Podcasts

Make a Puzzle: Kami Bakken on Guiding, Grants and Storytelling

Interview: Kami Bakken. Kami guides the Middle Fork and Main Salmon for Canyons River Company. She’s also the sole employee of Rivers for Change and works on the Girl Winter Film Tour. She and Jack talk about: 

  • Working a full guiding season alongside a year-round career 
  • Rivers for Change microgrants, which open twice a year, and the “source to sea” idea 
  • Storytelling as one of a guide’s most powerful advocacy tools 
  • How the Redside Foundation got her through a dark stretch after the season 
  • Her advice to younger guides: there’s no box you have to fit in, so “make a puzzle”

The Frank Ain't Broke: A conversation with Doug Tims

Jack sits down with living legend Doug Tims: former IOGA president, co-founder of America Outdoors, longtime Middle Fork and Selway outfitter, the man who turned Maravia rafts into the industry standard, and for twenty years the caretaker of Campbell’s Ferry on the Main Salmon. Doug tells how a Mississippi kid who’d never seen a mountain ended up running thirteen Middle Fork launches a season. He talks about how IOGA hired its first paid staff and how a national voice for outfitters was formed, and how a Navy SEAL team helped reinvent the way rafts are built. He also shares why he’s optimistic about the next twenty years of outfitting and wilderness in Idaho.

From Bill's Bags to Pack Rafts: NRS's Mark Deming on Building a River Legend

Erik, Jack, and special guest Hardy Bender catch up on everything Idaho outfitters need to know this week. Hardy previews the IOGA Annual Meeting, happening this December at Tamarack Resort near Donnelly and McCall — early-bird pricing ends at the end of the month, chartered flights are being arranged out of the Lemhi Valley, and this year's sessions range from digital marketing basics to AI-driven operations management, alongside old favorites like cowboy poetry and the exhibitor fair. On the policy side, Erik explains that the Forest Service has delayed rollout of the Explore Act's predetermined fee option, meaning most operators should budget for the traditional AGR-based fee model this season rather than the new per-person-per-day structure. Jack breaks down the newly published proposal to rescind the 2001 National Roadless Rule, walking through what it does and doesn't change — including why Idaho's own 2008 Roadless Rule keeps most in-state impacts limited, while forests along the Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington borders could see more road-building conversations down the road. The team also covers a Forest Service reorganization consolidating fire and aviation authority under a single Deputy Chief, sobering fall steelhead and Chinook return numbers on the Snake and Columbia systems, a nearly 700,000-acre fire season and strained state suppression budgets, and a proposed Oregon State Marine Board rule clarifying guide licensing requirements in Hells Canyon. The back half of the episode features Erik's conversation with Mark Deming, Chief Marketing Officer of NRS, the Moscow, Idaho-based river gear company. Mark traces NRS's path from a 1970s mail-order operation built on duct-taped-together necessity (the Bill's Bag, the NRS strap) to a globally recognized outdoor brand that still designs, builds, and ships almost everything in-house. The two talk about NRS's employee-owned culture, the evolving outdoor customer base, the rise of pack rafting as the next big category, the company's approach to conservation advocacy, and why NRS has chosen to stay rooted in Moscow rather than scale up elsewhere.

30 Years on the Idaho Outdoors Beat with Eric Barker

Interview — Eric Barker (Lewiston Tribune): Barker reflects on nearly 30 years covering Idaho's outdoors and environment beat. Topics include how the Snake River dams/salmon debate has evolved (from agency recommendation to Congress to the courts), the massive public backlash that helped stop the Mike Lee land sell-off, shrinking federal agency staffing capacity post-DOGE cuts and its effect on trail maintenance and wildfire response, the ongoing Forest Service reorganization, the tension between fire suppression and prescribed burning, growing outdoor recreation pressure and funding gaps (hunters/anglers pay via tags/licenses, but hikers and bikers largely don't), and the growing difficulty of reporting on federal agencies that have become more guarded since DOGE. He closes with a tour through his favorite Idaho waters and asks listeners to subscribe to local news and send him tips.

The Fish Are Telling Us Something. Jay Hesse on Snake River Salmon's Last Stand

Erik and Jack cover a busy week — Erik returns from the IPW convention in Florida where he spent three days pitching Idaho's outdoor recreation opportunities (jet boat rides, rafting, backcountry horse trips, hunting) to international tour operators and travel agents. They hit the week's policy news: Steve Pierce's official BLM confirmation, $12M in USDA CWD funding, and a sobering stat that the Forest Service maintained 22% fewer trail miles in 2025 than the year prior. Jack does a deep dive on the FY27 Interior/Environment appropriations bill out of Congressman Simpson's subcommittee — covering Forest Service budget levels, PILT funding, hunting/fishing access protections, and provisions on grizzly bears, wolves, and wolverines. Then Jay Hesse, Director of Biological Services for the Nez Perce Tribe, joins for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of Snake River salmon and steelhead — explaining quasi-extinction thresholds, the alarming status of Middle Fork Chinook populations, and the tribe's aggressive conservation measures including cryopreservation, off-site living gene banks, overwinter survival pilots, and marine-derived nutrient enhancement using shad. Jay closes with a public health warning: methylmercury levels in lower Salmon River smallmouth bass are among the highest in the state.

Clearing the Way: Chainsaws, the Frank, and the Fight for Wilderness Access

Erik and Jack kick off with river season updates before diving into policy news: the Public Lands Integrity Act, Jim Risch's support for the America the Beautiful Act's Legacy Restoration Fund reauthorization, the BLM's rescission of the Public Lands Rule, and Steve Pierce's impending BLM director confirmation. The main event is a deep-dive interview on a landmark development: the Salmon-Challis National Forest's authorization — signed the morning of recording — allowing limited gas chainsaw use by permitted outfitters and contractors to clear catastrophically downed timber on specific Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness trails. Erik walks through the legal foundation (the 1964 Wilderness Act's MRA process, the 1978 Endangered American Wilderness Act's House Report, and the trail-clearing mandate in the 1980 Central Idaho Wilderness Act), the scale of the problem (500+ trail miles, up to 700 downed trees per mile), and addresses critics who question the commercial motivation or fear broader precedent. He closes with a passionate case that access is the wilderness's greatest long-term protection.

The Rugged Individual Myth: Guide Mental Health with Shannon Walton

In this week's episode, Erik Weiseth sits down with Shannon Walton, Executive Director of the Redside Foundation — the organization born from tragedy in 2010 that has grown into a trusted lifeline for guides across the American West. Shannon shares the origin story of Redside, her own winding path from professional guide to corporate executive to nonprofit leader, and the remarkable scope of what the organization has built: over 23,000 counseling sessions paid for since 2014, financial coaching, professional development scholarships, healthcare access, and more. The conversation also digs into the real and complex relationship between guiding culture, substance use, mental health, and the myth of the rugged Western individual. Erik also shares IOGA updates from the spring board meeting in Salmon, including a new Hunt Vice President, committee opportunities, and highlights from the strategic planning session.

Myths, Directives, and Dead Lodgepole: A Frank Conversation with Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz

In the debut episode of The Outfitter Brief, hosts Erik Weiseth (Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association) and Aaron Lieberman (America Outdoors Association) sit down with Chief Tom Schultz, Chief of the United States Forest Service. It's a wide-ranging, candid conversation covering the Forest Service reorganization, forest health, wildland fire consolidation, and what it all means for outfitters, guides, and the outdoor recreation industry. Schultz brings a unique perspective to the role — a background spanning military service, state lands management in both Montana and Idaho, and private sector timber experience — and he doesn't shy away from the hard questions. From debunking myths about land sell-offs to making the case for active forest management, this first episode sets the tone for what The Outfitter Brief is all about: cutting through the noise to get to what actually matters for the people running small businesses on America's public lands.

Killing Bills & Howling Wolves

Erik and Jack recap a memorable Salmon Chapter banquet, run through the final stretch of Idaho's legislative session — including a last-minute bill kill, a wild ride on hunting tech rules, and a public lands win — then sit down with researcher and guide Carly Knudsen to talk burnout, resilience, and health access in the guiding profession.

Common Ground in the Canyons: John Robison on Collaborative Conservation

In this information-packed episode, Erik Weiseth and Jack Hurty dive into the "unsexy but essential" work of advocating for Idaho’s outfitting industry. Erik shares insights from his recent trip to D.C. for "Camp Washington," including a surprising meeting with Senator Risch and updates on the ORG Act. Later, Jack previews a critical new economic report on the risks of public land transfers. The second half features a deep-dive interview with *John Robison*, Public Lands and Wildlife Director for the *Idaho Conservation League (ICL)*. John reflects on 25 years of conservation in Idaho, the legacy of the Owyhee Initiative, and why "collaborative conservation" is the superpower needed to keep public lands in public hands.

Important but deeply un-sexy - IOGA on the road

This week on the IOGA Podcast, hosts Erik Weiseth and Jack Hurty dive into a dense legislative update from Washington, D.C., and Boise. The episode was supposed to feature an interview with Liz Townley of the U.S. Forest Service regarding the implementation of the *EXPLORE Act*, but tech problems stopped that effort. The episode also includes critical updates on public land amendments and labor laws affecting the outfitting industry.

Episode 3 - Wild-er-ness, Not Wild-less-ness with Steve Zettel

EPISODE 3: OUTFITTER DAY, LEGISLATIVE UPDATES, AND PROTECTING THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE In this episode, IOGA Executive Director Erik Weiseth and Policy Director Jack Hurty recap a busy week at the Idaho State House, including the annual "Lobby Day" and Wild Game Dinner. They provide critical updates on legislation affecting public lands, working animals, and wildlife crossings. The second half of the episode features a deep-dive interview with outfitter legend Steve Zettel of Idaho Wilderness Company. Steve discusses the *"Not In Wilderness" Coalition*, a movement dedicated to preserving the philosophical and spiritual heart of the wilderness experience from the intrusion of modern technology and constant connectivity.

From Swimming the Salmon to Capital Hill - Roy Akins

In this week’s episode of the IOGA podcast, hosts Erik Weiseth and Jack Hurty break down the high-stakes legislative and federal issues currently facing Idaho’s outfitting and guiding industry. From "dueling" constitutional amendments at the State House to the potential "Pandora's Box" of Resource Management Plan (RMP) challenges, this episode covers the critical updates every member needs to know. FEATURED INTERVIEW: ROY AKINS – THE VOICE FOR IDAHO’S RIVERS The highlight of this week’s episode is a deep-dive interview with Roy Akins, a living legend in the Idaho guiding community. Roy is the owner of Rapid River Outfitters in Riggins and a tireless advocate for the recovery of salmon and steelhead. 

  • *Advocacy in Washington D.C.*: Roy and Jack share behind-the-scenes insights from their recent trip to the nation's capital. They discuss the critical mission of educating lawmakers on the economic necessity of anadromous fish and the direct impact of declining runs on rural Idaho "river towns". 
  • *The "Salmon Survival Swim"*: Beyond policy, the conversation takes a legendary turn as Roy details his "Salmon Survival Swim"—an incredible feat where he *swam the entire length of the Salmon River*. 
  • *A Call for Future Legends*: In a moment of classic river-runner wit, Roy mentions he is looking for a partner to join him in doing the swim again.