A New Plan for Gorge Protection: Exploring the Management Plan

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Register

The Columbia River Gorge is protected as a federally designated National Scenic Area. With 293,000 acres and 13 communities, the Gorge is visited by nearly 2 million people every year.

When enacted in 1986, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act required the development of a Management Plan that ensured the protection and enhancement of scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources. The original Management Plan was adopted in 1991 and reviewed only once in 25 years. On October 13, the Columbia River Gorge Commission voted to adopt the revised Management Plan on a 9-2 vote. Thanks to an outpouring of public comments calling for climate action, protection of salmon habitat, and stronger policies curbing urban sprawl, the Gorge Commission made many improvements to the Management Plan.

Join us live, Thursday, November 5 at 5:30 p.m. PST with Michael Lang, Friends’ conservation director to discuss how the Gorge has changed in the past 30 years, what revisions have been made and how they will impact the future of the Columbia River Gorge. We hope to inspire you with this conversation by talking about climate action, fish and wildlife habitat protection, limiting urban sprawl and several more improvements to Gorge protection.


Featured Speaker

Michael Lang is Friends’ conservation director and longest-tenured staff member. Michael joined Friends in 1993 as a forest and land use coordinator; he has served as the conservation director since 1995. Michael oversees all aspects of Friends’ monitoring and litigation program, as well as working with allies and the media to promote Friends' priorities and playing a key role in lobbying efforts. Michael has intimate knowledge of the Management Plan that governs the Gorge, having reviewed development proposals and worked with county planners and Columbia River Gorge Commission staff throughout his tenure. Before joining Friends, Michael directed campaigns for several electoral candidates and voter initiatives.

Host and moderator 

Natasha Stone is Friends' community engagement specialist. Natasha manages Friends’ outdoor youth education efforts and works to build a diverse and inclusive network of community partners to help protect, preserve, and steward the Columbia Gorge. Before joining Friends in Nov. 2019, Natasha worked at Oregon Public Broadcasting as a production assistant for the Think Out Loud program. A graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Ethnic Studies, Natasha is passionate about working with underrepresented communities and has seen firsthand how outdoor recreation and education can be empowering tools for communities to strengthen and connect while working as an assistant teacher for Portland’s Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.