In Our View: Gorge is in Recovery

Even a year later, the scope of the Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area can be difficult to comprehend. So here is one comparison to lend a little context: The blaze scorched about 50,000 acres; the city limits of Vancouver cover about 32,000 acres.

In other words, the Eagle Creek Fire was big. And by virtue of being in an area frequented by hikers and sightseers rather than a remote locale, its impact was profound and easily noticed. All of which calls for a bit of reflection as the anniversary of the blaze draws near.

Last Sept. 2, a 15-year-old Vancouver boy sparked the blaze by throwing lit fireworks into a wooded area. The resulting conflagration temporarily trapped hikers, caused the evacuation of nearby towns, threatened historic Multnomah Falls Lodge, closed roads and freeways, destroyed structures, and jumped to the Washington side of the Columbia River. More than 30 miles away, Vancouver residents suffered from smoke-filled air and falling ash.

In the process, the fire burned a beloved piece of the Northwest, one that ranks among the region’s most popular visitor attractions. The teen who started the blaze was sentenced to five years of probation and $36 million in restitution to be paid over 10 years, although the judge acknowledged that the full amount will never be paid.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, an estimated 2 million people visit the scenic area in a typical year, taking advantage of its more than 50 waterfalls and more than 200 miles of hiking trails. Since the fire, recovery has been slow but steady. Businesses still are hampered by road closures and by a downturn in tourism. As Jill Willis, co-owner of Multnomah Falls Lodge, told The Columbian, “We’re coming along, and I think we’re going to be OK. But we’re definitely not whole again.”

That, perhaps, sums up what the future holds for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It will, someday, be whole again, but it will forever be altered. As anybody who remembers the destruction of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption can attest, nature rebuilds itself, but often in different and unexpected ways. That, eventually, will be the case throughout the Gorge, with the public welcoming the changes and the wonder of nature.

John Muir, known as the father of America’s national park system, is credited with writing, “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” That is a philosophy taken to heart by people in the Northwest, with the Columbia River Gorge often providing the necessary gateway.

The search for wilderness has endured, in many cases leading seekers to the Washington side of the Gorge, where damage was minimal compared with the Oregon side. Officials estimate that from April to June of this year, Beacon Rock State Park in Skamania County had 106,492 visitors — a 29 percent increase over the same period the previous year. And Casey Roeder of the Skamania Chamber of Commerce told The Columbian, “As we expected … visitation to the Washington side has definitely spiked. I’ve lived here over 30 years, and I’ve never seen the amount of people at our major trailheads.”

Recovery for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area will take generations, with burn scars and scorched trees serving as a reminder of the devastation. But one year after the fire, that recovery is beginning, even as the event remains difficult to comprehend.