Next week, Darren Nichols will begin one of the most important jobs in the Pacific Northwest. Hyperbole? Perhaps, if you’re impressed only by headlines about politicians, entertainers and athletes. But Nichols’ new job though less glamorous than some highly publicized occupations will be supervising the management of the greatest natural treasure that is shared by Washington and Oregon: the Columbia River Gorge.As the new executive director of the bistate Columbia River Gorge Commission, Nichols will take on a task that requires all the multitask precision of juggling eggs. The commission for a quarter of a century has been charged by Congress with overseeing the preservation of the Gorge’s natural beauty while balancing the crucial and sometimes conflicting interests of environmental protection with economic development. Simply stated, Nichols and the 13 commissioners must keep the Gorge gloriously scenic while allowing its residents to enjoy a reasonably beneficial business climate.
If only it were that simple.
We think Nichols has both the savvy and the spurs that the job requires. Previously he worked for the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, focusing on planning and management issues. Most recently, he’s been in Washington, D.C. serving on the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Those are his qualifications on the environmental side. But Nichols also knows the business side, having worked 10 years as a construction contractor and earning a master’s degree in planning. He’s also working on a law degree at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Nichols will need all of that expertise and more as he accepts the pressure of protecting the 292,630-acre Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, stretching from Washougal to Wishram in Washington and from Troutdale to the Deschutes River in Oregon.
The satchel of pressing demands that Nichols will grasp on Monday is heavily laden. Here are just two of the many tough tasks:
