Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 42F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Tonight
Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 42F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
THE GORGE — The Columbia River Gorge Commission will hold a public hearing at its Nov. 12 meeting via Zoom to consider a Management Plan Amendment to clarify and address landowners’ needs for disaster recovery and streamline the guidelines and policies for rebuilding after a fire.
Wasco County Community Development partnered with the Columbia River Gorge Commission (CRGC) and USDA Forest Service to modernize disaster recovery in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. At the July Gorge Commission meeting, staff informed the Gorge Commission that it would research whether the Management Plan adequately provides for Gorge communities and landowners to recover and rebuild after a disaster. This was in response to the devastating Rowena fire in June 2025 in a large area of National Scenic Area land in Wasco County. The Gorge Commission decided to initiate a Management Plan Amendment process. Tragically, a few days after the July meeting, the Burdoin fire erupted and raced through a large area of National Scenic Area land in Klickitat County. In both fires, dozens of landowners and residents lost their homes and other structures.
Staff researched recovery and rebuilding in Oregon, Washington, and other states and communities that have suffered recent disasters, and talked to Gorge landowners, Gorge counties, state agencies, and others about what changes the National Scenic Area Management Plan may need to help with recovery from these and other disasters. Principally, staff heard and learned that streamlining permitting was critically important. While staff was developing its streamlining concepts, Wasco County was also identifying streamlining concepts based on its experience assisting landowners with their recovery from the Rowena fire.
CRGC, Forest Service and Wasco County presented a summary of their research at the Sept. 9 Gorge Commission meeting. Staff recommended that the Management Plan needs procedural and substantive clarifications, and to allow landowners to have additional options for temporary housing.
Following the Sept. 9 meeting, CRGC staff, the Forest Service, and Wasco County jointly developed the draft text of the Management Plan Amendment and sent it out for a 30-day public comment period. The four Columbia Treaty Tribes were also engaged to determine how the proposed language may affect tribal treaty rights.
Revisions include clearly identifying one-for-one replacement as an expedited permit, allowing up to 10 years from the incident to permit and rebuild, increasing size thresholds to accommodate new manufacturing and building standards, and permits for temporary uses including storage structures and manufactured or RV home use. Staff have prepared some materials to help citizens walk through the proposal. Revised text can be viewed on the Columbia River Gorge Commission’s website, www.gorgecommission.org.
Wasco County will be hosting a virtual public information session on the proposed Management Plan Amendment on Nov. 6. Please contact Kelly Howsley-Glover, Wasco County Community Development, at 541-506-2560 or kellyg@co.wasco.or.us with questions about the session.
Public comments received through the public comment period will be addressed at the Nov. 12 Gorge Commission hearing. If approved, the Management Plan Amendment will be submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture for review and concurrence.
For questions about the proposed Management Plan Amendment, contact Krystyna Wolniakowski, Columbia River Gorge Commission, at 509-713-9623 or krystyna.wolniakowski@gorgecommission.org.
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