Nancy Neighbor Russell (1932–2008) was an American conservationist. She was a co-founder of Friends of the

Columbia Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the stat ...

, a leading conservationist, a negotiator, and a fundraiser.

Early life and education

The daughter of Robert W. and Mary Ann Bishop Neighbor, Nancy Neighbor was born on January 11, 1932, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

. She attended Miss Catlin's School and graduated from

Scripps College Scripps College is a private liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California. It was founded as a member of the Claremont Colleges in 1926, a year after the consortium's formation. Journalist and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps prov ...

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popu ...

in 1953. She was an amateur tennis champion. She married Bruce H. Russell in 1957, and they had five children.

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

Russell was one of the principal figures responsible for passage of federal legislation protecting the

Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the sta ...

as a

National Scenic Area A national scenic area (NSA) is a conservation designation used in several countries. China Taiwan Some of the national scenic areas in Taiwan are: * Alishan National Scenic Area in Chiayi County * Maolin National Scenic Area in Kaohsiung City ...

in 1986. She was "a backpacking and wildflower enthusiast who loved the Columbia Gorge and other Northwest landscapes," and in 1979, architect

John Yeon John Yeon (October 29, 1910 – March 13, 1994) was an American architect in Portland, Oregon, in the mid-twentieth century. He is regarded as one of the early practitioners of the Northwest Regional style of Modernism. Largely self-taugh ...

sought her help to protect the Gorge. In November 1980, Nancy Russell was one of four people named at a

Portland Garden Club The Portland Garden Club is a historic building located in Portland, Oregon, United States.. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.. See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in Southwest Portland, Orego ...

meeting to build an organization establishing the Columbia River Gorge as a national scenic area. According to

The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...

, "the gorge was at risk of being transformed by development from fast-growing

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

and nearby

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 Unit ...

". By the following Spring, 31 members of "Friends of the Columbia Gorge" had begun to lobby local and national decision-makers to protect the Gorge.According to ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

'', Russell was then on "the front lines in one of the

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

's most hostile, divisive and long-running land-use wars". She spent "years lecturing, lobbying, testifying, fundraising and going toe to toe with a powerful foe, the timber industry". With the 1982 completion of the Interstate 205 bridge connecting

and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

, she opposed impending industrial sprawl and subdivisions platted on scenic bluffs, as well as a planned marina and a factory. ''The Oregonian'' reported, "Many who lived or worked in the gorge vilified her. They considered Russell a bullheaded outsider trying to change their way of life. Pickups sported bumper stickers that read 'Save the gorge from Nancy Russell.'" Russell also invested in properties in the Gorge: "...she bought 33 parcels totaling 600 acres, always aiming to get her hands on land with great views, or that could be seen prominently from the gorge." Additionally, she and her husband gave a $300,000 no-interest loan to the Trust for Public Land, which the trust used to buy lots in a planned subdivision, in order to stop development on top of Cape Horn. Russell asked Senator Mark Hatfield for help. He said he would advocate for special federal status if they organized people "from both sides of the river and both ends of the gorge" to support his stance. In November 1986,

President Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

signed the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act. Russell died of

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

in September 2008. An overlook named in her honor at Cape Horn has Columbia River and

Multnomah Falls Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate ...

vistas: to the east, to Mist Falls, and down to Phoca Rock. On the Washington side of the river are the Prindle Cliffs, Beacon Rock, and the south face of

Hamilton Mountain Hamilton is located on the western end of the Niagara Peninsula and wraps around the westernmost part of the Lake Ontario. Most of the city including the downtown section lies along the south shore. Situated in the geographic centre of the Golde ...

References

External links

Columbia Gorge, The Fight for Paradise
(video, 56:43 minutes)
Oregon Experience: The River They Saw
(video, 58:20 minutes) {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Nancy Neighbor 1932 births Conservationists 2008 deaths Scripps College people