Jim Maxwell

Jim Maxwell is the press officer for the Rocky Mountain Region. He grew up in southern California, where he learned to play the banjo, acquired a love for old time music and folkways, and picked up some outrageous tunes from his step-dad, Bob Durham. Jim favors the archaic claw-hammer style by striking down on a banjo string with the fingernail to play the melody. He has learned most of his music by listening to old recordings and jamming with friends. He and his wife Janet have four grown children.

Jim graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s degree in forest watershed science in 1971. He has worked for the Forest Service since then, as a hydrologist in five regions and as a district ranger in Tennessee before taking his current job. He loves to camp, hike, fish, and work in the garden, and is always looking for a reason to laugh. He says, “I love the Fiddlin’ Foresters because we can touch the hearts of real people all over the country, as we share our passion for natural resources and the Forest Service by making music and having fun.”