Hosted by partners across the Ozark and Ouachita region, this event brings together river professionals, watershed leaders, and outdoor recreation experts from across the country. Set against a backdrop of forested hills, clear streams, and vibrant river towns, the region offers the perfect setting for conversations about stewardship, restoration, and access.
Oklahoma is proud of its protected Scenic Rivers and decades-long patronage of clean water. In Arkansas, the Buffalo National River—the nation’s first National River—and a diversity of rivers and water trails are supported by the Natural State Initiative, which positions the area as a year-round outdoor destination while protecting and restoring riparian ecosystems and honoring both cultural and ecological values. Both states are home to region-defining whitewater parks and whitewater paddling!
We'll post our call for speakers here soon! Here's an overview of the week:
Monday: Arrival and Check-in
Tuesday: Field Sessions (Full day and half-day options available)
Thursday: Concurrent Sessions, Closing Plenary, Closing Banquet and Live Auction
Friday: Return home (or stay and explore!)
Members and early registrants save on registration!
Take advantage of early registration rates, available through March 19, 2027. Members receive discounted registration, so if you're considering joining RMS, this is the perfect time! Learn about the features and benefits of membership on our membership web page. You can join or renew on that page or within the Symposium registration form (link coming soon!)
Social registration
Guests are welcome to join in the festivities, and we offer special rates for them to attend the Wednesday Awards Luncheon ($40), Wednesday Poster Reception ($60), Thursday Closing Banquet ($60), or all three ($150).
Venue: Fayetteville Town Center
15 W Mountain Street Fayetteville, AR 72701
Hotel: Graduate by Hilton
70 N East Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72701
Hotel reservations are not included with your Symposium registration, so please be sure to book your room.
Your sponsorship supports river leaders nationwide and offers excellent visibility for your organization to attendees and the larger river management community. See the many benefits of sponsorship and auction donation in our Sponsor Information Packet. Whether you sponsor the event or donate items to our auction, we will appreciate your support. Let’s discuss how we can provide a unique opportunity to promote your organization, services, or products!
The online and in-person auction elevates our partners' brands and importantly, helps make this event possible. Please consider donating river and outdoor equipment, outfitted trips or instructional classes, jewelry or works of art. Bidding will take place online in early April 2025, the week before the Symposium, and it will close on the final day of the Symposium with a live auction.
As a donor, you can receive sponsor benefits equivalent to 50% of the item's retail value. Please reference the sponsor information packet above to see how this might benefit you! To donate an item, visit our Auction Item Donation Form (button below).
Items donated to the auction do NOT need to be shipped to winning bidders until the week after the Symposium. Most items will be featured online only, with a few smaller items on site. If your item is selected to be featured on site, we'll ask you to ship it to Fayetteville, AR. If you have questions related to the auction or shipping, please reach out to Bekah Price at bekah(at)river-management.org.
Interested in volunteering before, during or after the Symposium? We have several time slots and positions available, so you can volunteer a little or a lot. Helping out behind the scenes is a fun and impactful way to support the success of this event and to get to know peers. Great for veterans and first-time attendees! We'll post a volunteer sign up link right here when we get closer to the event date.
We enthusiastically thank our 2027 Steering Committee:
Leif Kindberg, Illinois River Watershed Partnership
Jared Skaggs, Grand River Dam Authority
Darrell Bowman, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Becky Flynn, Arkansas Office of Outdoor Recreation
