Okanogan Valley
Land Council

Walter Henze

Walter is one of the founding board members of OVLC, serving since November 2002. He is the board treasurer and heads the Finance and Planning Committee. Walter is recently retired from a family medical practice in Tonasket. He became involved with the OVLC because of a desire to help preserve the wide open spaces. He and his wife, Sarah, were able to help move that vision forward by placing a conservation easement on their 160 acres. He would like to see the Okanogan thriving again with an agricultural economy that returns a good living to those who work the land. This means in part preserving the family farms and ranches undivided, something that the OVLC strives to do.

Christine Olson

Christine became involved with the work of OVLC in 2004 and joined the Board of Directors in 2009. She has always enjoyed outdorr recreation opportunities during all seasons and appreciates the rural nature of the Okanogan. As an educator, she believes in the importance of offering children positive outdoor experiences and knowledge about the natural world. She recognizes the unique opportunities offered in the Okanogan: a rich source of agricultural production and folks interested in local food sources, a mix of both private and public land, and a diverse community that is still small enough for face to face communication and sharing.

John Magoteaux

Lenette Schuldheisz- Staff

 

Fernne Rosenblatt

Fernne became a founding member of OVLC in November 2002. She is the board secretary and leads the Outreach and Education Committee. Fernne presently has a small family mediation practice and continues to work in victim and offender mediation. She and her husband, Roger, have sponsored a field day on their forested property near Okanogan for 7th grade Omak Middle School students for over seven years. She believes that connecting people to the land is a great way to nurture good land stewardship. She is an avid hiker and cross country skier, an amateur birder and botanist, and a devotee of local land products.

Todd Thorn

Todd became an OVLC board member in February 2005. He serves as board treasurer and on the Land Protection Committee. Todd is a forester and works for the Colville Confederated Tribes as their Watershed Program Manager. He enjoys working individually with landowners and teaming up with other resource specialists, finding shared interests to guide land and resource management.  His goal is an Okanogan full of healthy streams, range, and forests, with vibrant communities of people, plants, and animals.  He believes the Land Council has a key role in creating conservation partnerships needed to sustain our open spaces and landscape.