Friends led the fight to create the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area over 40 years ago. We’ve been working ever since to safeguard the Gorge and ensure its natural wonders will be preserved for future generations.
Cape Horn panorama. Photo by Kenji Sugahara.
What We Do
Protect & Conserve
Protecting the Gorge from the Impacts of Climate Change
By working with local and state governments, organizing the public, and building climate resilience on lands across the Gorge, Friends is on the frontlines of protecting the Gorge from the impacts of climate change.
Journey Through Friends’ History
Since 1980, Friends of the Columbia Gorge has worked to protect, preserve, and steward the Columbia Gorge for future generations.
Activists deliver petitions against fossil-fuel terminals to the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, 2017. (photo courtesy of Stand Up to Oil coalition)
Advocacy Campaigns
Friends empowers community members to mobilize and advocate for the protection of the Gorge’s scenic beauty, natural habitats, cultural heritage, and recreational spaces.
Mosier Plateau. Photo by Cate Hotchkiss.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust
Based out of Hood River, Oregon, Friends’ Land Trust works to preserve scenic Gorge landscapes, safeguard and steward sensitive lands, and provide public hiking trails.
Hiking through Tom McCall Nature Preserve.
Gorge Towns to Trails
Gorge Towns to Trails aims to create a 200-mile trail loop encircling the Gorge, connecting communities, promoting recreation and sustainable transit, and protecting lands for wildlife conservation.
The Zimmerly mine (in the foreground) in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Photo by Brady Holden.
Enforcing Gorge Protection Laws
Friends is a citizen watchdog group ensuring enforcement of laws related to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
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.