
Trip includes all food, gear, and transportation.
(Minimum: 8 and maximum number of boaters: 16)

Trip Begins on Saturday, May 15, 2010
Leave Portland at 7:30 am (2 hour trip)
Arrive Warm Springs, OR at 9:30 am

 Trip Ends on Monday, May 17, 2010
Leave Maupin, OR in afternoon (2 hour trip)
Arrive Portland, OR around 5 pm

Symposium Field Trips ~ Wednesday

NOTE: There may be space for a guest/spouse on field trips. Please call Dan Haas (509) 546-8333 to arrange.

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area – Travels through a Postcard
This all day bus tour will explore the rich natural, cultural, and geological wonders of the crown jewel of the Northwest, the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area. Your tour route will follow the “Mighty Columbia” and its tributaries to experience the wide variety of recreational and environmental stewardship issues that surround this heavily used natural wonder. Learn from land managers and stakeholder’s techniques for effectively managing this heavily visited area, while still protecting the resources that make it such a unique natural wonder. Stops will include Crown Point viewing area and museum, popular Multnomah Falls, and Bonneville Dam and fish hatchery. There will be opportunities for short hikes along the itinerary. Truly a fantastic trip through a postcard!

Sandy River Basin Restoration Field Trip
Join staff from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Western Rivers Conservancy and Portland General Electric to learn about the challenges and opportunities for restoring fish and wildlife habitat and providing new recreational opportunities within the Sandy River Basin. The tour will start with site visits to several restoration projects that the BLM is currently coordinating within the Basin, most notably the work that has been done to date on the historic Marmot Dam Site, the larges dam to be removed in the Pacific Northwest. You will also visit the Wildwood Recreation Site where staff members of BLM and Wolftree, a non-profit environmental education group will talk about the Cascade Streamwatch (CSW) interpretive site, one of the few places visitors can view salmon in their native habitat - from under the water! The CSW tour will offer discussions and insight regarding this sucessful15-year partnership that has engaged over 10,000 youth in the outdoors and natural resource sciences. Field trip highlights will include dam removal, habitat restoration, environmental education, and recreation planning and project management.

White Salmon River Rafting
Experience first hand the White Salmon's beauty, grace and white water! Snowmelt from high on the slopes of Mt Adams and riverside springs throughout the canyon section provide a unique combination of water flow. You'll leave Portland in the morning and travel through the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area on the way to join our commercial outfitter at BZ Corners, Washington. The three-hour float will cover most of the Wild and Scenic portion of the White Salmon. The outfitter will provide paddle rafts, expert guides, paddle jackets, booties and farmer john wet suites and transportation to the put in and back to their offices to meet your bus for the return trip to your hotel.

Clackamas River Rafting
The Clackamas River is one of the premier whitewater rivers in Oregon. Lush old-growth forests line the bank of this steep canyon and reflect off the crystal clear water. Participants will visit the Faraday Diversion Dam to review findings from a "controlled flow study" for boating on a two mile reach below the dam and hear from Portland General Electric staff about fishery and recreation issues during re-licensing. Following this, participants will boat the 13-mile "Three Lynx Reach," a popular Class III/IV whitewater boating run, with stops to discuss additional re-licensing issues as we pass the Three Lynx Powerhouse, boating access sites, and boating attractions such as "Bob's Hole" (among the most popular "park 'n surf" attractions in the northwest). The trip will be accompanied by outfitters, PGE staff, researchers, and stakeholders who can offer diverse perspectives on Clackamas re-licensing and flow-recreation studies in general.

Lower Deschutes Wild and Scenic River
If you missed the three-day pre-symposium river trip on the Lower Deschutes, you can still run the river for the day. Join in on this 4-hour whitewater river ride down the 13-mile “splash and giggle” section. You will enjoy a professionally guided trip by Imperial River Company through our well-known Maupin stretch of Class I-III whitewater rapids. This trip is for the novice boater as well as the expert river runner to experience. A hot barbeque lunch is provided midway through the float trip right along the river on Imperial River Company’s beautiful green lawn. Your boat and river gear such as wetsuits, paddle jackets/pants are provided.

Lower Columbia River Water Trail Paddle Trip
Paddle the Columbia River Water Trail where you will experience a variety of conditions that affect recreation activities. Tomahawk and Hayden Islands offer a convenient paddling destination close to the city and accessible by all skill levels. A variety of birds and wildlife are often seen as we slip around the puzzle pieces of land and explore paths once traveled by Native Americans and Lewis and Clark. The scenery varies from neighborhoods of floating homes to isolated sandy river beaches and remote wildlife habitat to commercial uses of the Columbia River. All paddling gear including boats, paddles, PFDs, paddling jackets, shoes, etc. can be provided.

Willamette River (Ross Island) Paddle Trip
The Willamette River is the longest tributary of the Columbia River in Oregon and runs through 60% of the state's population. The Willamette has and does play an important part in the history of Oregon. More than 65 entities along the river have joined together to plan and develop a 65-mile water trail. Participants will travel to the headquarters of Willamette Riverkeeper to hear a discussion on the partnership to develop the water trail, conservation efforts and the recent acquisition of a 45-acre natural portion of Ross Island. Immediately afterward, participants will paddle from Willamette Riverkeeper to Ross Island and back. This flat-water paddle will showcase the urban portion of the water trail including paddling underneath bridges, along urban developments and a contrasting opportunity for escape on the relatively pristine portion of Ross Island.

Portland Bicycling Trip
Take a bike tour of one of the most bike friendly towns in the country! Starting near downtown Portland, Peddle Bike Tours will guide us to a few stops to point out Portland's colorful history and present. We will continue onto the River Front Park¹s Esplanade and floating walkway, connect to the Springwater trail where Portland¹s Parks and Recreation staff will show us some trail gaps and how they are addressing them, bike boulevards and ways to combine trails with commuting. We will have a bag lunch on the Springwater (each bike has a little handle bar bag on it to carry the lunch). The trip will be about 15 miles at a recreational pace.

Sandy Ridge Trail Development Trip
Join recreation planners from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), trail designers from the International Mountain Bike Association and landscape architects to learn about a multi-year planning process that successfully developed new aquatic and terrestrial based recreation opportunities along the Sandy River. The tour will provide the opportunity for participants to observe machine built trail construction and interact with trail experts from IMBA’s trial solution team to learn about techniques associated with sustainable trail planning, design and construction. Trip highlights include the opportunity to learn about interagency planning and adopting trail agreements, the design charrette process for determining appropriate levels of facility development, general trail layout and design tips, OHV management strategies, machine built trail construction techniques and processes associated with sustainable recreation development.

Trout Creek & White Salmon Dam Removal Field Trip
Join staff from US Forest Service, American Whitewater, PacifiCorp, and Friends of the Columbia Gorge to learn about river restoration through dam removal in the Columbia Gorge. With recent projects to remove dams on the Sandy River and Trout Creek and upcoming projects to remove dams on the White Salmon and Hood River, the Columbia Gorge is the site of some of the most important river restoration efforts in the region. Our journey will start with a visit to Trout Creek, a key tributary of the Wind River with important steelhead habitat now made more accessible through the removal of Hemlock Dam, an outdated hydropower dam that was not generating power but was continuing to impede fish migration and affect water temperature. This will be an opportunity to witness first hand the restoration of Trout Creek which has been returned to its natural course after decades and learn from project managers who have navigated the project through various social, legal, and operational challenges. Our next stop will be to the White Salmon River which is currently blocked by Condit Dam, a hydropower project that was constructed without fish passage. A settlement agreement calls for removal of this dam as more cost effective than relicensing the hydropower project. We will hike along the gorge and visit the dam site. On our return trip to Portland we will experience the scenery of the Columbia Gorge.

Rediscovering the Abandoned Historic Columbia River Highway Field Trip
Pack your hiking shoes, this six hour excursion will offer a “behind the scenes” tour of the Historic Columbia River Highway , a National Historic Landmark. The day will include a tour of both the restored portions of the highway as well as those presently abandoned sections awaiting restoration as a multi use trail. This will not be your typical tour of the highway. We will skip the most often visited sites and spend time discovering the forgotten beauty of the highway and its cultural landscape. We will head east out of Portland along the Historic Columbia River Highway, America’s first Scenic Highway. Many of these tour stops are not open to the public; participants will have a sneak peak at the challenges and opportunities associated with trail construction in the Gorge. We will be stopping for a picnic lunch besides a beautiful waterfall. Participants will learn about the road’s history as the first scenic highway in the United States – especially how its design was sensitive to the Columbia River Gorge’s natural landscape, view first hand the abandoned sections of the roadway and understand the great challenges and opportunities awaiting the reconnection of the Highway as a trail through the Gorge.

Planning Ahead and Lodging ~

We hope you'll use the symposium as an excuse to see the great Northwest at a sublime time of the year. With its wild coast, ancient forests, rollicking rivers, and high Cascades, the area is a premier national destination for outdoor enthusiasts. RMS and NARRP have also organized a pre-symposium trip for professionals who have more time to explore the region.

The symposium will be held at Portland's Red Lion Hotel on the River (http://www.redlion.com/jantzenbeach), which is situated on the banks of the mighty Columbia. Hotel costs meet government per diem rates.

Deadline for special room rate is April 26th. To make a reservation, call (503) 283-4466 or 1-800-733-5466 and ask for the "2010 Joint RMS NAARP Symposium" rate, which is $120/night for single/double occupancy. Children under 18 do not incur an additional charge. Any adult over two in the room does incur $10.00 per person. Room cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance.
NOTE: For those coming early or staying late, the Red Lion has offered to extend the $120 room rate for three days before and three days after the Symposium.

Pets are allowed. Guests that are part of the R&R club and have their pets registered travel free, and those that are not are charged at $25.00 non refundable pet fee. All guestrooms are nonsmoking.

The hotel has a complimentary shuttle from the airport (15 minutes) so you don’t need a rental car. Downtown Portland is about seven miles away, and available by public transportation.

• Portland is a major airline hub serviced by several airlines, including Alaska, American, Continental, Frontier, Horizon, JetBlue, Northwest, Southwest, United, and US Airways.
• There will be a silent auction and vendor displays available throughout the symposium.

Registration ~

We offer a variety of registration options to accommodate a range of schedules and affiliations. We also encourage you to take advantage of early registration discounts. RMS and NARRP are primarily volunteer organizations. Sharing knowledge through papers and presentations is one way to volunteer, while others contribute to the organization and symposium in other ways. All volunteers, members, and presenters are expected to register and pay for the symposium.

Early Discount - RMS/NARRP Member Only - (register before April1) $350.00
Early Discount - Public - (register before April 1) $400.00
Late - RMS/NARRP Member Only - (register on or after April 1) $450.00
Early Discount - Public - (register on or after April1) $500.00
Student - (currently enrolled with valid ID) $175.00
Single Day - Tuesday (includes Opening Reception and River Media Night) $200.00
Single Day - Thursday (includes Auction and Closing Banquet Dinner) $200.00

For complete details, please visit the registration form.

Partners ~

Several agencies and organizations are helping organize or supporting the symposium, including:

• American Whitewater
• American Rivers
• Army Corps of Engineers
• Columbia River Gorge Commission
• Bureau of Land Management
• Bureau of Reclamation
• Hydro Reform Coalition
• National Park Service
• Oregon State Parks
• Oregon Division of Lands
• River Restoration Northwest
• U.S.D.A. Forest Service
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Washington State Parks

For More Information ~

For questions regarding the symposium, please contact the co-chairs:
Denny Huffman at  rapids39@comcast.net
Rick Just at  Rick.Just@idpr.idaho.gov

For questions regarding the symposium program, please contact the program co-chairs:
Doug Whittaker at dougwhit@alaska.net
Glenn Haas at glennehaas@comcast.net