Wasco County to seek support from Gorge Commission

The Gorge’s National Scenic Area (NSA) has been in federal protection since 1986. New proposed revisions to the NSA plan include added protection for streams and wetlands and new guidelines for farm stands, wineries, short-term rentals, recreation developments and dwellings, among others. The revisions will go into effect as soon as each county adopts the regulations into their respective ordinances.

In May of this year, officials in Wasco and Hood River counties expressed frustration with the significant costs associated with managing NSA rules, as compared to the reimbursement counties receive from the state. At a May 5 public hearing, the Gorge Commission, Friends of the Columbia River Gorge and others associated with the NSA offered to work with the county in integrating the new NSA guidelines into county planning documents, and advocate for additional state funding.

As of June 16, the county has 270 days to complete the process, under state law, and planning staff at Wasco County expressed frustration at the lack of follow through on those promises of support.

A draft letter detailing county concerns and frustrations intended for the Gorge Commission was reviewed during a work session held in-person at the Wasco County Fairgrounds.

Commissioner Kathy Schwartz, while acknowledging the problems and frustrations of the situation, said she found the letter overly divisive. “I’ve only had two and a half years [working with the Gorge Commission], but I’ve observed problems and both sides,” said Schwartz, the newest member of the Wasco County board of commissioners. “I think we will be more successful if we turn the page a bit and just move forward. I think the tone needs to be more relationship building. This letter is exactly the opposite.”

She agreed, however, that the Gorge Commission needed to follow through with the support offered the county when the commission agreed to undertake correlating county and NSA land use regulations and guidelines.

County administrative officer Tyler Stone noted that planning staff has requested support of the Gorge Commission board to address conflicts between county, state and federal guidelines, but their requests had met a stone wall of silence. “We have actively tried” to get Gorge Commission board's support, he said, even offering to pay for facilitated mediation, but those efforts have failed. “We have put in thousands of hours into this,” he said of the planning update process. “We have tried [to get their support], it’s just not there.”

Commission Chair Scott Hege said, “We need to say [in the letter] that we are moving forward on the commitment we made, but its a two way street — they also need to move forward on this. They [the Gorge Commission board] need to sit down with the planners and work through the problems.”

Gorge Commission staff is not the problem, they are working will with county planners, noted Commissioner Kramer. “It’s not the staff, it’s the board,” Kramer said. Having negotiated with the Gorge Commission for many years, Kramer said he was not confident a request from the county would be effective, regardless of the tone of the letter. “They’re going to throw it out the window without reading it,” he said. “It goes on and on for years and we are still not going forward. It’s crazy.”

Hege agreed the Gorge Commission board had “not been supportive of some of the things we need to do.” They needed to respond to county land use planners when changes or clarifications were brought to them, and they were not doing so.

He said those who support the Gorge Commission should also be advocating for funding to cover the significant investment Gorge counties are making in implementing NSA rules. “It’s reasonable to be paid for the work we are doing. I want the ends to meet on this program. It is a state and federal program and we are having to subsidize it.”

In the end all three commissioners agreed to have Schwartz revise the letter in hopes of inspiring improved relations and better results going forward. The revised letter will then be brought before the board for approval.