2002 Annual Report • 1

A Year in Review: 2002Accomplishments & MilestonesBy Kevin Gorman, Executive Director, kevin@gorgefriends.org

2002AnnualReport

FRIENDS OF THE COLUMBIA GORGE

Launching of the Lewis & ClarkLandscapes ProjectLast April, Friends, the SierraClub and the Trust for PublicLand launched the Lewis &Clark Landscapes Project,calling on the U.S. ForestService to purchase 4,000 acresof critical lands before zoningchanges allow more develop-ment of those lands in 2004.Our launch garnered television,radio and press coverage andled to nearly 40 businesses andorganizations signing on assupporters of the Project.

Ten million dollars for Gorgeland acquisitionIn early 2003, Congress isexpected to pass a $10 millionappropriation for Gorge landacquisition. Friends staff metwith Congressional representa-tives locally and in WashingtonD.C. to urge support for thisappropriation. This will be thelargest land acquisition appro-priation in the country forFY2003, and the largest appro-priation in Scenic Area history.

More than 1,000 acrespurchased for public protectionIn 2000, the U.S. Forest Servicepurchased only 86 acres of landfrom three landowners, despitehaving nearly $7 millionavailable for land acquisition. In2002, the Forest Service workeddiligently and purchased 1,031acres from 21 landowners,including the long sought-afterChenoweth Table. The dramaticturnaround of the Forest

photos: ©James Holloway

Multnomah Falls, like all of the Gorgeis breathtaking in every season.

Service’s land-acquisitionprogram is one of our greatestGorge successes of 2002.

Sandy River Delta saysgoodbye to invasive bovinesIn August 2002, the U.S.Forest Service reintroducedprivate cattle grazing on publiclands at the Sandy River Delta,Oregon’s western Gorgegateway. The grazing decisionbypassed the public as well asnumerous environmental lawsalong the way. As a result ofFriends’ intention to initiate alawsuit and seek a restrainingorder to have the cattle re-moved, the Forest Serviceagreed to not renew the 90-daygrazing permit and to conductboth a public process and anenvironmental assessmentprior to issuing any newgrazing permits at the SandyRiver Delta.

Friends’ fundraising remainsstrong in turbulent yearWhile the weak economy hasaffected nearly every non-profit, Friends’ fundraisingheld firm in 2002. Our mem-bership held stable and foun-dation giving increased, inlarge part due to a $185,000three-year grant from theMeyer Memorial Trust. Thefoundation grant is the largestin Friends’ history. Thanks toeveryone who gave us theresources to take on the manychallenges facing the magnifi-cent Columbia River Gorge.

T h e r e’s n o p l a c e o n e a r t h l i k e t h e C o l u m b i a R i v e r G o r g e

Friends of the Columbia Gorge • 2

Major Challenges and Accomplishments in 2002

Improving gorge protection rulesFriends of the Columbia Gorge,alongside numerous allies, workedwith the Gorge Commission and theU.S. Forest Service to improve gorgeprotection rules during review andrevision of the Management Plan. Atour request, the American Society ofLandscape Architects (ASLA) volun-teered its expertise to help theCommission and Forest Serviceimprove protection for scenic land-

scapes in the gorge, andhave pushed for the adop-tion of rules to betterprotect against the cumula-tive adverse effects ofongoing development. Inthe coming year, Friendswill continue to serve as thebackbone for publicagencies that are underconstant pressure toeviscerate gorge protectionrules.

Casino oppositionbroadensFriends worked with casinoopponents in the gorge andthroughout the regionagainst approval of a casinoresort with an estimatedvisitation of 3 millionpeople per year. In Decem-ber, Friends released pollingresults showing that themajority of Oregoniansoppose locating an off-reservation tribal casino inthe Columbia Gorge.

Protectingscenic resourcesBy reviewing every develop-ment application in theNational Scenic Area andfiling legal actions where

appropriate, Friends of the ColumbiaGorge achieved countless protectionsfor Gorge landscapes, including viewsfrom the Columbia River, BeaconRock, and Tom McCall Point. Friendshas also stayed involved in the Beacase in order to ensure that the houseis brought into compliance withscenic protection rules.

Protecting public landsIn 2002, Friends helped protect thenatural resources and recreationalopportunities of the publicly ownedSandy River Delta by stopping illegalprivate cattle grazing. Friends alsoinfluenced plans for future develop-ment at Beacon Rock State Park tobetter protect scenic, natural, andcultural resources.

Opposing illegalcluster developmentsThrough legal actions, Friendsopposed two illegal cluster develop-ments that included “bonus houses”without offering resource benefits inreturn. In one action, Friends andneighboring landowners prevailed,preserving agricultural land andscenic views from illegal development.In the other action, Friends settledwith the landowners, who agreed topermanently protect forest andwildlife resources on a majority oftheir land.

Measure 7: Not just a badidea, it’s unconstitutionalThe Oregon Supreme Court upheld alower court ruling overturningMeasure 7, the ballot measure thatwould have required taxpayers to paydevelopers to follow land use andenvironmental laws. The SupremeCourt found that Measure 7 madetwo constitutional amendments thatwere not closely related. The OregonConstitution requires separate votesfor constitutional amendments thatare not closely related. Measure 7would have applied to areas of theGorge that are regulated only byOregon state law.

By Michael Lang, Conservation Director, michael@gorgefriends.org, & Nathan Baker, Staff Attorney, nathan@gorgefriends.org

• CONSERVATION & LEGAL PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

“Friends also influenced plans for future develop-ment at Beacon Rock State Park to better protectscenic, natural, and cultural resources.”

2002 Annual Report • 3

Betsy Toll, Volunteer Coordinatorbetsy@gorgefriends.org

Friends’ Hiking ProgramsThroughout 2002, Friends’ membersand supporters volunteered in recordnumbers.

• We offered 69 hikes and outingsin 2002, where over 160 volunteershelped to ensure safe, educational,and enjoyable Gorge experiences.

• More than 1350 hikers partici-pated in our 2002 hiking program.

StewardshipFriends scheduled monthly steward-ship projects throughout the year, andadopted Bridal Veils State Park as acontinuing stewardship and naturalarea restoration project.

• Over 165 volunteers helped withstewardship projects in 2002.

• Nearly 80 people helped atBridal Veil in our first six months onthe project.

Electronic OutreachFriends’ Gorge Events & Activitiesemail list regularly notified 220subscribers of urgent hearings,meetings, letters to write, and otherways to support of strong protectionsfor the Gorge.

• Two dozen action alerts drewstrong, effective response fromsubscribers.

• Thirteen hike and stewardshipannouncements let subscribers knowabout outdoor activities in the Gorge.

• Supporters submitted some 300comments regarding Plan Review tothe Gorge Commission.

Speakers BureauFriends’ volunteers offered slide showpresentations and talks throughoutthe region, informing citizens aboutcurrent issues related to Gorgeprotection.

• 27 volunteers helped get infor-mation about Gorge issues out to over2500 citizens in northwest Oregonand southwest Washington.

• We arranged 23 presentations,and tabled at six public events.

• OUTREACH & VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS• VOLUNTEERS

Support for Lewis & ClarkLandscapes Project growsThe Lewis & Clark LandscapesProject achieved significant successesthis year, beyond the achievementsnoted on page 1 in A Year in Review.

The Project reached out to busi-nesses, organizations and Congres-sional members across the North-west to recruit official support forthe project. To date, 38 supporters,including Representatives EarlBlumenauer, David Wu, and DarleneHooley have signed on in support ofthe Project.

Partnership with the Sierra Clubenabled the Project to direct anaction alert regarding land acquisi-tion to thousands of Oregon andWashington households through theaction network of the long-distancephone company Working AssetsLong Distance (WALD).The alertgenerated a very positive responsefrom WALD subscribers and resultedin nearly 4,000 of contacts toCongressional Representatives.

• OUTREACHBy Tiffany Kenslow, Field Organizer, tiffany@gorgefriends.org

photo: ©Ken DenisHikers explore the dry fields of the Rowland Lake Labyrinth.

Gorge supporters testify beforeOregon Legislative CommitteeIn October, Friends’ staff and boardmembers encouraged Gorge residentsto testify before the OregonLegislature’s Subcommittee on GorgeCommission Review at three hearingsin communities on the Oregon sidethe Gorge.

The hearings appeared to be sched-uled to put pressure on the GorgeCommission to ease protectionsduring its plan review process, but asa result of our efforts, more than 50strong supporters of Gorge protec-tions attended the hearings, manygiving public testimony. That testi-mony ensured that the Committeeheard strong, local support ofmaintaining strong Scenic Areaprotections in the Management Plan.

For more information about publicopportunities to help protect theGorge, contact Tiffany Kenslow at(541) 386-5268 ortiffany@gorgefriends.org.

Friends of the Columbia Gorge • 4

We’re happy to report good news on the fundraising front, despite thechallenge of the slow economy.

As the financial report shows, membership renewals, new members, specialappeals, contributions and foundations held strong despite the difficulteconomic times. While we are down about 20% from a record year lastyear in our major donor program, all other areas of our fundraising pro-gram were ahead of last year. We also recruited 433 new members this year,and received more than $32,000 in bequests.

A big thank you to each and every one of you who has opened your heartand checkbook to help keep the Gorge a magnificent and unspoiled naturallandscape and national treasure for coming generations.

The Fundraising Year-in-ReviewBy Jane Haley-Harris, Development Director, jane@gorgefriends.org

• FUNDRAISING FOR GORGE PROTECTION

2002 Foundation SupportOur sincere thanks to:Clark FoundationCollins FoundationPhilip S Harper FoundationJackson FoundationRalph & Adolph Jacobs FoundationKaiser Permanente FoundationLazar FoundationMazamasMcGraw Family FoundationMeyer Memorial TrustOregon Community FoundationPortland Garden ClubREIRalph L. Smith FoundationSpirit Mountain Community FundHerbert A. Templeton FoundationRose E. Tucker Charitable TrustWilburforce Foundation

Our thanks to thefollowing companies:Benjamin Moore & CoBoeing Gift Matching ProgramCustom Stamping & ManufacturingGerber AssociatesGresham OpticalLindblad Special Expeditions Inc.Nike Inc. Corporate DivisionPortland General ElectricTompkins Benefit GroupUS BancorpWanke Cascade

In-Kind DonationsLegal & Conservation ServicesDuffy, Kekel and Jones Law OfficesRobert G. Hoffman – Planning servicesKimberly A. Kaminski – Legal draftingIan Simpson – Legal researchErik Swallow – Legal research

Computer & OfficeAlain MacKinnon - Domputer supportDermot Maty, TenBridges.com – Website design

Framed & Web PhotographyKen Denis – PhotographyJames Holloway – PhotographyDiana Karabut – Photography, framingDarryl Lloyd – PhotographyJoe Urmos – PhotographyAlice Wanke Stephens – Artwork

Trail & Habitat RestorationHolstein’s Coffee Company – RefreshmentsHood River Bagel Company – Refreshments

photo: ©James Holloway

Friends of the Columbia Gorge • 8

Thank you from our staff!Top row from left: Nathan Baker, Kevin Gorman, Michael Lang, Glenn Fullilove.Bottom row: Cathy Robart, Betsy Toll, Kymberlee Snow, Michele Fuchs, JaneHaley-Harris, Tiffany Kenslow.

* This is an unaudited financial statement. Friends undergoes an annualindependent audit of its financial statements. It is not completed until afterthe deadline for this publication.

12/31/2002

• FINANCESphoto: Bill Scheider

Statement of Financial Position*

ASSETS: AMOUNTCash $128,915U.S. Treasury Notes $192,375Endowment Fund $308,404Grants & Pledges Receivable $178,000Other Assets & Receivables $21,608TOTAL ASSETS $829,302

Liabilities & Net Assets:Current Liabilities $166,224Unrestricted Net Assets $475,603Temporarily Restricted $65,845 ␣Permanently Net Assets $121,630TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS $829,302

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES FOR 2002REVENUE:Special Appeals $28,612Memberships $174,975Major Donors $117,970Foundations $159,829Corporations $10,317Bequests $32,027Interest and Capital Gains $29,009Miscellaneous Income $15,199TOTAL REVENUE $567,938

PROGRAM EXPENSES:Conservation $53,356Plan Review Outreach $117,851Legal $59,790Lobbying $11,918Lewis & Clark Landscapes Project $105,546Outreach & Education $137,266Fundraising $64,906Administrative $56,619TOTAL EXPENSES $607,252

Corporations1.8%

Revenue

Major Donors20.8%

Foundations28.1%

Misc.2.7%

Special Appeals5%

Bequests5.6%

Fundraising10.7%

Legal 9.8%

Program Expenses

Lobbying2.0%

Conservation 8.8%Administrative

9.3%

Plan ReviewOutreach 19.4%

L&C LandscapesProject 17.4%

Outreach &Education

22.6%

Interest andCapital Gains

5.1%

Memberships30.8%

photo: ©Ken Denis