Whitman Conservation District

Our Staff

Meet Our Local Team

Based out of Colfax, Washington, the Whitman Conservation District team partners with local community members on conservation efforts within the southeastern part of Whitman County. Our interdisciplinary team is comprised of natural resource professionals that care highly for the restoration and beautification of the Palouse.

Josh Larsen,

District Manager

509-601-2099  |  jlarsen@whitmanCD.org

Josh joined the district as the manager in July of 2022. He has worked for several companies in the
Palouse after getting a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Idaho. Josh worked on the Oregon coast as a forester managing replanting and regeneration efforts. He later moved back to the Palouse to manage logging and road building operations. 

In 2022 Josh completed a master’s degree from the University of Idaho in restoration ecology and habitat management. His thesis project was creating a forest management plan for the Virgil Philips Farm in Latah county, where he now holds a seat on the Friends of Philips Farm Board.

He has a long background in caring for the environment in a sustainable and responsible way. One of his favorite parts of this job is interacting with landowners to develop plans for the future that benefit both them as well as the environment. Josh has been in the Palouse since 2011 where he is married to his lovely wife Heather, and they have two children. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, hunting, camping and doing various woodworking projects at his home.

Conservation Project Planner – Riparian

 

Vacant

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 Gretta Hodapp

Conservation Technician

(Field and Outreach Lead)

509-595-3497  |  ghodapp@whitmanCD.org

Gretta is a jill of all trades. She grew up in the Midwest and has lived in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan, but for the last 14 years has called the Palouse region her home. Gretta has had a wide range of experiences. She has worked at outdoor education centers all around the country, a few tall ships sailing on the great lakes, as a park ranger, and as a youth rehabilitation worker. She built a strawbale house on her old property in Wisconsin, homesteaded and raised goats and other critters for many years, and even lived in a wigwam in the woods for a winter. Suffice as to say Gretta’s experience is rich and varied.  
Gretta enjoys all the diverse responsibilities of working as the Conservation Technician Crew Lead for WCD.  Her field responsibilities range from leading chainsaw safety trainings to how to properly catch a gopher snake and make it your friend and that’s what makes working with the Whitman Conservation District so much fun for her. The projects getting done on the ground utilize and require an equally wide range of skills and team effort, which makes the job engaging and fun for her. 

Conservation Project Planner- Agriculture 

Jesse Koller

509-610-7072

jkoller@whitmanCD.org

Jesse grew up on a family farm north of Pomeroy, Washington on the Snake River bluffs where they grew soft white wheat and raised registered Red Angus/Limousine cattle.  He attended Spokane Falls Community College, Walla Walla Community College and Washington State university before entering into Horticulture for 4 years.  He has a wide array of work experience through multiple industries, that also include Agriculture, Personal Training and Personal Finance.   He has lived in Pullman for the last 8 years and calls the Palouse home. 
Jesse spends his free time in the summer golfing and skiing in the winter.  When he is not doing either of those you can find him attending WSU athletic events of all sports, but primarily Football and Basketball.  He enjoys all activities of the outdoors including hiking, fishing and hunting.

Finance and Admin 

Specialist 

Phyllis Brown

509-288-4644

accounting@whitmanCD.org

Jesse grew up on a family farm north of Pomeroy, Washington on the Snake River bluffs where they grew soft white wheat and raised registered Red Angus/Limousine cattle.  He attended Spokane Falls Community College, Walla Walla Community College and Washington State university before entering into Horticulture for 4 years.  He has a wide array of work experience through multiple industries, that also include Agriculture, Personal Training and Personal Finance.   He has lived in Pullman for the last 8 years and calls the Palouse home. 
Jesse spends his free time in the summer golfing and skiing in the winter.  When he is not doing either of those you can find him attending WSU athletic events of all sports, but primarily Football and Basketball.  He enjoys all activities of the outdoors including hiking, fishing and hunting.

Field Crew

Seasonal Technicians

 

The Whitman Conservation District field crew supports conservation projects across Whitman County by assisting with the installation, maintenance, and monitoring of restoration and habitat improvement efforts. Working with district staff, landowners, and partners, the crew helps plant native vegetation, maintain project sites, install habitat improvements, and support field operations that protect water quality and improve riparian and watershed health. Through their hands-on work in the field, the crew plays an important role in helping the district implement voluntary conservation practices on private lands.

Interested in Joining Our Team?

Check out opportunities to apply for jobs with Whitman CD.
Employment

In addition to our local staff team, Whitman CD is governed by a board of local community members.

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Our Staff