A downriver view from Mt. Ulka with Mt. Adams to the north. Photo by Debbie Asakawa.
A downriver view from Mt. Ulka with Mt. Adams to the north. Photo by Debbie Asakawa.

Step by Step, Gorge Towns to Trails Forges New Connections

April 7, 2023
Read an update of the biggest recreation initiative in Friends' history.
Mining trucks illegally haul gravel along Zimmerly's proposed mining haul route in June 2018. (Friends archive)
Mining trucks illegally haul gravel along Zimmerly's proposed mining haul route in June 2018. (Friends archive)

Take Action: Zimmerly Continues to Threaten the National Scenic Area

February 21, 2023
The public is urged to take action today by March 1 and ask the Clark County Land Use Hearing Examiner to require a full environmental review for this proposed harmful mining project.
Camas is an indigenous first food in the Columbia Gorge. (photographer: Lianna Brown)
Camas is an indigenous first food in the Columbia Gorge. (photographer: Lianna Brown)

Collaboration Yields a Climate Action Plan for the Columbia Gorge

December 22, 2022
Bringing in members of often-overlooked communities, contributed to a Columbia Gorge climate plan that would address local concerns and be broadly supported.
A guided outing at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge for members of APANO (Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon), held in collaboration with Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. (photographer: Melissa Gonzalez)
A guided outing at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge for members of APANO (Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon), held in collaboration with Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. (photographer: Melissa Gonzalez)

Building Partnerships With Guided Outings

November 30, 2022
For Friends’ outdoor programs, which includes our beloved hike program, the pandemic pause gave us time to reflect and analyze our past offerings.
Coho salmon. (photographer: Roger Tabor, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
Coho salmon. (photographer: Roger Tabor, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

Breaching the Snake River Dams

November 30, 2022
While the dams are far upstream of the Gorge, dwindling Gorge salmon runs, tribal significance and recreation benefits led Friends to support the breaching proposals.
Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia Gorge works on display at Maryhill Museum of Art. (photographer: Melissa Gonzalez)
Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia Gorge works on display at Maryhill Museum of Art. (photographer: Melissa Gonzalez)

Inspiring Conservation Through Plein Air Painting

November 7, 2022
November 7, 2022 By Cate Hotchkiss In late July 2021, Ken Klos of Portland, Oregon, set up his easel and palette of paints and began to capture, with quick brushstrokes, […]
A cleared section of dirt marks the beginnings of a roadway on Oct. 22, 2020, on the site where the Perennial Wind Chaser facility was once proposed, adjacent to the Hermiston Generating Project in Umatilla County. (Photo: Ben Londergan, East Oregonian)
A cleared section of dirt marks the beginnings of a roadway on Oct. 22, 2020, on the site where the Perennial Wind Chaser facility was once proposed, adjacent to the Hermiston Generating Project in Umatilla County. (Photo: Ben Londergan, East Oregonian)

Methane Gas Power Plant Defeated for Good

November 3, 2022
November 3, 2022 By Cate Hotchkiss Had the Perennial Wind Chaser Station, a proposed 415-megawatt fracked gas-fired power plant, been built in western Umatilla County, Oregon, it would have immediately […]
A cleared section of dirt marks the beginnings of a roadway on October 22, 2020, on the site where the Perennial Wind Chaser facility was once proposed, adjacent to the Hermiston Generating Project in Umatilla County. (photographer: Ben Lonergan, East Oregonian)
A cleared section of dirt marks the beginnings of a roadway on October 22, 2020, on the site where the Perennial Wind Chaser facility was once proposed, adjacent to the Hermiston Generating Project in Umatilla County. (photographer: Ben Lonergan, East Oregonian)

Oregon Terminates Gas-Fired Power Plant Proposal Near Columbia River

September 27, 2022
September 27, 2022 Friends of the Columbia Gorge & Columbia Riverkeeper Joint News Release Contacts:Stan Hall, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, 503-307-3228Lauren Goldberg, Columbia Riverkeeper, 541-965-0985 Hermiston, Oregon (September 27, […]
Gorge Accessibility Project Manager Mika Barrett (fourth from left, looking toward camera) leads Next Door, Inc., field trip and listening session at Cape Horn. (photographer: Nic Raingsey)
Gorge Accessibility Project Manager Mika Barrett (fourth from left, looking toward camera) leads Next Door, Inc., field trip and listening session at Cape Horn. (photographer: Nic Raingsey)

Inclusion and Accessibility Enhance Gorge Experience

September 19, 2022
By Mika BarrettAccessibility Project Manager September 19, 2022 One morning last fall, as the soft light of sunrise tinted the Gorge, I loaded a 15-passenger van with water bottles and event […]
St. Andrew students pause to bask in a stream's cooling mist on the trail to Upper Latourell Falls. (photographer: Stan Hall)
St. Andrew students pause to bask in a stream's cooling mist on the trail to Upper Latourell Falls. (photographer: Stan Hall)

Bringing Back the Joy of Youth Outdoor Education

September 19, 2022
By Kassy DelgadoCommunity Engagement Specialist September 19, 2022 “Ooh! We’re getting the fancy buses this time!” A cheer went up from the middle school students that May morning when charter buses […]
Screenshot from
Screenshot from "When the Hard Work Begins." (Brady Holden/Holden Films)

New Short Film Showcases Efforts to Stop Illegal Mining Operation in Gorge

August 3, 2022
August 3, 2022 New Short Film Showcases Community-Led Efforts to Stop Illegal Mining Operation in the Columbia Gorge Co-produced by Holden Films and Friends of the Columbia Gorge, “When the […]
View of agricultural areas near Mosier, Oregon, in the eastern Columbia Gorge. (photographer: Don Jacobson)
View of agricultural areas near Mosier, Oregon, in the eastern Columbia Gorge. (photographer: Don Jacobson)

Teaming Up for Farmworkers With Comunidades

June 28, 2022
By Denise LópezConservation Organizer June 28, 2022 Since joining Friends of the Columbia Gorge as staff last summer, I have worked closely with Comunidades—a Gorge-based advocacy group focused on amplifying community […]