Gorge agency funding restored

When the Washington House and Senate stripped all funding for the Columbia River Gorge Commission from their proposed budgets during heated negotiations at the end of March, the future looked bleak for the bistate agency. But on Monday, the agency learned that its funding had been restored — or at least some of it.

At the time, many — including Friends of the Gorge and the Clark County Council — urged the Legislature to reconsider and restore the funding.

The commission had been budgeted to receive about $4.4 million in funding, with Oregon and Washington each contributing $2.2 million for the biennium.

Krystyna Wolniakowski, executive director for the commission, said cutting its funding would leave local communities and vital conservation efforts without the coordination and oversight that had been in place for nearly four decades.

Around 75 percent of the original funding amount was put back in the budget.

Wolniakowski said the bistate compact means Oregon will also have to reduce its budget, which will cut about $1 million from the commission’s two-year budget.

“Many people and organizations wrote letters and called legislators to show how much they care about the important work we do,” Wolniakowski said in a news release Tuesday. “We are thankful for their efforts and will keep doing our best, albeit with fewer resources.”

According to the news release, the budget cuts will mean staff reductions and cuts to daily operations. However, Wolniakowski said the commission will still monitor land use and continue its work with counties and local partners.

Shari Phiel: [email protected]; 360-562-6317; @Shari_Phiel

About the project: Community Funded Journalism is a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation that is funded by community member donations including The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation. The Columbian maintains editorial control over all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.