Curious about the work being done to help reduce congestion by improving mass transit options and accessibility in the Columbia Gorge? Eager to learn how we can support both conservation efforts and increase representation in and connection to the outdoors for Black, Indigenous, all People of Color (BIPOC), & the LGBTQ2S+ communities? How can tools like Ready, Set, GOrge help members of the public looking to avoid crowded trailheads?

Join us on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 6 p.m. (Pacific) for a live, special webinar tackling tourism, trails, accessibility, and representation in Columbia Gorge.

Emily Reed, from Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance, will discuss tourism and accessibility efforts in the Gorge including new trails and transit opportunities. Dez Ramirez, from Wild Diversity, will follow with a talk on creating new narratives surrounding conservation as well as the need for connection and representation in the great outdoors.

This free webinar will be hosted via Zoom. The webinar will be recorded and uploaded to Friends' YouTube page within a few days of the recording.

Featured Speakers:

• Emily Reed, Network Director, Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance

Emily Reed is the network director for the Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance, a network of regional leaders dedicated to developing the Gorge as a world-class, sustainable tourism economy. A creative strategist with 25+ years of experience working on over 150 different brands, Emily has worked with an array of leading public, private, and nonprofit sector organizations from Nike to the Bonneville Power Administration. She is passionate about community service: Emily was a co-founder of the Mosier Farmers' Market and served as Mosier City Council President from 2012-20.

• Dez Ramirez, BIPOC Conservation Director, Wild Diversity

Dez is a writer, filmmaker, and artist. She's spent these past years community building, creating, and organizing within Oregon and Washington's predominantly white land conservation movement, and is now 100% focused on building and designing a decolonized, liberated, BIPOC-led conservation movement. Dez is co-founder of the national affinity group Conservationists of Color, Latinx grassroots coalition Comunidades, current board president of CultureSeed in the Columbia Gorge, former community engagement manger for the Columbia Land Trust, and Wild Diversity's new BIPOC conservation director.

Q&A Moderator & Host

• Kassy Delgado, Community Engagement Specialist, Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Kassy oversees Friends' outdoor youth education programs and community engagement efforts. An avid hiker and volunteer adventure leader with Wild Diversity, Kassy has over a decade of experience in working to connect communities with nature.

Photo by Kassy Delgado