PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Every time I'm on the river, or IN the river riding trails on my wonderful horse, I'm struck by the beauty and importance of the Kings River. The goal of Kings River Conservancy is to bring you to the river, teach about the river, and help you to enjoy its wonderful recreation opportunities --just 30 minutes from downtown Fresno! We stand for safe, legal access to parks and public trails along the Kings River. Your donations go to park and trail maintenance, safety and educational signage, and special programs-- which you may specify with your donation-- such as extra warden patrol hours to combat poaching, invasive plant species removal, and trout eggs for the incubator house. We host fun, river-themed events such as Spring Fling on the Kings, Moonlight Over the Kings, and Get Curious on the Kings... all good excuses to come down to the river to play.
Long Live the Kings!
Sue Buckley, President
KINGS RIVER CONSERVANCY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Call the KRC office for information on the next meeting.
Sue Buckley, President
Sue Buckley loves to be outdoors! She volunteers at Reedley College, helping to keep their equine herd “student-ready”. She is a veteran K9 handler for Cal-Emergency Management Association Search (SAR) dog teams. Sue is a certified Wilderness First Aid / American Red Cross Emergency Medical Responder. Sue and husband Dr. Jerry Buckley love to hike, camp, and kayak, enjoying the out of doors resources of our beautiful planet. They both are delighted to work to protect the Kings River.
Jay Lloyd, Vice President
Jay has worked as an archaeologist throughout California for more than 20 years but has always called the Kings River home. He is married to Laurie and they have two (mostly) grown sons. As a family, they spend many hours mountain biking, snowboarding, kayaking, and exploring whenever they get a chance. Jay grew up in Reedley and now lives along the river in the Centerville-Minkler area.
Steve Windh, Treasurer
Steve has loved the Kings River ever since moving to the central San Joaquin Valley in 1997. He lives on and farms acreage on the river north of Reedley and has enjoyed exploring the Kings River watershed and its diverse wildlife. Steve is passionate about maintaining a balanced approach between the need for public river access and environmental protections and is excited to work with the Kings River Conservancy to build on the programs already underway.
Raine Bumatay, Secretary
Raine Bumatay vowed to live near the Kings River after camping in the area with her family as a young child. She is a retired educator of 36 years, and Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children. Her experience as a Director on the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board, provided lessons about working with multiple agencies to protect resources like the Kings River. Doug and Raine Bumatay have lived along the Kings River for almost 20 years now and feel passionate about preservation, education and advocacy.
Deborah Lencioni Lapp, Past President
Deborah Lapp and her husband Greg live on the Kings River near Choinumni Park and host several functions annually at the Lapp RiverHouse. As a property owner on the river, she understands the balance between public access and private security. Deb is passionate about river preservation, recreation, safety and education and sharing her passions with the community. She teaches English at Reedley College.
Carl Buxman
After his military service, Carl taught at Reedley High School then decided to pursue his dream of creating a farming, packing and shipping company, Sunny Cal Farms. He is married to Linda and they have three grown children and five grandsons. He enjoyed many years of back packing in the Sierras and river rafting and also enjoys traveling and community service.
John Gray
John Gray, DVM, is a retired Grand Canyon river guide who lives on the Kings River with his wife and children. He owns Reedley Veterinary Hospital, enjoys water sports and snow skiing, and backpacks frequently in the Sierra Nevada. He is also involved with the Fresno Zoo Authority and the Central California Veterinary Medical Association.
George Heaton
George has been a Reedley resident since 1977 and retired from Reedley College where he worked as a horticulturist for 40 yrs. During this time, he came to appreciate and respect the Kings River through fishing, floating, boating & hiking. He and his wife have a 6 acre homestead where they garden and raise chickens. He enjoys relaxing at his mountain property where he built a tiny log cabin. George is a horticultural judge at the Fresno Fair, a past member of the Orchid Society and a former Master Gardener. George is a retuning KRC board member and enjoys sharing his knowledge with others in all aspects of life’s lessons.
Larry Miller
Larry is originally from Rochester, NY. He settled in Erie, PA where he taught college zoology courses. Life turned when he was accepted to medical school. Larry is still a working family practice physician and has two children and three grandchildren. He is a life member of the Sierra Club and passionate about environmental issues. His love for zoology is ongoing and he has completed the training program at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo to be a volunteer docent.
Darlene Pirotte
Darlene has been a super volunteer for KRC since she and her husband, Chris, moved to this area four years ago. Their property in Wonder Valley has been in the family for more than 30 years, and she’s proud to be a 4th generation Californian of Native American descent. Darlene enjoys DIY projects, motorcycle camping, stargazing, birdwatching, hiking and outdoor activities. Darlene is already a docent with KRC and is excited to be a part of the education committee.
Burt Stalter
Burt is of native Choinumni descent and has worked for the US Forest Service Sierra National Forest for 35 years and lives in North Fork California. He graduated from Reedley College in 1991 with an AS in Forestry and has since attended Humbolt State University and Colorado State University. He grew up in Eastern Fresno County and eventually moved to Fresno as a teenager. He has enjoyed wonderful visits to the Kings River with Family and friends and looks forward to helping with restoration projects along the river. He enjoys recreating with his wife Mary Stalter going on fishing trips, hunting, hiking, kayaking, cycling and just being in the woods.
Patrick Turner
Patrick Turner oversees the Employment Services Dept. at the Fresno Economics Opportunities Commission. He and his wife, Esperanza, have two children and one grandson. Patrick is a member of multiple boards and local organizations. He is our new conservation committee chair. His maternal Great Uncle was Moses J. Church who was the first to channel irrigation off of the lower Kings River in the 1870’s.
Hank Urbach
Hank is a lifelong fisher and hunter, enjoyed a 35-year career in the computer industry and became involved in preserving the Kings River fishery in 1985. He had a hand in developing the Kings River Fisheries Management Program and today chairs its Public Advisory Group. He is past president of Fly Fishers for Conservation and serves as a representative for the Fisheries Program to the Upper Kings Basin Water Forum.
KRC Professionals
Vernon Crowder, Executive Director
Vernon recently left his 40 year career in the commercial banking industry to pursue his life-time interest in public service. He has been a close friend and longtime supporter of the KRC. He has been actively involved in local business, environmental, and water issues for many years and served on many Foundation boards throughout the community.
Denise Jameson, Youth Led Programs Manager
Denise has received her degree in Animal Science from Fresno State and her Masters and credentials in Agricultural Education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Denise greatly enjoys the outdoors and spends much of her time with her 3 sons and husband, taking adventures and exploring the outdoors. Denise has taught science at Sanger High School for the last 4 years.
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Loni Langdon, Education Director
Loni grew up in rural San Diego where her days were spent riding through the canyons on her pony. She earned her B.S. in Outdoor Recreation and Leadership. Throughout her life she has led people on hiking, kayaking, and horseback riding adventures. As Ed. Director, her goal is to bring people of all ages and backgrounds to the river so they can experience enjoying and caring for it, honoring it as if it ran through their backyards.
Kristi Winter, Public Outreach Director
Kristi graduated from Fresno State with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism and has been coordinating events for more than 15 years. Kristi and her husband Brandon enjoy traveling, reading, riding bikes and watching baseball.