Our Legacy
COLUMBIA BASIN CONSERVATION DISTRICT
We here at CBCD feel it is important to acknowledge and recognize those amazing individuals that have left a lasting impact on our organization, and have helped it become what it is today.
Marie Lotz
1970 - 2021
Marie started working for the Othello Conservation District in 1999 where she provided bookkeeping and administrative support for the district, the Groundwater Management Area (GWMA), and the Conservation District Partnership.
It was evident from the beginning that Marie had found her calling. In time, she gained more and more administrative responsibilities. At one time, she was conducting administrative functions for the GWMA, Partnership, and four conservation districts: Othello, Warden, Moses Lake, and Upper Grant County.
Marie saw the benefits and opportunities of consolidating these districts and worked to bring them together into what became known as the Grant County Conservation District (GCCD). Marie’s greatest professional honor was receiving the Vim Wright “Building Bridges” Award for her work in bringing the districts together in 2012.
Through her hard work and dedication, Marie was promoted to district manager of GCCD in January 2013. She was instrumental in developing, implementing, and managing many programs, most notably the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, the Voluntary Stewardship Program, the Moses Lake Watershed Project, and countless other conservation district projects and activities. Marie coordinated and facilitated hundreds of meetings over the years, with her kind, humble spirit and expert skills. She demonstrated time and time again that conservation districts could facilitate and implement both small and large conservation projects successfully.
Those of us who had the privilege of working with Marie were witness to a level of professionalism, integrity, and dedication rarely found even among the best of us. She was truly a force to be reckoned with. Through her tireless efforts, GCCD was recognized as the top conservation district in the State in 2018.
Marie laid the foundation and plotted the path forward for this conservation district. She leaves an incredible legacy, including a strong, growing team and programs, a new district office building and community gathering space, and the fiscal stability and relationships needed to continue providing quality technical assistance to the public which she served for twenty-two years.