Patrick Byorth

Patrick Byorth joined the Montana Water Program at Trout Unlimited as a staff attorney in August of 2009 and became Montana Water Director in 2013. His work at Trout Unlimited focuses on restoration of instream flows and habitats to benefit native and wild fishes through community-based efforts, water transactions and water policy reform. Hailing from Billings, his natural resource work began in 1986, after earning a B.A. in biology and chemistry from Carroll College and in 1990 an M.S. in fish and wildlife management from Montana State University. He spent nearly 17 years as a fisheries biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks working to restore Arctic Grayling, Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout in their native waters. Pat shifted gears in 2006, entering the legal profession to focus on water law, instream flow restoration, and water policy reform, earning a J.D. at the University of Montana School of Law in 2009 and was admitted to the Montana Bar, Montana Federal District Court, and the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals. Patrick served as President of the Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and was recognized as the Chapter's Fisheries Professional of the Year in 2006. He is the founding Chairman of Montana Aquatic Resources Services, Inc. (now Montana Freshwater Partners), an aquatic mitigation company innovating new strategies for restoring Montana’s streams, lakes and wetlands. Patrick served as Vice Chair of the Greater Gallatin Water Council.  He joined the board of the Four Corners Foundation in 2017.  In 2019, Montana Governor Steve Bullock appointed him to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to represent Southwest Montana, on which he served through 2022.