For the last thirty years her life, Russell was intimately
involved in building one of the premier natural and
recreation spaces in the Northwest—and the nation.
Working sometimes alone, sometimes with partners,
Russell had helped pass a landmark federal bill to protect the gorge and then helped set aside tens of thousands of acres in the region. That September day, in the
final stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), she
was returning for a last visit; she passed away only a few
days later.
Stretching 85 miles eastward from the outskirts of
Portland and Vancouver, Washington, the Columbia
River Gorge is as spectacular as many national parks. In
the western part of the gorge, outside Portland,
glacial runoff from the pointed peak of Mount Hood
swells creeks and streams that cascade in waterfalls
down sheer basalt cliffs. Out east, where the gorge
opens up between Hood River and The Dalles, huge
sloping hills explode with wildflowers in spring and
summer—purple shooting stars and wild irises, yellow
camas and balsamroots, a kaleidoscope of lupines.
But the wilderness character of the gorge was compromised long ago by commerce. Separating the states
of Oregon and Washington, the gorge contains a major
east-west travel corridor, with a railroad, interstate
SUSAN IVES
Founder of the Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Nancy Russell protected
hundreds of thousands of acres in the gorge. Previous page: Russell
made her last visit to the gorge by ambulance.
highway, and major shipping lanes. It also encompasses
two federal dams, a national forest, and several small
cities and towns. For decades conservationists looked at
the gorge’s disparate state, local, and federal jurisdictions and eventually concluded that the only comprehensive conservation solution would have to come from
Washington, D.C.
As early as 1916 and from then on about every decade,
Congress considered one or another proposal to regulate
growth and protect the gorge’s most important natural
