The Gorge

The Gorge is a stunning canyon carved by the Columbia River through the Cascade Range along the Oregon-Washington border.

Towering over the landscape, Mount Adams and Mount Hood create a majestic natural frame, their snow-draped peaks anchoring the Gorge’s rugged beauty.

The region transitions from dense, temperate rainforests in the western Gorge, where moisture-laden air fosters lush forests of Douglas fir and ferns, to arid, desert-like conditions in the east.

As the Cascade Range blocks Pacific moisture, the landscape shifts to open grasslands and rocky shrublands, reflecting the Gorge’s dynamic ecological gradient.

Stewards of Our Landscape Group

James Thomas Blodgett

I’m James Thomas Blodgett, an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation who was raised around Cascadia. I have experience with digital media and organizing with communities to create positive growth. I’m very excited to share any skills, attention, and knowledge in the name of preserving or possibly improving the future of Cascadia.

Christian Quiver

Fatherhood and family help guide my life. My experience has been intertwined by two worlds: the fast-paced corporate environment, where I learned the workings of global systems of scale, and my family’s Indigenous traditions, which tie me to sustainable, local ways of life. This dual perspective equips me to bridge these worlds, offering wisdom on transitioning to place-based economies with respect for both innovation and tradition.

Christina Bowen

As a systems consultant, product researcher, and complexity wrangler, I strive to improve knowledge and information flows. For over two decades, I’ve been learning about how living systems principles apply to human groups.

Since 2015, I’ve been applying this knowledge using system and network mapping to make adaptive and strategic options more visible. Communities and organizations grappling with our most serious problems need to see their landscapes and navigate pathways to effective change. I help make the next step clear.