Barbara Robinson

When Barbara Robinson first saw the oak/pine area of the Columbia Gorge, she knew she had found home. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Barbara came west to attend Reed College in Portland, finishing a joint major in psychology and philosophy in 1970.

In 1972 she completed a MS in psychobiology from the University of California, Irvine. She taught psychology at Portland Community College for thirty years and retired in 2001. She also taught introductory biology and psychology at Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles. Fruits of Barbara’s inexhaustible passion for conserving her beloved Gorge began with creation of the Tom McCall Preserve.

In 1978, after four years of effort, she purchased and sold to the Nature Conservancy the first parcel of land (34 acres). In 1985 she raised the funds to buy a third parcel (64 acres) that included McCall Point. With the Mazamas, she helped lay out and build a trail there. In 1986 she worked to get the Rowena Special Management Area included in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Act. This allowed further land purchases with federal money of the Memaloose and the Seven Mile Hill areas. She planted native plants at the Mosier interchange, and was one of many who helped Russ Jolley plant and weed at milepost 68 on Interstate 84.

Later she and Russ convinced the Forest Service to buy the property that later became the Memaloose Trail. On the Washington side of the Gorge, she lobbied the Forest Service to purchase property east of Coyote Wall, where Keith Chamberlain (NPSO fellow in 1998) led many NPSO spring wildflower hikes. In 1988 Barbara was the catalyst for Nancy Russell’s first purchase of land for conservation in the Memaloose area; many other purchases followed. Barbara then spent several years convincing the Forest Service to buy land in the Rowena Dell, a magnificent canyon next to the Rowena Plateau.

She also wrote many letters to many private landowners calling attention to the beauty and scenic value of their properties, leading to sale of property to the Forest Service for conservation. Next, she joined three others to conduct a rare plant survey for the Klickitat River, which had been designated Wild and Scenic. Her initial interest in the Klickitat River area near Lyle, Washington, led to involvement in the 31-mile Rails-to-Trails conversion for biking and hiking in 2002. At that time there was a possibility that Washington State Parks would cede the public land to private ownership.

Both State Parks and the Forest Service now share management, but the County still opposes the trail. She is currently vice president of the Klickitat Trail Conservancy, the group dedicated to preserving and enhancing natural values along the trail, including botanical qualities. Every week brings a new crisis or frustration, but the group has achieved a functional trail. Other conservation efforts have included the Chenoweth Trail and the Seven Mile Hill Trail near The Dalles, Oregon.

She is still trying to negotiate land purchases in that area. Over the years, Barbara has led many hikes for NPSO, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Columbia Gorge Community College and Elderhostel. She now resides in Mosier, where she has contributed thousands and thousands of hours toward conservation and restoration of native plants and habitats. Her love of the Gorge has truly made a difference for future generations.

–Leslie R. Labbe, Portland Chapter.