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In 1934, Oregon Governor Julius Meier appointed John Yeon (1910-1994) to chair the Columbia Gorge Committee of the Pacific Northwest Regional Planning Commission. Construction of the Bonneville Dam sparked debate about whether the dam should support manufacturing located in the Gorge near the dam itself, or if instead the Gorge should be conserved, and the dam's power sent to Portland, Oregon, and other established urban and industrial areas. In 1935, the committee produced a report, "Land Program Recreational Project, Columbia Gorge," recommending that an interstate park be established in the Gorge. In 1937, the committee released another report, "Columbia River Gorge Conservation and Development," which argued that the Gorge should be protected from use by heavy industry. Concerns about conservation of the Gorge spurred further activism from the 1950s through the 1980s, and culminated in the creation of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in 1986.

Sources: "Columbia River Gorge," by Carl Abbott, Oregon Encyclopedia, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/columbia-river-gorge/#.Y1wefXbMIuV; "John Yeon (1910-1994)," by Randy Gregg, Oregon Encyclopedia, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/john_yeon/#.Y1wXuHbMIuU

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