How We All Can Help Support Gorge Search & Rescue Teams

The Columbia Gorge, without a doubt, is one of the most remarkable places to live and visit in the Pacific Northwest. It's home to over 70,000 residents and approximately 2 million people visit the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area every year. Volunteer Search & Rescue teams from the Six Scenic Area counties are a crucial part of safety net of first responders that visitors and residents alike depend on while out on Gorge trails or enjoying time in the outdoors.

On Monday, May 10, Friends launched a special, online effort to encourage public donations in appreciation of Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue (MCSOSAR). Multnomah County Search & Rescue led successful efforts to locate Joseph (Joe) Edward Dean, who went missing in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area late Saturday, May 8. Dean was safely found Monday morning.

Give a Gift to Multnomah County Search & Rescue

Summer is one of the busiest times of the year for regional Search & Rescue teams. Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue works in concert with other local teams in the Columbia Gorge. To date, Multnomah County Search & Rescue has participated in over 1,500 missions for wilderness missing persons, urban missing persons, and criminal evidence searches.

Multnomah County Search & Rescue is an all-volunteer organization with many members purchasing the actual equipment they carry on missions. Volunteer Search & Rescue units are always underfunded and when you need them, you really need them. But now we can give them a helping hand. Members of the public can donate directly to Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue at: http://mcsosar.org/donate/

Other Search & Rescue organizations working in the recent search included:

We all owe a huge debt to our local Search & Rescue volunteers, who work tirelessly and even place their personal safety at risk to help make the Gorge a safer place to live and visit. And the weeks before summer is a crucial window where we can all say thanks to these invaluable first responders by helping them with some additional funding support. Every dollar counts.

Thanks for your continuing help to protect, preserve, and steward the Columbia Gorge.

Kevin Gorman
Executive Director
Friends of the Columbia Gorge