New site brings improved accessibility, bilingual content, interactive tools, and a public data hub to Gorge communities across two states and six counties
WHITE SALMON — The Columbia River Gorge Commission announced the launch of its completely redesigned website at gorgecommission.org, replacing a site that had served the agency for more than 10 years. The new website marks the Commission’s most significant investment in public digital communication since its founding, aiming to make the agency’s work more accessible, transparent, and useful to the diverse communities that live in the Gorge.
“The Gorge Commission serves residents, property owners, tribal nations, businesses, recreationists, and conservation interests across a 293,000-acre landscape spanning two states and six counties,” said Carina Miller, Chair of the Columbia River Gorge Commission. “Our new website reflects the breadth of that mission. We wanted a site that functions well for a property owner researching a permit application just as much as it does for a researcher exploring the health of the Gorge’s ecosystems.”
The new website is live now at www.gorgecommission.org
The Commission welcomes feedback from community members at info@gorgecommission.org.
A Modern Platform Built for Gorge Communities
The previous website, built over ten years ago, served the Commission well but had become hard to navigate and lacked the interactive tools and accessibility features that today’s users expect. The redesigned site addresses those issues with a complete rebuild, including:
Bilingual access. The new site offers a Spanish-language option, showing the Commission’s dedication to reaching the Gorge’s growing Latino and Spanish-speaking communities. The Commission believes that the people most impacted by land-use decisions should be able to understand and participate in the agency’s work in their own language.
Streamlined navigation. Content is organized around the questions that community members most frequently ask the Commission: Who are we? How do I attend a meeting? How do permits work? What is the Commission working on? An intuitive “How can we help today?” section on the homepage guides visitors to county-specific planning resources, reducing the number of clicks needed to find answers.
Interactive mapping tools. A new NSA Lookup Tool, powered by ArcGIS, enables property owners and community members to determine whether a parcel is within the National Scenic Area and access relevant planning information—a question the Commission’s staff often handles. Additional interactive maps offer spatial context for the Commission’s work throughout the region.
Enhanced meeting access. A redesigned meetings section offers easier access to upcoming agendas, meeting documents, and archived records. Public participation is essential to the Commission’s work, and the new site aims to reduce barriers to engagement for residents across the Gorge.
Mobile-responsive design. The site is fully adaptable to all devices, acknowledging that many Gorge residents access information on phones and tablets—especially in rural areas where a mobile device may be the main way to go online. In pursuit of the same goals of accessibility and engagement, the Commission has also launched official Facebook and LinkedIn pages—a first for the agency. These new social media channels will give Gorge communities more ways to stay informed about Commission meetings, decisions, programs, and opportunities for public participation. The Commission’s Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/gorgecommission, and its LinkedIn page is at www.linkedin.com/company/gorgecommission/. Community members are encouraged to follow and engage with the Commission on these platforms as part of the agency’s broader effort to meet people where they are.
Vital Signs Data Hub: Measuring the Health of the Gorge
One of the key features of the new website is increased public access to the Commission’s Vital Signs program and its interactive Data Hub. The Vital Signs program monitors 17 vital signs through 34 indicators that collectively assess the long-term health of the Gorge’s scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources, as well as the strength of local economies. Originally launched in 2007, the program was significantly updated in 2023 after the Management Plan revision, with indicators refined to reflect current priorities, including climate change impacts.
The Data Hub, built on ArcGIS, allows the public to directly explore indicator data, interact with datasets, and understand the trends shaping the National Scenic Area. The Commission developed it in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, the six Gorge counties, and the Columbia River treaty tribes.
“The Vital Signs Data Hub is something we’re especially excited about,” said Krystyna Wolniakowski, Executive Director of the Gorge Commission. “Whether you are a county planner, a tribal resource manager, a conservation organization, a researcher, a business owner, or a resident who simply loves the Gorge and wants to understand how it’s changing—this data is for you. We believe that shared, transparent information is the foundation of good stewardship, and we hope the Data Hub becomes a resource that a wide range of communities find valuable.”
The circular design of the Vital Signs framework illustrates the interconnectedness of the resources the Commission is tasked with protecting: changes in natural systems influence scenic values, recreation, cultural resources, and economic vitality, and vice versa. By making this data publicly accessible and interactive, the Commission seeks to support informed decision-making not only within the agency but also across the wider community of organizations and individuals invested in the Gorge’s future.
About the Columbia River Gorge Commission
The Columbia River Gorge Commission is a bi-state agency established by the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act of 1986. The Commission’s 13 members—appointed by the governors of Oregon and Washington, the six Gorge county commissions, and the U.S. Forest Service—are charged with protecting and enhancing the scenic, cultural, recreational, and natural resources of the Columbia River Gorge while supporting the economic vitality of its communities. The Commission develops and implements the Management Plan for the National Scenic Area, which spans approximately 293,000 acres across Multnomah, Hood River, and Wasco counties in Oregon and Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties in Washington.
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