In 1915, Eagle Creek was designated as the first U.S. Forest Service Recreation Area in the country. The first proposal of a federal role in Gorge protection came in 1916 when a National Park was proposed in Congress.

The continuing threats to the remaining natural wonders of the Gorge led to the formation of Gorge Commissions by both Oregon and Washington in the 1950s. These groups, made up mainly of residents of Gorge counties, had only advisory authority and little funding. As a result, they proved too weak to control the pressures for land development arising from the growing population of the Portland metropolitan area in the 1970s.

In 1979 and 1980, several events interacted to lead to the organization of Friends of the Columbia Gorge, with its focus on permanent protection of Gorge lands. The National Park Service, at the prodding of Gorge resident Chuck Williams, carried out a study of the Gorge and the nature of the threats to its future, and proposed several management alternatives, including supervision of the area by a multi-governmental Commission. Williams, who was a staffperson for Friends of the Earth, later founded the Columbia Gorge Coalition.

The publication of the Park Service study coincided with the approval by Skamania County of a 24-lot subdivision across the Columbia River from Multnomah Falls. This approval exemplified the inability of the Gorge Commissions, as they were then constituted, to control the local pressures for land development. Friends was organized, under the leadership of Nancy Russell, as a public interest group to work toward a way to permanently protect the Gorge's natural values.

The Directors of Friends, as listed in the March 1981 Articles of Incorporation, included prominent, politically active people from both states: ex-Oregon Governors Tom McCall and Bob Straub, ex-Washington Governor Dan Evans, Portland City Commissioner Mike Lindberg and Multnomah County Executive Donald Clark. Nancy Russell was the first Chairman of the Board and directed the opening of an office, the hiring of an Executive Director and the necessary raising of money.

The activities of the new group were, from the beginning, directed in three areas:

• working to develop legislation aimed at permanently protecting the Gorge,
• creating widespread public support for Gorge protection,
• and challenging inappropriate development proposals in the Gorge.

The proposed development across from Multnomah Falls, and an additional proposed subdivision just west of Beacon Rock, were successfully challenged through lawsuits brought by Friends. However, it was obvious that the march of single-family dwelling development across the rural lands of the Gorge counties could not be stopped by individual lawsuits, but rather required a single public entity that could exercise control over the many jurisdictions making land-use decisions.

From 1981 to 1986, Friends worked hard on the arduous task of building political support that ultimately would lead to the creation by the US Congress of a National Scenic Area including both sides of the Columbia Gorge.

There were nine major state and federal hearings in Oregon, Washington and in Washington, DC. Friends worked closely with Senators Hatfield, Packwood, Evans and Gorton, and Representatives AuCoin, Wyden, Weaver and Bonker to craft a series of bills that would establish the Scenic Area. Major economic and resource development interests in the Gorge organized vigorous opposition.

However, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act was finally passed by both the US Senate and House in October 1986, and signed by President Reagan on November 17, 1986, just hours before the bill would have died from a pocket veto. All members of the Washington delegation voted for the passage of the Act; two members from Oregon, Reps. Denny Smith and Bob Smith, opposed the Act.

The Scenic Area Act established three classifications of land in the Gorge:

• Special Management Area (SMA),
• General Management Area (GMA)
• and Urban Areas.

The boundaries of these areas were delineated on maps and incorporated into the Act. A single Columbia River Gorge Commission was created, consisting of three persons appointed by each Governor and one person appointed by each of the six counties (Multnomah, Hood River and Wasco in Oregon and Clark, Skamania and Klickitat in Washington). The 13th member of the Commission was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and was made the only non-voting member of the Commission.

The Gorge Commission and the US Forest Service were directed by the Act to create a resource inventory, develop land-use designations and craft a Management Plan within the three years of the signing of the Act. In the meantime, the US Forest Service and the Gorge Commission made land-use decisions for Gorge counties using interim guidelines.

Friends monitored these decisions and gave continuing input in the public hearings leading to the development of the Management Plan. The Plan was adopted by the Gorge Commission in October 1991 and was approved by the US Secretary of Agriculture in February 1992.

Continued oversight of the Gorge Commission's activities and decisions has been essential. Each county in the Gorge has had to formally adopt the land-use ordinances laid out in the Management Plan before being allowed to administer them. This has been a slow process, and Klickitat County has still not adopted the Management Plan.

Adoption by most of the counties has necessitated monitoring by Friends' staff of individual county land-use planning decisions, as well as decisions made by the Gorge Commission and Forest Service. Friends has had a continuing role in appealing and litigating land use decisions that we believe are not in compliance with the Scenic Area Act and the Management Plan.

Since the passage of the National Scenic Area Act, over 38,000 acres of land has been purchased for public benefit and nearly 1,000 houses have been built protecting the scenic and natural resources of the Columbia Gorge. As a result of the National Scenic Area Act, over $90 million in Congressional funding has been funneled in the Gorge for land acquisition, recreation enhancements and economic development.

Friends of the Columbia Gorge is a membership organization. Financial contributions from our membership make up a bulk of our support. While many conservation non-profits rely heavily on foundation funding, Friends derives two-thirds of its funding from individuals. Friends has maintained the support of its members not only as a result of its watchdog role, but also through sponsoring spring wildflower hikes in the Gorge and an annual Gorge Hiking Weekend in mid-June. Our hiking program involves a large number of local hiking and outdoor organizations and includes over 70 hikes and 3,000 hikers a year.