Share the Wonder

175-acre property in Clark County (WA) purchased by Friends in 2017.

In 1966, a levee was built that cut off the drainage and flood plains of Gibbons Creek, Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge’s main waterway, which turned the wetlands of Steigerwald Shores into hay fields for cattle grazing.

The Steigerwald Reconnection Project, the largest habitat restoration initiative in Gorge history, began in 2019 and was completed in 2022. 53 years after Gibbons Creek was cut off, this project reconnected it to its historic Columbia River floodplain, restored 965 acres of wetlands, and created habitat for salmon and countless other species like waterfowl, birds, herps, and small mammals.

Friends’ acquisition of Steigerwald Shores, made possible by donations to the Preserve the Wonder campaign, made this project possible.

Over 200 of the 300 bird species ever seen in Clark County can be found at the refuge, making it one of the state’s top birding destinations.

Steigerwald is an Urban National Wildlife Refuge, reflecting its proximity to a large metropolitan area and the opportunities it offers to engage urban communities as partners in wildlife conservation.

Sold to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2020.

Photo by Cate Hotchkiss.

59-acre preserve in Skamania County (WA) directly above HWY 14’s Cape Horn Overlook.

The property was acquired by Friends in 2020 as part of a 2005 agreement between the former landowner and Friends’ founder Nancy Russell.

Part of the decades-long efforts to protect the lands around the 8-mile Cape Horn trail system.

Home to a 200-year-old forest of Douglas firs, Friends will begin habitat restoration in 2024, including oak planting, removal of invasives, and hay field conversion.

Plant life includes tall bugbane, a rare wildflower that has special management status with the U.S Forest Service.

Part of Friends’ Gorge Accessibility Project, which aims to create inclusive, accessible spaces in the Gorge for people with mobility issues, older adults, families with young children, and communities of color.

Photo by Jeremiah Leipold.

100-acre preserve in Skamania County (WA) comprised of two adjacent properties: Duncan Creek (acquired in 2016) and Good’s Woods (acquired in 2018).

Duncan Creek was at risk for logging before Friends’ purchased it in 2016. The property sits between two public land holdings and makes a future trail between Cape Horn and Beacon Rock possible, which would be a major step in our Gorge Towns to Trails vision.

Good’s Woods was owned by the same family that sold Duncan Creek to Friends. After the parents passed, their daughter chose to donate the land to Friends for the Preserve the Wonder campaign.

Photo by Debbie Asakawa.

105-acre preserve in Klickitat County (WA) sits above the U.S. Forest Service’s Balfour-Klickitat Day Use Area, home to migrating eagles.

Property was listed for two multi-million-dollar homesites in 2023 before Friends’ land trust took quick action and purchased the property for permanent preservation.

Relatively undisturbed for the past century, Heartleaf Bluffs boasts two commanding scenic vistas that look across the Columbia to the Tom McCall Preserve, downriver to Mosier, and upriver to The Dalles.

Home to pristine stands of Oregon white oak and numerous plants (such as heartleaf buckwheat) and wildlife, including pileated woodpeckers.

Heartleaf Bluffs could serve as a key connector for our Gorge Towns to Trails vision, providing a crucial link between Catherine Creek and the Klickitat Trail.

Photo by Paloma Ayala.

57-acre property in Wasco County (OR) plus a two-thirds-mile trail easement on Seven Mile Hill, just west of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum.

In 2023, Friends purchased nine acres of land adjacent to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum to provide needed land for the proposed Mt. Ulka Trail.

Friends is working to create a new trail connection on Mt. Ulka that will connect
to the Discovery Center and The Dalles Riverfront Trail.

The property is next to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s (ODFW)
Wasco Oaks Conservation Opportunity Area (COA). Two priority COA actions include controlling noxious weeds and maintaining and restoring existing oak woodlands.

ODFW elk surveys show a significant population in the area.

Peregrine falcon aeries (nests) are present on the cliffs of Mt. Ulka.

Plant life includes five of the 16 endemic plants found only in the Columbia Gorge.

Photo by Cate Hotchkiss.

45-acre clifftop preserve with a 3.5-mile trail connecting to the community of Mosier, Oregon.

Home to a diverse array of wildflowers and a spectacular view of the surrounding area.

In peak wildflower viewing season in mid-to-late April, visitors are greeted by sloping meadows bursting with color. Common native species like arrowleaf balsamroot, prairie star, paintbrush, blanket flower, and lupine are abundant. Mosier Plateau is also home to the rare and sensitive species white fairypoppy. In all, more than 50 species of wildflowers are present here.

Prominent oak woodlands cover the remainder of the 45-acre preserve. These secluded groves are occupied by Oregon white oak, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, snowberry, elderberry, chokecherry, and the not-so-popular poison oak. The oak woodlands and abundant understory provide foraging and hiding spots for wildlife such as deer, squirrels, and even the elusive cougar.

Mosier Plateau is part of our Gorge Towns to Trails vision, providing a part of the eventual connection we will make with a trail between Mosier and The Dalles.

Photo by Cate Hotchkiss.

64-acre preserve located on the Washington side of the Gorge near the community of Dallesport. The property is comprised of grassland habitat and Wanapum basalt flow formations shaped by floods at the end of the last ice age.

Protected for its unique features including a kolk pond, vernal pool, and prominent bluff overlooking the Columbia Gorge.

The kolk pond near the center of the property was formed from the Ice Age Floods and is now believed to be spring-fed. It is almost perfectly round and provides a resting habitat for visiting waterfowl.

The property is also home to some exceedingly unique habitat. A ravine bisects the south end of the property where a creek supports an Oregon white oak riparian area. A spring-fed stream supports native trees and shrubs. The riparian area is very important to local wildlife including raptors, blacktail deer, and coyotes because it provides shelter and water in an otherwise open and dry landscape.

A vernal pool to the west of the creek is home to beautiful native plants such as western aster, camas, cushion fleabane, and prairie sunflower. When filled, the vernal pool is also home to an interesting animal called the fairy shrimp. Fairy shrimp are inch-long crustaceans that are an important food for birds. They are special because of their ability to enter diapause, a type of dormancy that allows their eggs to stay viable in adverse conditions such as freezing, completely drying, or in some experiments, the vacuum of space.

Photo by Cate Hotchkiss.

Four-acre property in Klickitat County (WA) is a former gravel pit, horse pasture, and homesite surrounded by over 4,000 acres of wildflower meadows owned by the U.S Forest Service (USFS).

Friends’ land trust acquired the property in 2020 to be a missing piece to enhance the USFS-owned Catherine Creek Recreation Area.

Catherine Creek is considered one of the finest wildflower viewing areas in the
Columbia Gorge due to the variety of species and the duration of the blooming season.

Friends plans to remove all structures by the end of 2024 and restore the landscape in keeping with the greater Catherine Creek Recreation Area.

The property is adjacent to a two-mile paved path and Friends is working with the USFS and others to eventually provide accessible parking, bathrooms, and connections to existing trails.

Photo by Cate Hotchkiss.

65-acre preserve located on the Washington side of the Gorge purchased by Friends in 2015. Because of its extremely sensitive habitat and growing population of the endangered western pond turtle, the exact location is not shared with the public.

Predominantly coniferous forest with patches of open meadow, the property has abundant ponds, streams, and vernal pools, as well as grassy upland habitat that creates the perfect environment for these turtles.

In addition to the aquatic habitat for western pond turtles, the upland habitats of Turtle Haven support large animals like black bears, elk, deer, coyotes, mountain lions, beavers, owls, eagles, and other birds of prey.

Since Friends purchased the land in 2015, we have partnered with the Oregon Zoo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Parks, and others to restore populations of the western pond turtle through the captive-rearing program at the Oregon Zoo. Though hatching success in the wild remains low, Turtle Haven is now home to a growing turtle population.

Photo by Vince Ready.