Friends of the Columbia Gorge
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Mission Statement
Friends of the Columbia Gorge is the only non-profit dedicated entirely to protecting the Columbia River Gorge. We vigorously protect the scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the Columbia River Gorge. We fulfill this mission by ensuring strict implementation of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act and other laws protecting the region of the Columbia River Gorge; promoting responsible stewardship of Gorge land, air, and waters; encouraging public ownership of sensitive areas; educating the public about the unique natural values of the Columbia River Gorge and the importance of preserving those values; and working with groups and individuals to accomplish mutual preservation goals. Friends of the Columbia Gorge is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1980 to advocate for federal protection of the Columbia River Gorge. In 1986, Friends helped secure the passage of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act to create comprehensive Gorge protection consistent across six counties and two states. Since passage of the National Scenic Area Act, Friends has helped work to ensure over 38,000 acres of private land has been brought into public ownership; commented on 300+ development applications in the Gorge per year; and educated the public about the Gorge with over 100 free hikes annually. In 2005, Friends created Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust, a 509(a)(3) support organization to acquire critical lands in the Columbia Gorge.
About This Cause
Ensuring the Gorge remains a vibrant, living place—wondrous, wild, and open to all—is at the core of what we do. Friends of the Columbia Gorge works to protect, preserve, and steward the Columbia Gorge. We led the fight to create the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area over 40 years ago. And we’ve been working ever since to safeguard the Gorge and ensure the natural wonders found today will be preserved for generations to come. We are the only conservation organization entirely dedicated to safeguarding the Gorge’s scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources. For over four decades, we have successfully advocated to protect the Gorge from irresponsible development, purchased scenic and sensitive lands for long-term preservation, and worked with community partners to foster a larger culture of Gorge stewardship by connecting thousands of students and volunteers to the Gorge’s wonders. But being an effective long-term advocate and steward of this amazing place means building bridges across different points of view. It also requires bringing together a broad and diverse coalition of people who share a common love for the Gorge and want to see it responsibly stewarded and protected. In 1980, recognizing the ever-increasing threat of urban development encroaching into the Columbia Gorge, a threat symbolized with the construction of the suburban I-205 freeway and bridge over the Columbia River, a group of concerned citizens led by Nancy Russell formed Friends of the Columbia Gorge, an organization that would lead the effort to secure passage of federal legislation to protect the beautiful, wild Columbia River Gorge. On November 18, 1986, we secured that protection. Congress passed, and President Ronald Reagan signed into law, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act, creating comprehensive Gorge protection across six counties and two states. Since that momentous day, Friends has continued its member-driven Gorge conservation work. Here are the things we do to keep the Gorge wild and beautiful: We help conserve land. Friends works with government agencies and other groups to ensure private land is brought into public ownership (over 41,000 acres since our founding). We are landowners and stewards. In 2005 we formed the Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust, a 509(a)(3) support organization, to acquire critical lands in the Columbia Gorge. To date, the land trust has acquired through purchase and donation over 1,000 acres of land. We work to remove non-native species, replant native vegetation, and protect fragile resources on land trust-owned properties. We keep watch on Gorge development. Each year, we review and comment on approximately 250 development applications submitted to county planning offices in every Gorge county. Our comments have helped ensure development occurs in a sensitive, ecological manner. Over the years, Friends has legally appealed less than two percent of the counties' decisions. We take on development proposals that threaten Gorge resources. Over the decades, we have successfully defeated numerous attempts at large-scale developments incompatible with the protection mandates of the Scenic Area Act, including a massive Gorge casino. We educate the public about the Gorge. We lead Columbia Gorge hikes and outings annually, host special events, and nurture the next generation of Gorge protectors through outdoor youth education programs. We work to connect Gorge communities to Gorge lands. In 2011, Friends launched Gorge Towns to Trails, a long-term vision for a comprehensive Gorge trail network, connecting Gorge communities and strengthening local economies. With a staff of 22, offices in Portland and Hood River, OR, and Washougal, WA, and over 5,600 members, Friends of the Columbia Gorge is uniquely suited to ensuring that the Columbia Gorge remains protected, preserved, and stewarded for all. Our current issues include: Stop Coal Exports Through the Gorge - Friends is working to halt coal export proposals that would involve the transportation of millions of tons of coal by rail through the Gorge each year. Supporting Public Land Acquisition - Friends has worked to secure over $50 million in federal funding to purchase nearly 40,000 acres of Gorge lands. Gorge Towns to Trails (GT2T) - GT2T is a vision for a comprehensive trail system that wraps around the Columbia Gorge, linking communities with recreation, benefiting tourism, and highlighting and enhancing the beauty and wonder of the Columbia Gorge. Improving Gorge Air Quality - Friends is working with a broad coalition to stop polluters and improve Gorge air quality. Friends and our allies recently secured an agreement with Portland General Electric for the Boardman coal-fired energy plant, the single biggest source of air pollution in the Gorge, to go off coal in 2020. Stop the Whistling Ridge Energy Project - While Friends generally supports alternative energy, the Whistling Ridge Energy Project has not been proposed in a responsible manner and is not sited to protect important natural and scenic resources. The project should be denied. Development Oversight and Litigation - Friends' monitoring and legal efforts protect the Gorge from the spread of sprawling residential development.