The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is the largest in the U.S., covering more than 80 miles of forest, hills and bluffs in Oregon and southwest Washington. Friends of the Columbia Gorge is a conservation nonprofit that was instrumental in getting the federal government to declare the region a National Scenic Area 40 years ago, and has worked to protect its scenic resources which draw roughly 2 million people a year to recreate there. The organization is also spearheading an ambitious effort to connect communities throughout the gorge in a 200-mile trail loop. The Gorge Towns to Trails initiative aims to “promote alternative transportation options,” reduce congestion at popular trailheads and introduce hikers to less-visited areas of the gorge.
Gorge Towns to Trails project manager Renée Tkach joins us to walk a bit of the trail and talk about its progress so far. D’na Chase, a Cherokee Nation tribal member and land trustee with Friends of the Columbia Gorge, also shares her vision for engaging the gorge’s many Indigenous communities in projects like Towns to Trails.
Contact “Think Out Loud®”
If you’d like to comment on any of the topics in this show, or suggest a topic of your own, please get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter, send an email to thinkoutloud@opb.org, or you can leave a voicemail for us at 503-293-1983. The call-in phone number during the noon hour is 888-665-5865.
Support Lumiserver & Cynesys on Tipeee
Visit
our sponsors
Wise (formerly TransferWise) is the cheaper, easier way to send money abroad. It helps people move money quickly and easily between bank accounts in different countries. Convert 60+ currencies with ridiculously low fees - on average 7x cheaper than a bank. No hidden fees, no markup on the exchange rate, ever.
Now you can get a free first transfer up to 500£ with your ESNcard. You can access this offer here.
Source link
