July 2019: Unpermitted rock crushing (at left) takes place at the Zimmerly gravel mine, within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
August 13 Hearing Set to Halt Illegal Mine in the Columbia Gorge
August 8, 2019
August 8, 2019 Unpermitted mining expands as Friends and neighbors present their case for the mine’s closure Contact: Burt Edwards, communications director | 971.634.0595 (office) | 703.861.8237 (cell) | burt@gorgefriends.org (email) PORTLAND, […]
Willamette Week: High Court Rules Against State in Energy Facility Decision
August 4, 2019
August 4, 2019 By Nigel Jaquiss, Willamette Week(View original article) The Oregon Supreme Court this week made it harder for energy companies to site facilities where opponents don’t want them—including, […]
Columbia County Spotlight: New Rail Safety Rules Approved by Legislature
July 19, 2019
July 19, 2019 By Anna Del Savio, Columbia County Spotlight(View original article) The Oregon legislature passed a bill earlier this month raising emergency preparedness standards for railroads that carry oil […]
A Union Pacific unit oil train passes through the Columbia Gorge near Interstate 84 and Starvation Creek State Park. (photographer: Stan Hall)
Oregon Legislature Passes Historic Oil Train Spill Response Bill
June 29, 2019
June 29, 2019 Three years after the Mosier derailment and spill, the Oregon Legislature steps up. Contacts:Burt Edwards, communications director | 971.634.0595 (office) | 703.861.8237 (cell) | burt@gorgefriends.org (email) Ryan Rittenhouse, conservation organizer | 971.634.2034 […]
The Dalles Chronicle: Summit Ridge Project Hits Opposition, Technical Challenges
June 29, 2019
June 29, 2019 By Caleb Lundquist, The Dalles Chronicle The Summit Ridge Wind Farm, an approved but as yet unbuilt wind energy generation facility proposed near the Deschutes River, is in […]
Eastbound traffic backs up on the Historic Columbia River Highway on the approach to Multnomah Falls.
How Much Love Is Too Much for the Gorge?
June 19, 2019
By Kevin GormanExecutive Director June 19, 2019 The Columbia River Gorge is loved by countless people, near and far. So many people, in fact, that a key challenge of the future […]
Union Pacific unit oil train travels along I-84 by Starvation Creek State Park. (photographer: Stan Hall)
Friends Staff Urge Strong Oil Train Safety Law in Testimony at Capitol
February 7, 2019
February 7, 2019 Today the Oregon House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness held a hearing on HB 2209, the first oil train safety bill to receive a hearing at […]
Volunteers on a Washington Trails Association work party helped create the first 700 feet of new trail to re-route a steep section of the Lyle Cherry Orchard trail. (photographer: Micheal Drewry)
Blazing Trails at the Lyle Cherry Orchard
January 24, 2019
January 24, 2019 The land trust preserve has been a place of trailblazing innovation for over a century. The Cherry Orchard, 540 acres perched above and east of the community […]
One of the 15 western pond turtle hatchlings released at the Turtle Haven land trust property this year. (video still by Michael Durham, Oregon Zoo)
Collaboration Provides Sanctuary for Endangered Gorge Turtles
August 22, 2018
August 22, 2018 Friends of the Columbia Gorge bought the 64 acres in Washington known as Turtle Haven with the hope that the land would someday live up to its name. Signs […]
U.S. Forest Service rangers show Washougal sixth-graders the effects of fire on bark of different tree species. (photographer: Brandon Davis)
Inspiring the Next Generation of Gorge Stewards
July 26, 2018
July 26, 2018 By Erin Middlewood You can live in a place your whole life and still find a way to see it with fresh eyes. Washougal, WA middle school […]
The Eagle Creek fire burns near Cascade Locks, Oregon, viewed from the north end of Bridge of the Gods in N. Bonneville, Wash., Sept. 4, 2017. (photographer: Tristan Fortsch)
Giving Thanks Through the Fire: Cascade Locks Strong
November 16, 2017
November 16, 2017 Cascade Locks calls itself the “Heart of the Columbia River Gorge.” When the Eagle Creek fire ignited over Labor Day weekend, the Oregon-side Gorge community of about […]
A City of Portland fire crew douses part of the Eagle Creek fire near Multnomah Falls. (photo courtesy of Multnomah County Communications)
Friends Applauds Gorge Wildfire Containment Efforts
September 7, 2017
September 7, 2017 Today, the U.S. Forest Service and other lead agencies fighting the Eagle Creek wildfire reported that the blaze was now 5 percent contained. Kevin Gorman, executive director […]