From Ashes to Action: Gorge Leaders Unite to Ease Rebuilding Rules

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Sep 18

JJ Castro said Wasco County Planning has worked hard to assist him as he works to rebuild his home and his family’s life after the fire in Rowena.

By Tom Peterson & Rodger Nichols

THE DALLES, Ore., Sept. 18, 2025 — On a clear September evening, JJ Castro was back on his land along the Mosier–The Dalles Highway, operating a tractor bucket, filling around the fresh stemwall foundation where his new house will rise.

Just three months earlier, the Rowena Fire reduced his 3,000-square-foot home to ashes, destroyed his well house, electrical systems, septic tank and workshop full of tools. It was devastating for the well-respected concrete finisher known for his work across The Dalles and the Columbia Gorge

Castor and his crew have already poured new stemwall foundation to rebuild him home in the 5,000-block of the Mosier-The Dalles Highway in Rowena.

“They did a really nice job,” Castro said of the Wasco County Planning Department, which helped him navigate the maze of approvals. “Everybody there was huge. They did their best. They were amazing and they will do the same for everybody, same as me.”

Castro has already poured his own foundation and is pressing forward despite the heavy toll. Insurance will cover part of the loss, but not everything — not all of the tools, the septic system, or the memories his children had of playing on the property. “We lost everything,” he said. “It was bad for my family. Hard to watch. That’s why I am working 15 hours a day, my friend. I want them back here, happy.”

Eduardo Israel levels the fill dirt as fast as Castro and his crew can dump it.

The Rowena blaze in June ravaged the rural area just west of The Dalles, destroying 56 residential homes as it incinerated approximately 3,700 acres—prompting widespread evacuations and scores of families to seek shelter elsewhere. The Burdoin Fire in July burned across the river near Lyle, Washington, tore through at least 14 residential structures and damaged or destroyed 80 other buildings in the 10,000-acre blaze.

Policy Moves to Match Local Resolve

Castro’s determination echoes a broader effort across the Gorge to help fire victims rebuild. At its Sept. 9 meeting, the Columbia River Gorge Commission voted unanimously to fast-track changes to its Management Plan, signaling relief for families navigating the slow, costly process of recovery.

“Best meeting we ever had. Everyone in line and the vote was unanimous — my vote too of course,” said Wasco County’s Gorge Commission representative Rodger Nichols. He credited the breakthrough to a tour organized shortly after the fires, when all nine commissioners walked the burn zone and saw the devastation firsthand. Hearing directly from families, Nichols said, built momentum for consensus.

The proposed amendments would extend the tight two-year deadline for rebuilding permits to as long as seven years, review the rule that caps replacement homes at 10 percent larger than those lost, and remove limits on temporary housing such as RVs and manufactured homes.

Broad Support Across the Gorge

Commission legal counsel Jeff Litwak said the changes are meant to “remove barriers to recovery and rebuilding” and “streamline the permitting process.” Support has come from Gov. Tina Kotek, Oregon’s Land Conservation and Development Commission, Gorge county officials and Friends of the Gorge.

“The management plan is now over 20 years old and it has real gaps when it comes to disaster preparedness and recovery,” said Renee Tkash of Friends of the Gorge. “There is a clear need for clarifications and revisions so that landowners can rebuild safely and effectively while at the same time ensuring that the protections of the scenic area remain intact.”

Families who testified pressed the point. “Please hear us,” said Sylvia Compton, whose family lost two homes in the Rowena Fire. “We are not just property owners. We are family, neighbors and longtime residents, and we deserve the chance to come home.”

What Comes Next

Commission staff will bring back the full set of recommendations for a vote in November. A 30-day public comment period will follow, with final action expected in January. Counties across the Scenic Area, except for Klickitat County which uses the Gorge Commission planning rules, would then move to adopt matching changes.

Nichols said the pace reflects a rare urgency: “We are talking lightning speed for a government agency — especially for an agency with a bi-state compact.”