Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges of our and future generations. Global in scale but local in its impacts, it can be difficult to understand what any one person or even groups of people can do to make a difference.
Thankfully, there are great organizations and people around the world doing what they can to slow down and mitigate climate change, and adapt their communities to the inevitable changes we are seeing happen all around us. There are also things we can do here in the Columbia Gorge to help with this global effort.
Over the next several years, Friends will accelerate our efforts to build climate resilience on our properties and to acquire additional lands with high climate resilience potential. We’ll also lead efforts to build a coalition of community groups; nonprofits; tribal, state, and federal government partners; along with the towns and counties of the Gorge to understand the impacts climate change is having on these groups, what they need and want, and work together to adapt to and mitigate for the impacts climate change will have over the scenic, cultural, natural, and recreational resources of the Gorge.
We will be working with the Columbia River Gorge Commission to adapt their Climate Change Action Plan into the official Gorge Management Plan. We will be working with the urban areas and the counties of the Gorge to understand their ecosystem services needs and work with them to preserve the wonder and majesty of the Gorge while planning for economic development and population changes over the next several decades. The results of this work would be community-driven plans and policies to prepare for and live with the reality of a changing climate.
But this effort won’t be done by a handful of people, we’ll need you to help us. With your voices, your actions, and your support we can reduce the daunting nature of climate change and help ourselves and future generations share the wonder that is the Columbia River Gorge.
To reach our $6.6 million goal for Share the Wonder, we’ll need the support of the entire Friends community. Our success requires action from each of us. By sharing the wonder with a gift today, you can help Friends make an even bigger impact on the lands, wildlife, plants, and communities of the Gorge.