By Kevin Gorman
Executive Director, Friends of the Columbia Gorge
For those who care about Columbia Gorge protection, here is an important history lesson to remember:
In the fall of 1980, Friends of the Columbia Gorge was founded. President Jimmy Carter appeared headed to re-election and his Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus, who was born in the Hood River Valley, told Multnomah County Executive Don Clark that President Carter wanted to make the Gorge a national park and would begin work on it shortly after the election.
It didn’t work out that way. Ronald Reagan defeated Carter and nominated James Watt as Secretary of Interior, who stated that national park expansions would come to an end. In addition, Washington Senator Warren Magnuson, a conservationist and national parks advocate, was defeated by Slade Gorton.
Just a few months after launching, it appeared the promise of Gorge legislation came crashing down for Friends of the Columbia Gorge and no one would have blamed the little non-profit for folding up the tent and waiting for better political times.
Of course that didn’t happen.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge stepped back, reset and unleashed new and creative energy as it worked to secure bi-state legislation to protect both sides of the river. We changed our thinking and strategies and our members settled in for the long haul.
Six years later, a National Scenic Area was created, to be managed by the U.S. Forest Service and a newly created Columbia River Gorge Commission. The legislation would not just protect scenery and nature, but also cultural resources, enhance the burgeoning recreation and support the economies of the communities in a manner consistent with its protection purposes.
We’ve been here before.
When George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000, our world shifted again and we had to figure out how to succeed within a deeply conservative administration. We hired former Washington Republican Slade Gorton (yes, the same man who defeated Magnuson in 1986 and temporarily dashed our hopes) to work as our lobbyist with the Bush Administration for Forest Service land acquisition. Thousands of acres were protected in the Gorge because we asked for help from someone we could have easily considered an enemy. As we fought the Gorge casino proposal, we allied with a conservative religious organization and a local Cascade Locks church. We adapted and we succeeded.
Like the Gorge itself, our organization is steeped in resiliency. We have spent years working to ensure we are not beholden to one funder, instead relying on thousands of members like you. We are not beholden to one political party, instead working with all parties to protect the Gorge. And we are not beholden to one tactic to achieve our goals, rather using advocacy, public outreach, litigation, land acquisition, even trail building to achieve conservation gains.
Being resilient also means we must ensure our work has wide benefits. Our efforts to stop coal and oil-by-rail transport are as much about community safety as they are dealing with climate change. Our Gorge Towns to Trails vision is as much about sustainable economic development in Gorge towns as it is protecting wild areas.
This election will no doubt be a setback in the short-term, but if we open ourselves to the possibilities, this election is our opportunity to create an amazing and diverse cadre of activists who will passionately defend one of our planet’s great landscapes well into the next century.
The next step, however, is in your hands. After the analyses, after the processing, you are likely asking yourself, “What can I do?” Maybe it’s donating to us or other worthwhile organizations. Maybe it’s volunteering. Or maybe the next step is simply getting out into the Gorge and letting that magical place wash over you. That has been a tonic for me this past week.
We’ve been here before.
With your help, we will come out the other side stronger.