Farming & the Environment's Board of Directors comprised of broad coalition of farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, and conservationists gather for a winter meeting.

Lynn Bahrych, Co-Chair

Read Smith, Co-Chair

Read, a third generation grain and cattle producer, manages a 9,000 acre family farm in St. John, WA. He serves on the advisory group of WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources and is committee chair of the national 25 x ’25 Ag Energy Project, leading the effort to have agriculture satisfy 25% of US energy consumption by 2025. Read served as past-president of the National Association of Conservation Districts and is a recipient of numerous community and national awards for leadership on conservation practices and policies.

David Roseleip, Secretary Treasurer

Raised on a farm in western Montana, Dave is the president of the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation and has worked for more than 20 years to foster new ways of thinking about agricultural and environmental issues.

Jim Armstrong

Jim, a 24-year veteran of the Spokane County Conservation District, works directly with farmers and landowners on natural resource and environmental issues.  For the past six years, Jim has held the position of Director of Communications and Special Projects, focusing on alternative fuels and energy issues.  A true advocate of the environment, Jim has written numerous articles on alternative energy, and is also the proud co-author of the first incentive-based alternative energy legislation in Washington State.

Fred Colvin

Fred was raised on his family's cattle ranch in south Thurston County and has been involved in various aspects of agriculture his entire life. He is currently operating the family ranch which has been in his family since 1852. He has specialized in agricultural finance as a loan officer with local banks and was also employed as a business manager for a local dairy. Fred Colvin has been an elected member to the Thurston Conservation District Board of Supervisors since 1997 and currently serves as the Vice Chair/ Treasurer. He is also involved with Farm Bureau, the Thurston County Agricultural Advisory Committee, Cattlemen's Association, and is President of the WA Assoc. of Conservation Districts.

Maggie Coon

Maggie is Director for External Affairs of The Nature Conservancy of Washington. She is also President of the board of directors for the Washington Wildlife Recreation Coalition and chairs the Washington Biodiversity Council.  Maggie, with her husband Mark, owns a 50-acre farm on the banks of the Twisp River in the Methow Valley.

Marc Daudon

Marc is vice president of the Cascadia Consulting Group. Cascadia provides management consulting services on issues related to the convergence of people, business, and the environment.  Cascadia offers expertise in the areas of policy and planning, education and outreach, research and data analysis, and project anagement. Marc is also the current chair of the Washington Conservation Voters.

Nash Huber

The winner of the 2006 Vim Wright Stewardship Award, Nash grows over 100 types of fruits and vegetables on his farm, Nash's Organic Produce, in Sequim, Washington. Nash extended his farmland  through the PCC Farmland Trust in 1999 and has a passion for ensuring farmland is available for future farmers.

Estella B. Leopold

Estella is professor emeritus in biology at the University of Washington. A long-time conservationist, Estella is a botanist and ecologist active with Audubon chapters and a past national board member of The Nature Conservancy. Her interest in farming came from growing up on a wildland farm in Wisconsin where her father, Aldo Leopold, gathered his experiences for his book "A Sand County Almanac."

Lisa Pelly

Lisa has been active in statewide efforts to address the enhancement and protection of fish and wildlife habitat on private and public lands.  Lisa is one of the founders and current Director of Washington Rivers Conservancy, an organization dedicated to working with local communities to enhance stream flows through voluntary and market-based solutions. She is a board member of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, Washington Conservation Voters, and Washington Environmental Council.

Larry Roberts

With 26 years of grocery industry work in wholesale, retail, and the food business, Larry has gained significant insight and is a respected expert on the working relationship between wholesale and retail grocery.  He's currently working on launching a chain of grocery stores in the Seattle area whose core value is to support and promote local, sustainable farms. Larry's extensive career has touched many local retailers to include the Pike Place Market, Price King Markets, Larry's Market's and Thrifty Foods.  He most recently served as President of Penhollow's Markets, where he concentrated on marketing, labor relations, and financial performance.

George Rohrbacher

George is a cattle rancher from eastern Washington. He has also owned and operated a diversified irrigated farm growing grapes, mint oil, sweet corn and a half-a-dozen other crops. George is the inventor of "The Farming Game," an international award-winning board game teaching the challenges of farm profitability. A former commissioner of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, he also served in the Washington State Senate.

Joan Thomas

Joan has provided leadership on environmental and conservation issues at the state & local levels for more than thirty years. Appointed to a second term by Governor Gregoire in 2005, she currently serves as a WA State Parks & Recreation Commissioner. Joan is a past president of both the Washington Environmental Council and the League of Women Voters of Washington and a founding board member of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition.

Vicky Welch

Vicky, with her husband Ed Welch, is owner/operator of Sunny Pine Farm, an organic farming and dairy operation in the Methow Valley along the Twisp River.  They have pioneered the use of innovative management techniques on their land and have introduced a whole generation of young interns to sustainable farming practices.  Vicky has been active for the past thirty years in local land use issues.  She is founder and current Chair of the Methow Valley Citizens Council, whose purpose is to promote and maintain the rural and agricultural character of the Methow Valley, as well as a board member of the Methow Conservancy, a local land trust.  She is an expert in the legal framework which governs land use and has extensive experience as a grassroots organizer.