Overview 

In early 2025, a provision within the “Big, Beautiful Bill” threatened to unleash the largest sell-off of public lands in American history. The measure required the federal government to sell off at least 2.2 million acres of public land over five years without public input, environmental review, or consultation with Tribes or local communities. While the proposal exempted national parks, wilderness areas, and designated recreation areas, it left National Scenic Areas unprotected. That omission put the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area directly in the crosshairs. 

More than 22,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service lands within the Gorge—including beloved places like Dog Mountain, Eagle Creek, Catherine Creek, Memaloose Hills, Dry Creek Falls, and Mt. Defiance—would have been eligible for sale. These landscapes provide critical wildlife habitat and connectivity, magnificent scenic vistas, and world-class recreation. If put on the auction block, states, Tribes, and nonprofit land trusts would likely be outbid by well-funded developers and extractive industries looking to clearcut, mine, or pave over these irreplaceable lands. Once sold, the damage would have been permanent and irreversible. 

Friends’ Response 

Friends of the Columbia Gorge sounded the alarm and joined forces with conservation allies from across the country to stop the proposal. More than 4,000 Friends supporters submitted comments to Congress, with messages pouring in from every corner of the Gorge and around the country. Our supporters helped spread the word on social media, pushing the issue into the spotlight and reaching hundreds of thousands of people. 

The Outcome 

In March 2025, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the land sell-off provision violated Senate rules, effectively blocking it from moving forward. In addition, public outcry had already influenced lawmakers, with even the office of Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) (the provision’s sponsor) acknowledging that the volume of public feedback shaped revisions to the bill. The victory saved more than 20,000 acres of Gorge lands from being sold off and demonstrated the power of coordinated, grassroots action. 

But the fight for our public lands is not over. We are already seeing more attacks on our public lands from the Trump Administration. Friends is committed to working with partners to protect our public lands and ensure the Columbia Gorge is never again put on the auction block. This campaign proved that when people come together—locally and nationally—the Gorge can be defended, no matter the size of the threat.