Open Gorge
Promoting public records & Open data access, & Government transparency across the Columbia River gorge
Who
we are
Open Gorge is a community project for the Columbia River Gorge, focused on making our public records and related data genuinely accessible.
We host practical workshops that help neighbors learn how to file records requests, follow up effectively, and understand what comes back. We also share clear how-tos, templates, and local examples so people don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
And we advocate for fair, affordable access to public information, for data to be in readable, community-accessible formats, and stronger government transparency across our region.
Our Programs
Public Records Workshops
Open Gorge’s public records workshops teach practical, step-by-step skills for requesting, tracking, and using public documents, plus tips for navigating fees, delays, and common exemptions.
Sign up for our email list below to find out about the next workshop dates, and receive notices when interesting new public documents are added to our shared local archive.
Just getting started? We recommend this article on how to file public records requests, and using the MuckRock platform to help.
Skamania Dispatch & Klickitattler newsletters
Skamania Dispatch and Klickitattler are local, plain-language newsletters that turn public meetings, agendas, and key documents into readable summaries, so residents can understand what’s happening without having to attend every meeting or sift through hours of video and hundreds of pages.
As part of Open Gorge’s mission, they help make local governance more accessible by lowering the time and expertise barriers to civic participation, highlighting where to find the underlying records, and pointing readers toward the next meeting and how to weigh in.
Contact Us
Interested in working together? Need some help with a public records request? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly.