Northwest Chapter

Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming

Welcome to the Northwest Chapter of the River Management Society! Comprised of RMS members from the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming the NW Chapter is the largest RMS chapter averaging 150 members. Our goal is to further the mission of RMS by providing a regional forum for members to network, learn, and expand their knowledge of river management through participation and involvement in NW Chapter activities while also enjoying themselves. The chapter has a diverse membership, representing private, educational and governmental institutions and organizations.

Your chapter officers work hard to represent you and facilitate an active membership. Chapter Bylaws provide direction for the functioning of the NW Chapter. Chapter accomplishments are many and we hope upcoming activities will interest you. Join RMS now!

Any professional member is eligible to run for office; officers serve a 3-year term. Candidates should be informed regarding and Chapter Officer Roles be willing to be an active participant. Contact any Northwest Chapter officer to become involved in local or national RMS activities.

The most recent RMS Journal with a Northwest focus was Winter 2021.

Northwest Chapter Officers (2019-2021)

Lisa Byers (ID) President

It all began in 2010, after I drove from Maryland to Northern California for a SCA river recreation internship with the Forest Service on the Klamath River. During that internship I worked alongside with Dave Payne, a Pacific chapter member, and he introduced me to the River Management Society by taking me to a River Ranger Rendezvous event held on the Rogue River. I was in complete awe with all of my new experiences that summer. I decided I wanted to continue to pursue land management work, specifically relating with rivers.

I have since worked as a River Ranger on the Rogue River in Oregon, the Payette River in Idaho, and the Situk River in Yakutat, Alaska, the Salmon River in Idaho, and am currently a Wilderness & Rivers Program Manager for the Salmon Challis National Forest. I continued to be active with RMS by attending chapter events, participating in a RMS internship, annually updating the online River Permit documents, and have volunteered at and attended the past 3 symposiums. Like many of us in RMS, I just have an extreme passion for rivers (well…all bodies of water) and I want to share this passion with others in a way that is hopefully beneficial towards the protection and management of our river systems. RMS has been an organization that has helped me grow tremendously as I move forward in my career path. I am very excited to be in a leadership role as President of the NW Chapter and I look forward to connecting with members and providing guidance along the way. 

My favorite river is the South Fork Payette in Idaho, and a very close second is the North Fork Smith in California.

Contact Lisa

Colin Maas: Vice President

My love and passion for rivers began as a child in Boy Scouts, when I earned a canoeing merit badge after completing a multi-day float trip on a 50-mile stretch of the Missouri River in North Dakota.  This type of childhood experience, in addition to many others, led me to pursue a B.S. degree in Recreation Resources Management from the University of Montana. 

After working a variety of seasonal recreation jobs following college graduation, I landed a river ranger job on Montana’s Blackfoot River, which then led to a few seasons as a river ranger on the Smith River, also in Montana.  I found my first full-time gig with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in 2000 as a Park Ranger based in Kalispell, MT.  Then, in 2005, I was hired into my current position as the Park Manager of the Smith River and Sluice Boxes State Park, based in Great Falls, MT. 

I’ve been a member of RMS for 15 plus years and have attended several symposiums.  I was even humbled and appreciative when I was awarded “River Manager of the Year” in 2008.  I’ve had the opportunity to meet incredibly talented and devoted river professionals from all walks of life.  Over the years, I’d been encouraged by fellow RMS members to run for a chapter or national office but had been reluctant due to my workload and other commitments.  However, after all these years, I’m now ready, honored and excited to give back to RMS by working hard to represent the NW Chapter as your Vice President.     

Contact Colin

Martin Hudson (WY) Secretary

I became enamored with flowing water at the young age of about 4 while frolicking in Clear Creek near Winslow Arizona.  Many river, backwater and ocean paddling experiences later, I earned an AA Degree in Fish and Wildlife Management in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

Following 8 exciting years of work with the South Carolina Natural Resources Department, I returned to college and received a BS Degree in University Studies, Wildland Recreation Resources Management at the University of Southern Illinois, Carbondale.  I escaped from studies at every opportunity to explore the many fine rivers of Arkansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin.  After graduation, I journeyed to SW Oregon to work.....? as a BLM Recreation Technician on the Rogue River.  After numerous BLM assignments, including a short stint with the USFS and 3 glorious years in SW Oregon, my wife Dayle and I settled in Ely, Nevada.  As an Outdoor Recreation Planner with the BLM, I fell in love with the peaks, streams and history of the Great Basin.  After 8 years of fleeing the Basin to float rivers destined to flow to the sea, we migrated to Pinedale, Wyoming.  I worked as manager of the BLMs recreation program.  Dayle and I guided our two kids through the wilds of Wyoming and on to early adulthood.  My passion for free-flowing water is but one of my extracurricular pursuits.  I enjoy Triathlon, Nordic racing, birding, fishing, bird hunting and volunteering for the Lions Club.  

Currently, I’m exploring the pathways of retirement after BLM.  As a lifetime member of RMS I feel indebted to reinvest a bit of what RMS and my career has given me. The personal relationships and good work experiences draws me to maintain my connection with RMS.  It’s an honor to continue my commitment as the Secretary of the NW Chapter of RMS. Thank You!

Contact Martin

Joni Gore (WA): Events Coordinator

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Hydrology at University of California Davis. While earning my degree, I became a Class III whitewater rafting guide on the American and Klamath Rivers in California through the university's outdoor program.

After graduating, I moved to Washington State and became a Wild and Scenic River Fellow with the National Park Service in Seattle, Washington. In Fall 2019, I returned to school for a Masters in Applied Geosciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.

I am incredibly excited to not only explore the rivers in the Pacific Northwest, but also to engage others in river management. As the new Events Coordinator, I am totally stoked to bring Northwest Chapter members together--on and off the river!

My new favorite Northwest river is the Skykomish River, a state scenic river that runs year round.

Contact Joni

Northwest Chapter Meeting Notes 

Past Chapter Events

2022

July 11-14, 2022 Blackfoot River from River Junction to Johnsrud

2020

All events have been canceled in the Northwest Chapter for 2020. We are hopeful and look forward to planning events for the 2021 season. We miss you all!

2019

Lower Salmon River Trip, hosted by BLM Cottonwood Field Office (September 27-30, 2019)

The Northwest Chapter experienced a plethora of weather on their 4 day Lower Salmon Idaho trip during the end of September. Nevertheless, the group was nothing but smiles, laughter, chatter, and thrilled to be assisting the BLM with river ranger duties along the river. Tires and other trash debris were collected from the banks and camps and the group stopped at Eagle Beach to chat about projected/in progress projects the BLM is working on, such as boat ramp improvements, road improvements, and interp signage along the river. Keep an eye out for a more detailed article about the trip in the upcoming RMS Journal.