Columbia Basin Development League appoints new board member

OTHELLO – The Columbia Basin Development League has appointed Othello City Council member Jon Erickson to its Board of Trustees.

Erickson will fulfill the remainder of Stephen McFadden’s term, which expires at the end of 2021.

McFadden, of Ritzville, resigned from the board after accepting a position with the Port of Pasco.

The Columbia Basin Development League is a group that has championed the Columbia Basin Project for almost 60 years.

Erickson took office as an Othello City Council member in January of this year for a term that expires in 2023. A resident of Othello, Erickson works for the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District as project manager of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project. He is also the president of the

construction company Haida Management Services, LLC.

Erickson said he was excited and honored to be appointed to the Board of Trustees.

“The League’s mission and what they do for the area is nothing short of wonderful,” Erickson said. “To have the chance to be a part of it, offer my expertise and assist in their efforts is a good feeling.”

The League represents the interests of stakeholders in the Columbia Basin, and advocates at the at the city, county, state and federal levels for continued development and support of the Columbia Basin Project, the largest reclamation project in the United States.

The Columbia Basin Project provides irrigation water to more than 671,000 acres of land across eastern and central Washington. From parks to power and from irrigation to recreation, the Columbia Basin Project remains a vital source of strength to the regional and state economy as well as a key component of its high quality of life thanks to efficient, well-maintained, affordable infrastructure and sustainable environmental stewardship.