Reed D. Benson is Professor Emeritus at the University of New Mexico School of Law, from which he retired in 2024.  At UNM he served as Director of the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Program and taught courses on water law, natural resources, and administrative law.  Reed has published over forty articles on western water law and policy, and is lead author of the Water Resource Management textbook.  He previously worked in private law practice, for the Environmental Protection Agency, and for conservation groups in Colorado and Oregon, including five years as Executive Director of WaterWatch.  Reed served on the University of Wyoming law faculty from 2002-2008 before joining UNM. Along with his professional interest in water, he is a longtime kayaker who has paddled rivers in several western states.  He is now more or less retired and living in Missoula, Montana.