Purpose
On Friday March 17, 2017, over 65 individuals representing a broad audience of planners, regulators, natural resource experts, attorneys, Tribal Nations and other stakeholders from across Washington and Oregon states came together in Hood River, Oregon for the Columbia River Regional Forum (Forum). The purpose of the Forum was to bring a diverse group together to discuss the Columbia River, a critical resource of international significance. The day was structured around three panel discussions and a lunchtime keynote address. Panelists presented on three critical issues in the Columbia River Gorge, infrastructure, water, and energy. The keynote speaker discussed a current and persistent threat to the Columbia River Gorge: the Hanford nuclear power site. The Forum kicked-off a 2 year planning process to update the Columbia River Gorge Management Plan - Gorge 2020. The plan, mandated by the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act of 1986 is updated every ten years.
Product
The Columbia River Forum Report was created to capture the content and themes discussed during the Forum. The Report includes background information about how and why the Forum was planned and captures visions for future action discussed throughout the day. Content ranges from background on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and the management of land, water, infrastructure, and energy in the region to background on the various treaties, agreements, and plans that impact the region. Cross-cutting issues and jurisdictional struggles are highlighted. The report concludes with overarching and recurrent themes from the Forum.
Costs
This year, APA Washington and Oregon chapters were granted a total of $5,000 to support the 2017 Columbia River Regional Forum from National APA. Specifically, the funds were to be dedicated to covering speaker expenses and production of a final report. The planning committee also secured sponsorship funds from SMARTGOV.
The contractor (Hayley Pickus) and MAKERS Architecture were compensated $1,500 to produce the enclosed report. They committed 40 hours of in-kind support. Other forum costs included a $2,000 travel stipend for the keynote speaker, and $1,500 for registration fees of panel speakers traveling to attend the Forum.