The Final Report is here! Click here to download it.

The Need:

Change is a constant in any region and while it cannot be stopped, it can be directed in ways chosen by the community. The identification of shared values and creation of a common vision outlining what a community wants for its future can thus become a guide for directing changes to create the future desired by the community. While it is easy for communities to focus solely on day-to-day challenges, a guiding vision is necessary to ensure those daily actions create a unified picture. The Future Forum sought to begin the creation of that guiding vision for the Columbia Gorge region.

Although there have been other regional events and collaborative efforts in the Columbia Gorge in the past, the Future Forum is the first sustained effort with a broad base of support, exploring a comprehensive range of topics to help inform and shape the future of Gorge communities, residents, visitors and resources. While the Gorge Commission has provided a ‘home-base’ for the Future Forum project, guidance and direction for the process is provided by the Future Forum Working Group, a small working committee of committed individuals representing key stakeholders in the region. (See the bottom of this page for a list of Working Group members.)

The Future Forum began with a conference on October 29, 2007 at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles, Oregon. Expert speakers, panelists and 150 participants came together to initiate the dialogue about how Gorge citizens and stakeholders envision the future of the Gorge. This historic event was chronicled through video, available for purchase or at libraries throughout the Gorge and at the main Vancouver and Portland branches.  Alternatively, you can view the…  

Highlights Video:

To download the 15-minute highlights video from the Gorge Commission's ftp site click on this link, You will be prompted to enter a user name (gorgecommissionftp) and a password (gcftp). There will be two options for you to download: the ff_mov plays on Quicktime and the ff_wmv plays on Windows Media Player. These are large files so please be patient! Contact Jessica Metta if you have difficulties (contact info at bottom of this page). 

From February to May 2008, the Future Forum’s second phase involved community meetings and a Web survey to encourage broader participation in the process. At the community meetings, participants had the opportunity to voice their own desires for the future of the Gorge. Community meetings were held in Stevenson, Corbett, Carson, North Bonneville, Mosier, Underwood, Dallesport, Hood River, White Salmon, Washougal, The Dalles and Cascade Locks. For those who couldn't attend a meeting, the Web survey asked the same questions posed during the Discovery Center event and community meetings. Through the Future Forum process, more than 500 individuals contributed over 1,500 comments. 

To ensure an impartial and unbiased analysis of the comments, Portland State University’s Survey Research Lab, Office of Graduate Studies and Research, was engaged to evaluate the many comments. PSU staff utilized qualitative data analysis methodologies to code, classify and rank participant input. The PSU report provides an overview of their work and the steps involved in identifying six major data ‘families’ from which six overarching vision focus areas were eventually developed. These topics, joined with the participant comments, formed the basis of the vision statements and strategies. (Download the full PSU report here.)

The Final Report and Vision Pamphlet:

To present the information that came out of the Future Forum process, the Working Group created the Final Report and the Vision Pamphlet. The Final Report (52 pages) documents the planning and implementation of the Future Forum visioning process, summarizes the citizen-inspired values and vision statements derived from group discussions and individual comments, and details the corresponding strategies for action. Click here to download the report. 

The Final Report will be presented by Working Group members to city and county governments around the Gorge beginning in mid-October. The presentations will occur at their regularly occuring meetings and are scheduled as follows:

·    Nov 24, 7pm, Lyle Community Action Council 

The Vision Pamphlet will more succinctly and artfully present the visions and strategies in a 16 page booklet. This pamphlet will be more widely distributed throughout the Gorge to businesses, organizations and agencies and will be available in mid to late November. Check back here for a downloadable version of the Vision Pamphlet and information about where to pick up your hard copy.

Next Steps for the Future Forum:

Information was gathered into the Final Report and Vision Pamphlet so that it may be used in a number of ways: