Pacific Chapter

California, Nevada, Hawaii

We are river professionals and students from California, Nevada and Hawaii. Our goal is to further the RMS mission by providing a forum for members in the Pacific Region to discuss river management and professional development issues in chapter workshops and other events that are informative and fun. The most recent RMS Journal with a Pacific Chapter focus is the Winter 2025 issue.

Pacific Chapter Bylaws

Vote for your Pacific Chapter officers

The individuals below are running for office to serve the Pacific Chapter for a three year term. Pacific Chapter members may vote until Sep. 24, 2026. Voting is limited to Lifetime, Individual, Organization, and Student members.

Cast your ballot

President: Leigh Karp

Leigh Karp grew up kayaking on the Potomac where she met her husband teaching kayaking for rival adventure camps. They have been fortunate enough to have paddled over 70 runs with a goal, and a little bit of a competition, to reach one hundred. Leigh earned BS degrees in biology and recreation, parks, & tourism with a chemistry minor from Radford University. Later, she designed her MA from both the environmental management and conflict resolution schools at George Mason University to focus on multiple-use land management. Since Leigh's first internship with the Bureau of Land Manager in 2007 she has supported many of their programs and is currently BLM California's youth, volunteer, and partnership programs lead. Leigh values RMS' dedication to supporting river stewards and enjoys sharing her love for paddling with others.

Vice President: Spencer Nicholas

Spencer Nicholas grew up running wild in the temperate rainforests of Western Washington. His first exposure to river restoration came in the years following the removal of two dams on the Elwha River – a watershed that occupies a special place in his heart. This led him to a degree in Environmental Policy from Pitzer College and an early career as an outdoor educator and backcountry guide. He now works as the River Operations Coordinator at Friends of the River - a Sacramento-based organization dedicated to protecting and restoring California's rivers and watersheds.

The learning curve for early-career folks entering the water policy space can be steep! Having been in his position for less than two years, he has already benefitted greatly from RMS resources and chapter members. He would look forward to helping RMS continue to provide valuable resources and support to local organizations. He also thinks that now, more than ever, opportunities to connect in person are vital to our work! He would be excited to help the RMS Pacific Chapter host and facilitate more events in the coming seasons to bring our community closer together. Cheers!

Secretary: Larry Freilich

Larry brings extensive experience in organizational development from his work as a Regional Representative for the national Sierra Club and the Eastern Sierra Land Trust. He currently serves as Inyo County's Mitigation Manager, overseeing the Lower Owens River Project. He is also leading the effort to establish the Owens River Water Trail along six miles of the 62 mile rewatered section of the river. The project's primary goal is to create opportunities for wounded veterans by providing access to therapeutic, water based recreation. Larry has been an active member of RMS for more than a decade. He has enjoyed serving as a Pacific Chapter's Officer since 2011 and welcomes the opportunity to continue supporting the Board and our members. He is particularly committed to strengthening membership, promoting the organization, and expanding our reach.

Larry has been an active member of RMS for more than a decade. He has enjoyed serving as a Pacific Chapter’s Officer since 2011 and welcomes the opportunity to continue supporting the Board and our members. He is particularly committed to strengthening membership, promoting the organization, and expanding our reach.

Events Coordinator: Emmett Cartier

Emmett Cartier began floating the Merced River in Yosemite Valley at age 12 and has since enjoyed exploring a variety of other rivers and creeks. Big favorites included the Buffalo River in Arkansas, Middle Fork Salmon River in Idaho (starting the day before permits were required for the season), and solo rafting the Grand Canyon to check on 'carrying capacity.' Local adventures include Antelope Creek canyon while exploring Ishi Country in the Lassen foothills, high-water sea kayaking all of Putah Creek below Monticello Dam and through Yolo Bypass to the Delta, and winter rafting Weber Creek in the Sierra foothills with portages of 165-foot waterfalls to check on intervening water diversions for conveyance contracts. Guiding raft trips started in 1981 on the Stanislaus River then forks of the American River and North Coast rivers of California. He is in perhaps the only photo in the Stanislaus River archives of an Avon Pro high-centered on a rock. University studies in Recreation Administration (Parks and Resources), Public Administration and Public Policy guided practical research in river permit systems and work at all levels of government. Perhaps unique highlights were serving as an Army civilian Recreation Specialist (Outdoor Activities) and liaison for British adventure training in North America (helicopters on gravel bars, jumping into rapids in boots, navigating across the Navajo Reservation by permit to Rainbow bridge, etc.), and completing land reviews for all Reclamation lands in the California-Great Basin Region with 28 detailed reports and recommendations (amazing to wake up public lands on the Humboldt River with no management signs for miles). Media included an AP cover story and photo for the Truckee River; a cable television program where he demonstrated a 16-foot raft in the studio while convincing the Reno police and fire chiefs that the river was a valuable resource; field studies and reports for the Trinity River Fish and Wildlife Task Force; and helping California Department of Water Resources study recreation and fishery for re-operating upper Feather River reservoirs for optimum instream flows.

While his background includes extensive planning outdoor recreation facilities and programs, and implementing outreach and public affairs programs in a variety of settings, Emmett increasingly tends to lean toward actions on river policy in both the broad and specific senses. Events for sharing among RMS river professionals and the interested public can help feed that need for him while providing key services to the members and resources.

Upcoming Pacific Chapter Events

October 23-25, 2026: Meet the Owens River — Kayak & Canoe Rendezvous

Join us for a weekend on one of the West's most unusual and least-known rivers. We're bringing together river managers, outfitters, agency staff, and academics with an interest in water to introduce them to the Owens River--a river shaped as much by politics as by geology, and one that doesn't look or act like anything else in California.

Learn more

Past Chapter Trips

Kern River Weekend Aug. 9-11, 2024

Kern River Trip, Aug. 11-13, 2023

Klamath River Chapter Trip, June 10-12, 2022

The Pacific Chapter invited RMS members to a weekend on the Klamath River from June 10-12, 2022, a regional gem that will become a historic icon as host for the largest dam removal event in our nation’s history, scheduled for 2023-24. The Klamath River Basin has often been called the "Everglades of the West" as the most extensive freshwater wetland west of the Mississippi River.  Sturgeon, lamp ray, steelhead, trout, and many, many terrestrial species rely on the river as did salmon, whose population is now only 10% of historic levels.  Planning underway for the removal of four dams is being driven by Tribes, anglers, industry, government, and a committed cohort of community and conservation advocates and will establish a model for large-scale dam removal. The weekend provided a real-world meeting for sharing information and ideas about establishing/reinforcing collaborative working relationships among Klamath River stakeholders. Our partners were BLM, USFS, OARS, and Momentum River Expeditions. Learn more on the trip webpage.

Issues for Rivers of the Pacific Slope, April 19-21, 2019 

Final Program

Here are a few messages we've received from participants: