2016 oil train derailment, spill, and fire at Mosier, Oregon. (photo: Paloma Ayala)
You Can Help Ensure Protection Against Oil Train Derailments and Spills
December 24, 2020
By Ryan RittenhouseConservation Organizer December 24, 2020 On June 3, 2016, our beloved National Scenic Area was devastated by an oil train derailment and fire right in the heart of the […]
Sunny Gorge view from Ruthton Park in Hood River. (photographer: Warren Morgan)
With Friends, Environmental Law Leader Comes Full Circle
December 23, 2020
By Buck ParkerVice Chair, Friends of the Columbia Gorge Board of Directors December 23, 2020 I grew up in Hood River in the 1950s and ’60s, and while that was decades […]
KATU: Everyday Heroes: Reconnecting Steigerwald Refuge to the Columbia River
December 4, 2020
December 4, 2020 By Stuart Tomlinson, KATU (view original link, including video) PORTLAND, Ore. — Sometimes we find that our Everyday Heroes are part of a larger group of people working to […]
Sunrise, viewed from Cape Horn. (photographer: Daniel Rappaport)
40 Years: Nothing Has Changed; Everything Has Changed.
November 24, 2020
By Kevin GormanExecutive Director November 24, 2020 For 40 years, Friends of the Columbia Gorge has been a human-powered force to protect, conserve and steward the Columbia Gorge. It is the […]
A BNSF Railway unit oil train travels on the Washington side of the eastern Gorge. (photographer: John Wood)
Tribes Partner With Friends to Protect Wildlife Refuge
November 15, 2020
November 15, 2020 In August 2018, Clark County staff notified BNSF Railway that its expansion project between Washougal and Mount Pleasant, Washington, required a Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area […]
Oregon Allows Controversial Fracked Gas Power Plant to Begin Construction
November 5, 2020
November 5, 2020 By Ilana Cohen, Inside Climate News (view original article) Columbia Riverkeeper and Friends of the Columbia Gorge asked a Multnomah County court on Monday to review a “grievously” […]
New bilingual, physical-distancing sign at Friends' Lyle Cherry Orchard land trust preserve. (photographer: Richard Kolbell)
Adapting Land Management for Uncertain Times
September 24, 2020
September 24, 2020 By Land Trust Director Dan Bell and Land Trust Associate Frances Fischer Adaptation is fundamental to ecosystems. The beautiful wildflower meadows in the Gorge are a product […]
A young western pond turtle almost appears to smile as it is about to be released into its natural habitat at the Turtle Haven preserve. (photographer: Vince Ready, Lasting Light Photography
A Life-Changing Experience: Releasing the Western Pond Turtle
August 27, 2020
By Natasha StoneCommunity Engagement Specialist August 27, 2020 Around this time last year I was sitting at my desk at Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), where I worked as a production assistant […]
OPB: Oregon Parks Projects Will Benefit From New Outdoors Bill
August 5, 2020
August 5, 2020 By Erin Ross, Oregon Public Broadcasting (view original article) President Donald Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act Tuesday morning, making the largest public lands spending bill passed […]
Zoo-Reared Western Pond Turtles Released in Gorge
August 5, 2020
August 5, 2020 By Hood River News (view original article) Summer’s just heating up in Portland, but for 23 western pond turtles reared at the Oregon Zoo, a nine-month stretch of […]
Camas-Washougal Post-Record: “Disaster Waiting to Happen” at Washougal Pit
July 16, 2020
July 16, 2020 By Kelly Moyer, Camas-Washougal Post-Record (view original story) It has been more than two years since a group of Washougal residents living near the sand and gravel operation […]
Immersive Environmental Justice class outing in the eastern Gorge, March 5, 2020. (photographer: Molly Lowney)
Empowering New Voices, Strengthening Gorge Advocacy
May 27, 2020
By Peter CornelisonField Representative May 27, 2020 One of Friends’ key objectives is educating the public about the Columbia River Gorge. Over the years, Friends has led thousands of guided hikes, […]