Friends of the Columbia Gorge’s 2025-27 strategic plan covers a transformative three-year period that will positively impact local communities, land conservation, and our organization for years to come.
Cape Horn panorama. Photo by Kenji Sugahara.
Friends of the columbia gorge
Keep the Columbia Gorge Wondrous, Wild, and Open to All
What we do
Protect, Preserve, and Steward the Columbia Gorge
Friends of the Columbia Gorge protects the wonders of the Gorge through conservation advocacy, litigation, land conservation, and community engagement.
Our Vision
A flourishing Columbia Gorge…
teeming with diverse wildlife and plants, supported by secure habitats and clean water systems that sustain an abundance of life.
Cape Horn Rendering, by Mayer/Reed.
Land and Communities in Harmony
Intentional land-use planning fosters affordable house within established Urban Areas, while innovative economic development creates meaningful employment opportunities for locals.
Catherine Creek Universal Access Trail, one of the first locations for a Caminemos Juntos event.
Accessible Natural Wonders
More recreational areas are thoughtfully designed to welcome diverse visitors, ensuring everyone can experience the Gorge’s wonders.
Alashík Preserve. Photo by Monique Trevett.
Sustainable Ecosystems
Native plants. forests, ranches, and agricultural lands thrive with access to vital resources like water and fertile soil. These landscapes not only support local farms and business but also play a crucial role in carbon sequestration.
Sherrie Davis and Ed Edmo. Photo by Paloma Ayala.
Cultural and Indigenous Stewardship
Indigenous traditions are honored, with traditional ecological knowledge guiding the stewardship of healthy ecosystems. Indigenous community members continue to use the land and water in culturally significant ways.
Our Role
Friends collaborates with an array of stakeholders—including members, volunteers, public officials, nonprofit partners, and Gorge residents—to bring this vision to life.
By fostering authentic relationships and building coalitions, Friends leverages its core programs in conservation advocacy, land protection, litigation, and community engagement to create lasting change. Together, we ensure the Columbia Gorge remains a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient treasure for generations to come.
Goal 1
A growing variety of community members engage in conservation, protection, and climate resilience efforts in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
- Friends creates and nurtures belonging and inclusivity, honoring first stories and welcoming a board diversity of community members to be immersed in and inspired by the Gorge’s grandeur.
- Authentic relationships amplify Friends’ ability to protect, preserve and steward the Gorge.
- Opportunities for all to engage with Friends’ work provides a diversity of communities with a variety of ways to experience and conserve the Gorge.
Goal 2
Scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources are protected and enhanced in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, contributing to improved habitat quality, climate resilience, and regional livability.
- Legislation, public policies, and litigation protect the National Scenic Ara and enhance resource protection, climate resilience, and regional livability.
- Land with conservation values in the Gorge is protected through acquisitions and equitable transfers.
- Habitat in the Gorge is enhanced and improved to protect and increase habitat connectivity and biodiversity that support climate resilience.
- Conservation-minded recreation on Friends’ preserves and adjoining public lands increases accessibility and engages diverse communities.
- Tribal sovereignty and Indigenous leadership in conservation is honored, amplified, and reinforced to support Native ways of living with the land.
Goal 3
Friends of the Columba Gorge is impactful, resilient, and sustainable.
- Mission, vision, values, and culture unites staff, volunteers, and board members in a shared sense of purpose, collaboration and belonging.
- A broad and diverse base of support provides public, private, and individual funding, in addition to business partnerships and volunteerism.
- Staff, volunteers, and board members diverse in lived and learned experiences thrive in their roles.
- Operations support a resilient and sustainable organization that strives to reduce carbon footprint and improve social equity through its actions.
Latest News
Keep updated on Friends' work, news stories, and the work happening in the Columbia Gorge.
American bullfrog in pond weed. Photo by Peter Ziminski.
Invasive Predator: Inside the Race to Control the Deadliest Threat to Gorge Turtles
January 5, 2026
Friends of the Columbia Gorge is working with the U.S. Forest Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to control invasive bullfrogs across shared landscapes. Through coordinated, cross-boundary stewardship, partners have removed thousands of bullfrogs to protect the endangered Northwestern pond turtle.
Northwestern pond turtle basking on a log. Photo by Griffin Gillespie.
Native Prey: Inside a 30-Year Conservation Partnership to Save a Species
January 5, 2026
At Friends’ Turtle Haven and Alashík preserves, biologists and conservation partners are working behind the scenes to recover the endangered Northwestern pond turtle. From habitat restoration to bullfrog control and decades-long collaboration, this story traces how persistence, science, and partnership are helping a resilient species make a comeback in the Gorge.
Hikers on Dog Mountain. Photo by Laura Kneedler.
Defending the Gorge in a Time of Unprecedented Threats
January 5, 2026
Protecting the Gorge means defending the laws, funding, and public lands that make climate resilience possible. This article outlines Friends’ recent advocacy victories—from restoring Gorge Commission funding to stopping a massive federal lands selloff and defending the Land and Water Conservation Fund—and explains why sustained policy engagement is essential for the Gorge’s future.