Friends of the Columbia Gorge Protecting the Gorge Since 1980 Winter 2017-18 Newsletter Building Gorge Resilience The Fire and The Future Friends of the Columbia Gorge Founder Nancy Russell, 1932-2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Geoff Carr CHAIR Debbie Asakawa VICE CHAIR Kari Skedsvold SECRETARY/TREASURER Pat Campbell Greg Delwiche Annie Munch Gwen Farnham John Nelson* John Harrison Carrie Nobles Wes Hickey* Lisa Berkson Platt Temple Lentz Mia Prickett Mosaic pattern of burned and green David Michalek* Vince Ready* forests in the Eagle Creek drainage. Patty Mizutani Meredith Savery Take Action: Photo: Trip Jennings | Balance Media BOARD OF TRUSTEES – LAND TRUST John Nelson* PRESIDENT David Michalek* SECRETARY/TREASURER Pat Campbell Oppose Post-Fire Logging in the Gorge Greg Delwiche Dustin Klinger regon Congressman Greg those natural processes do their job. Post-fire Barbara Nelson Rick Ray* Walden (R-Hood River) logging would be far more devastating to John Baugher LAND TRUST ADVISOR has introduced legislation in Gorge ecosystems than the fires were. OCongress, HR 3715, that would require See page 6 to learn more, then contact STAFF Nathan Baker SENIOR STAFF ATTORNEY commercial logging in areas impacted by the your members of Congress and your Kyle Broeckel DEVELOPMENT AssISTANT Eagle Creek fire within the Columbia River governor. Urge them to oppose HR 3715, Peter Cornelison* FIELD REPRESENTATIVE Gorge National Scenic Area. If passed, HR the post-fire logging bill aimed at the Pam Davee DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Burt Edwards COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR 3715 would require the Forest Service to Columbia River Gorge! Kevin Gorman EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR develop plans to log in the Columbia Gorge Visit gorgefriends.org/nogorgelogging Stan Hall DIGITAL CONTENT SPECIALIST without environmental review, short-circuiting now for more information and to comment. Kate Harbour MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR Maegan Jossy OUTREACH MANAGER public involvement and limiting legal For contact information for your Michael Lang CONSERVATION DIRECTOR challenges. This is unacceptable. governor and congressional representatives, Kate Lindberg OUTDOOR PROGRAMS COORDINATOR There is zero scientific evidence of visit: usa.gov/elected-officials. Kate McBride* LAND TRUST MANAGER Steve McCoy STAFF ATTORNEY ecological benefit from salvage logging in Email or call Ryan Rittenhouse, Ingrid Nylen EVENTS AssISTANT post-fire environments. Instead, post-fire [email protected] or 971-634-2034, Ryan Rittenhouse CONSERVATION ORGANIZER logging benefits the timber industry at the if you need help finding phone numbers or Renee Tkach* GORGE TOWNS TO TRAIls MANAGER Paige Unangst FINANCE DIRECTOR expense of biodiversity on public lands. addresses for your elected officials. Also feel Sara Woods* LAND STEWARDSHIP COORDINATOR The natural ecosystems of forests have free to contact Ryan for links to additional Sandy Wright DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR adapted and evolved over millions of years resources and information on forest recovery *Gorge Area Residents to recover from fire, and we need to let and logging after fires. PUblISHED DECEMBER 2017 PUblICATIONS: Stay Connected with Friends Newsletter Design: Kathy Fors and Kathleen Krushas / To the Point Publications Action Alerts: Stay updated on conservation threats to the Gorge and Editor: Betsy Toll / Lumin Creative Services how to take action. PORTLAND OFFICE: 333 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 300, Portland, OR 97204 Hiking e-news: Receive biweekly updates on Friends’ guided outings, 503-241-3762 stewardship work party announcements, trail alerts, HOOD RIVER OFFICE: suggested seasonal hikes, and other hiking-related news. 205 Oak St., Suite 17, Hood River, OR 97031 541-386-5268 Monthly e-news: Keep updated on Friends’ work, upcoming events and WASHOUGAL OFFICE: news, volunteer efforts, ways to get involved, and more. 887 Main St., Suite 202, Washougal, WA 98671 360-334-3180 gorgefriends.org/subscribe @gorgefriends 2 Cover: The Eagle Creek fire above Cascade Locks. Photo: Jurgen Hess I jurgenhessphotography.com Director’s Letter ne of the biggest challenges I have desert across a relatively in my job is pulling myself out small landscape. The of the day-to-day weeds so I can Gorge by air made the Opay attention to the bigger picture. That’s significance of our 37 Kevin Gorman, at right, and Brent VandenHeuvel of nearly impossible during a crisis like the years of work very clear: subdivisions Columbia Riverkeeper. Photo: Trip Jennings I Balance Media Eagle Creek fire, when everything seems stopped, land preserved, trails built. important and everything feels very urgent. Seeing the Gorge from the air also puts fire: Punch Bowl Falls, where over 150 hikers In October, as the on-the-ground into context the scope of the Eagle Creek were trapped by the fire and led to safety by threat of the fire subsided, I got my chance fire and the randomness of nature. Looking search and rescue volunteers. to literally see the bigger picture. Thanks south, the fire left a mosaic of green, Eagle Creek came into view as we to Columbia Riverkeeper and Lighthawk, brown, and black, linear and precise in descended, and soon the iconic punchbowl two wonderful conservation allies, one some areas, chaotic and random in others. shape was clear, looking very much the beautiful Sunday afternoon I climbed into The most intense effects of the fire felt same as it always has. Punch Bowl Falls a four-passenger plane and took a flight like a shock to the system, but even so, the was surrounded by green forest with just through the Gorge to see the effects of the charred areas seemed a part of, not separate a smattering of burned trees. Punch Bowl fire firsthand. from, the larger picture. Looking across the survived, and the Gorge will survive. I Most of us experience the Columbia river to the north, toward the Bonneville couldn’t quite understand why, but I felt Gorge by land, using car, bike, and foot. Slide area, I saw more clearcuts than I a wave of gratitude as the plane turned Those who travel by water experience could count. They, too, were jarring, and westward back to Troutdale. a Gorge few people do and witness a I couldn’t help wondering which landscape river altered by humans but never fully would recover faster. tamed. But touring the Gorge by air is a As we headed back toward the Troutdale truly special way to appreciate the stunning airport, I asked the pilot to fly lower, to get a Kevin Gorman, Executive Director transformation of rainforests into high look at the most emblematic landmark of the [email protected] Friends of the Columbia Gorge works to ensure that the beautiful and wild Columbia Gorge remains a place apart, an unspoiled treasure for generations to come. Looking south at the forests behind Cascade Locks, mottled green and brown by the fire. Cover: The Eagle Creek fire above Cascade Locks. Photo: Jurgen Hess I jurgenhessphotography.com Photo: Trip Jennings | Balance Media 3 The Fire and The Future The Eagle Creek fire at its height. Photo: Charlie Riter | bigtreeimages.com Kevin Gorman, Executive Director, [email protected] eptember 2 was a beautiful Saturday Tanner Creek and beyond, to Bridal Veil. people donated over $46,000 through on Labor Day weekend, when the The entire western Gorge appeared to that page. Like numerous businesses, Columbia Gorge draws thousands be on fire. Early that morning, glued to Thunder Island Brewery in Cascade Sof visitors for end-of-summer outings. our screens, we watched as firefighters Locks had to shut down on their busiest This year, though, it was also the fateful day threw everything they had at the blaze weekend of the year, so they opened their when the reckless use of firecrackers ignited threatening Multnomah Falls Lodge. doors and fed firefighters the food they flames in Eagle Creek canyon that quickly When the smoke cleared hours later, had purchased for Labor Day weekend. exploded into a massive wildfire. Within the lodge – coated with a thick layer of Friends staff assisted the Thunder Island hours, more than 150 hikers were trapped by ash – had miraculously been saved. And team as they expanded their efforts to flames and had to be rescued after spending a something else unexpected showed up launch a GoFundMe page that raised more cold, frightening night out near Tunnel Falls. in the videos – green vegetation on the than $23,000 for Gorge fire departments. That was just the beginning. slopes above the lodge. The magnificent The fight to save the Gorge captured Over the next few anxious days, fire forest surrounding Multnomah Falls was national headlines, touching the hearts roared through thousands of acres of tinder badly burned, but not entirely charred. of countless people around the country. dry forests. The Interstate 84 freeway was In just six days, Friends’ list of Facebook closed for 40 miles and entire communities Immediate responses followers grew from 14,000 to 30,000, were evacuated. Thick brown smoke and As the fire raged, people anxious and 1,600 volunteers signed up for ash covered the mountains and even choked to do something – anything – to help our stewardship program. Together the Portland metropolitan area. the Gorge reached out to Friends. On with Trailkeepers of Oregon, a partner Just three days after the fire began, a day two of the fire, we set up a donation nonprofit group, we welcomed more than livestreaming camera across the Columbia page for the Hood River County Sheriff’s 4,000 new sign-ups ready to help rebuild River in Washington showed terrifying Office Search and Rescue Division, which burned trails. Our membership grew images of ridgelines ablaze, stretching had taken the lead in rescuing the hikers from 6,000 to 7,000 in one week, and west from the Eagle Creek drainage to trapped at Eagle Creek. More than 520 more than 100 businesses, including the 4 Portland Timbers and Thorns FC, held watch a healthy new forest emerge, and they can work with us wisely to restore fundraisers for our organization.