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River Management Society

2018-2020 Board of Directors Officer Election

Please review the statements of the candidates running for office as leaders of the national board.  Candidates for each office are uncontested, and we ask that you cast your votes here to reflect your support for them individually, as well as for the slate.  The polls will be open through August 31, 2017.

Vote today!

President - Linda Jalbert

[One year term]  RMS has been part of my life for over 25 years. Personal and professional connections made at symposia, workshops and river trips are the greatest asses of RMS. I have served as the Vice President for the past three years and would like to serve an additional year as President to help guide RMS into an exciting future. The one-year term would enable new board members to transition into their roles and provide consistency on some important projects and initiatives we started in 2017. RMS is coordinating the October 2018 event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and looks forward to continuing work on the National Rivers Project, the Rivers Studies and Leadership Certificate program, and establishing a river training institute. Recently retired, I’ve worked in wilderness and river management in various capacities including visitor education, permits, research, resources monitoring, and planning at Grand Canyon National Park and with the BLM in Idaho. In retirement, I serve RMS and enjoy hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, and river tripping

Vice President - Bo Shelby

My first river trip was on the Yampa—the desert was cold and rainy, and high water one night took out most of our camp. Next was Grand Canyon with an old Navy assault raft and two boats we cut down from surplus bridge pontoons, but it was incredible and I was hooked. I later worked on research for the first Colorado River Management Plan, and went to meetings where a few river managers got together as the Interagency Whitewater Committee to share problems and possible solutions (that organization morphed into RMS). One thing led to another and I wound up at Oregon State University in the Natural Resources Program, teaching classes and working on rivers all over the country. The challenges change, but the River Management Society is a terrific organization of great people devoted to caring for rivers. I’m excited about running for vice president and helping with that work.

Secretary - Helen Clough

As your outgoing RMS President, I would like to continue to serve on the board and am running for the position of Secretary. As a retiree I have the time, energy and passion to continue serving this organization. RMS provided so much to me as when I began working in river management in 1990 and I would like to continue to give back. . I am also co-chair of the 2018 Symposium, Wild, Scenic – and Beyond.

RMS is currently facing challenges of remaining relevant in the 21st century -- attracting new members and retaining those of us who have “been around for a while.” We need to identify new ways to fund our organization – which will continue to be a high priority for me as board member. All board members need to contribute fully to the organization; not just in the positions they occupy. We need to continue to collaborate with our traditional partners and reach out to others. We are growing the organization and I hope to be a part of securing our bright future.

Treasurer - David Cernicek 

I grew up on the rivers of the west and now livein Jackson Hole, Wyoming with my wife, Mary, and daughter, 10 yo Petra. I offer a unique perspective on rivers having operated on them from many angles, rafting and kayaking rivers non-commercially since 1982, and workeing as a guide and manager of commercial rafting companies in Colorado and Idaho for six seasons. While completing a master’s degree in natural resource management, I worked as a professional researcher, investigating river user behavior and my related specialties are river carrying capacity, crowding, and conflict issues. I have worked with the National Park Service’s River, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program in Washington D.C., where I participated in national river conservation policy formulation and the Wild & Scenic Rivers Management Program. I've worked as a river ranger on the Rio Grande and Rio Chama in New Mexico, the Stanislaus and Toulumne Rivers in California, and the Snake & its tributary rivers in Wyoming. Presently, I work as the Wild & Scenic Rivers Coordinator for 325 miles of 19 designated segments over 15 streams within the Snake River Headwaters designation flowing through the Bridger-Teton National Forest. I have been a member of RMS since 1997, and on the Interagency Wild & Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council since 2009. I was awarded the Gifford Pinchot Award, Interpreter & Conservation Educator of the Year, the Forest Service’s top national honor in 2008 and "River Manager of the Year" for 2010 by the RMS.