A cleared section of dirt marks the beginnings of a roadway on Oct. 22, 2020, on the site where the Perennial Wind Chaser facility was once proposed, adjacent to the Hermiston Generating Project in Umatilla County. (Photo: Ben Londergan, East Oregonian)
Methane Gas Power Plant Defeated for Good
November 3, 2022
November 3, 2022 By Cate Hotchkiss Had the Perennial Wind Chaser Station, a proposed 415-megawatt fracked gas-fired power plant, been built in western Umatilla County, Oregon, it would have immediately […]
A cleared section of dirt marks the beginnings of a roadway on October 22, 2020, on the site where the Perennial Wind Chaser facility was once proposed, adjacent to the Hermiston Generating Project in Umatilla County. (photographer: Ben Lonergan, East Oregonian)
Oregon Terminates Gas-Fired Power Plant Proposal Near Columbia River
September 27, 2022
September 27, 2022 Friends of the Columbia Gorge & Columbia Riverkeeper Joint News Release Contacts:Stan Hall, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, 503-307-3228Lauren Goldberg, Columbia Riverkeeper, 541-965-0985 Hermiston, Oregon (September 27, […]
Gorge Accessibility Project Manager Mika Barrett (fourth from left, looking toward camera) leads Next Door, Inc., field trip and listening session at Cape Horn. (photographer: Nic Raingsey)
Inclusion and Accessibility Enhance Gorge Experience
September 19, 2022
By Mika BarrettAccessibility Project Manager September 19, 2022 One morning last fall, as the soft light of sunrise tinted the Gorge, I loaded a 15-passenger van with water bottles and event […]
St. Andrew students pause to bask in a stream's cooling mist on the trail to Upper Latourell Falls. (photographer: Stan Hall)
Bringing Back the Joy of Youth Outdoor Education
September 19, 2022
By Kassy DelgadoCommunity Engagement Specialist September 19, 2022 “Ooh! We’re getting the fancy buses this time!” A cheer went up from the middle school students that May morning when charter buses […]
Screenshot from "When the Hard Work Begins." (Brady Holden/Holden Films)
New Short Film Showcases Efforts to Stop Illegal Mining Operation in Gorge
August 3, 2022
August 3, 2022 New Short Film Showcases Community-Led Efforts to Stop Illegal Mining Operation in the Columbia Gorge Co-produced by Holden Films and Friends of the Columbia Gorge, “When the […]
View of agricultural areas near Mosier, Oregon, in the eastern Columbia Gorge. (photographer: Don Jacobson)
Teaming Up for Farmworkers With Comunidades
June 28, 2022
By Denise LópezConservation Organizer June 28, 2022 Since joining Friends of the Columbia Gorge as staff last summer, I have worked closely with Comunidades—a Gorge-based advocacy group focused on amplifying community […]
Beacon Rock, viewed in early evening from the land parcel recently transferred by Friends to Washington State Parks. (photographer: Cate Hotchkiss)
With Assist From Friends, Washington State Parks Expands Beacon Rock
June 15, 2022
June 15, 2022 Washington State Parks News Release Olympia, Washington – Washington State Parks, with critical assistance from Friends of the Columbia Gorge, purchased a 4.5-acre tract of land next […]
Camas-Washougal Post-Record: Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge Reopens
May 13, 2022
May 13, 2022 By Doug Flanagan, Camas-Washougal Post-Record(View original story) Washougal City Council member and former mayor Molly Coston has never been so happy to be so wrong. When she first […]
Hundreds of gravel trucks every day would travel on two-lane Washington SR-14, seen here below Cape Horn. (photographer: Debbie Asakawa)
Massive Mining Proposal Threatens Western Gorge
March 31, 2022
March 31, 2022 By Steve McCoy, staff attorney, and Sofia Urrutia-Lopez, conservation organizer A massive gravel mine proposed near the Cape Horn trailhead in Skamania County would impact the livability […]
View of ongoing transformation at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge. (photographer: Sarah Skelly)
Steigerwald Reconnection Restores Wetland Habitat
March 23, 2022
By Sarah SkellyVolunteer Coordinator March 23, 2022 Update, March 28, 2022: The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership has announced that Steigerwald Refuge is scheduled to reopen on May 1, 2022. On two […]
A guided hike at Lyle Cherry Orchard is on our spring schedule. (photo: Melissa Gonzalez)
After Two Years, Friends’ Guided Outings Return
March 3, 2022
By Melissa GonzalezOutdoor Programs & Communications Specialist March 3, 2022 Almost exactly two years after the initial outbreak of COVID-19 paused Friends’ in-person events, I am ecstatic to announce the return […]
Members of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. (photo: Sheepscot Creative)
Friends of the Columbia Gorge & Metropolitan Youth Symphony Community Partnership
February 22, 2022
February 22, 2022 FRIENDS OF THE COLUMBIA GORGE PRESS RELEASE Contacts: Allison King, communications director, Metropolitan Youth Symphony | 503.239.4566 | aking@playmys.org (email) Burt Edwards, communications director, Friends of the Columbia Gorge | […]