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All in Environment
There is no quit in Hood River legend Peggy Lalor. The Gorge Games founder has fought her way back from a near-death experience when she was hit by a car while riding her bike in Calgary in 2010. The physical challenges of recovery seem to have made her even more steadfast as she pushes forward on her goal of improving the planet.
Wasco County Commissioners declared April 2- 8, 2024 as dark sky week in Wasco County, in honor of International Dark Sky Week. The proclamation calls Oregon’s dark skies a “significant natural resource” and draws attention to the importance of mitigating light pollution.
“Who is Dolores Huerta? One of the most important, yet least known activists of our time.” —PBS.org.
The Columbia Gorge Food Security Coalition sold out a free community screening of “Dolores”, an inspiring documentary that explores the life and legacy of Latina community organizer, labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta on Thursday, Feb. 29.
ODFW’s recreation report shows steelhead being caught on the Hood River and also announced initial dates for the Columbia River Spring Chinook season.
The March 17 deadline to enter your best photos into Friends of The Gorge’s ninth annual photo contest, "GorgeGram: Framed in Beauty," is quickly approaching!
After years of negotiations and a decades long court battle over dam operations, a historic partnership agreement has been signed by President Joe Biden, the Governors of Washington and Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Yakama, Umatilla, and Nez Perce, to restore wild salmon populations, expand clean energy production, and reinforce the economic benefits of the Columbia River system.
“Give for the Gorge was created to help ensure that the Columbia River Gorge and its communities are preserved for future generations of visitors and residents,” said founder and project manager, Sandi Scheinberg. “It will provide a much-needed, ongoing source of funding to eight incredible Gorge-area nonprofits focused on the three areas of greatest need in the Gorge: housing, food security and the environment.”
Artists are invited to compete in one or all three of ODFW's 2025 stamp art competitions. The winning artist in each contest receives a $2,000 award and winning artwork is used to produce collector's stamps and other promotional items with sale proceeds benefitting Oregon's fish, wildlife, and their habitats.
The first class series in the Seed to Supper gardening classes begin this week on Feb. 22 in Sherman County! Seed to Supper is a free, comprehensive beginning vegetable gardening curriculum designed for adults gardening on a budget. The course highlights practical, low-cost techniques for building, planning, planting, maintaining and harvesting a successful vegetable garden.
The Thunder Island pedestrian bridge that spans the historic lock channel at the Cascade Locks Marina will be closed to public access for several weeks while crews make repairs to the damage caused by the Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge excursion vessel breaking free of its moorings in high winds and blizzard conditions on January 13, 2024.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service is moving forward on their plans to build a new trail that would connect the communities of Mosier and The Dalles.
Winter can bring some unusual birds to your bird feeders! Have you seen any of these birds this winter?
As Hurricane Hilary alters atmospheric conditions, residents of various Gorge regions are urged to remain cautious and vigilant due to the impending influx of smoke from Canadian wildfires. The National Weather Service has forecasted "areas of smoke" across the Gorge until Sunday night, with relief expected as winds change direction on Monday.
The Put the Scenic Back in Sorosis fundraiser led by Annette Beyers, has successfully raised over $200,000, of their $347,000 fundraising goal. With less than a month left in the fundraiser, the park still needs to raise some $142-$147k to push phase sne of the park's rehabilitation project over the finish line.
After nearly a decade of litigation, between Columbia Riverkeeper and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, environmental advocates are celebrating a big win: As of May of 2023 all ten federally-owned dams on the Columbia and Lower Snake Rivers have Clean Water Act permits mandating a reduction in discharges of hot water, oil, and toxic-chemical pollution.
The Columbia River Gorge Commission and their community partners will host several events for Gorge Latino Conservation Week from Thursday, July 20th through Saturday, July 22nd.
The Boulder Fire, which ignited near Boulder Lake Trailhead in Mt. Hood National Forest's Barlow Ranger District on July 8, continues to wreak havoc in the area. Fueled by dead and down debris and complicated by steep, rugged terrain, the fire has already scorched approximately 237 acres.
Columbia Riverkeeper’s Board of Directors announced the appointment of a new member, Portland-based Carlos Marroquin. Columbia Riverkeeper’s volunteer board of directors oversees the organization’s advocacy goals and policies, finances, and public relations.
I'm reminded of my dependence on the sun and rain and plant wisdom. When the bigger world is grim with human violence, the garden provides a peaceful salve against despair. To pull weeds, quench the thirst of new sprouts, and transplant a daisy longing for more sunlight, this is happiness.
Global temperature increases won’t spare the Gorge said Dr. Oriana Chegwidden, a hydrologist and research scientist during an environmental conference at The Discovery Center in The Dalles in late May. “Our data shows that the Pacific Northwest will get warmer, likely a 5-10 degree increase, and wetter,” she said. “By 2080, snow accumulation will be gone.”
