Jewels of the Gorge!

Linda Felver's happiest times have always been in the outdoors. From a young age, she had a great love of the natural world, cultivated by her parents who were both birders.

She and her husband, Peter, have lived on the Washington side of the Gorge for more than 20 years. They revel in the Gorge's hiking trails, and in 2000, they joined Friends to help protect this special place. When Linda heard about Preserve the Wonder, she was intrigued and quickly saw the opportunities for habitat preservation and trail connections. She began to think about what she could do to make this dream a reality.

During the 1960s, Linda's family moved to Brazil. At the time, Brazil was just developing its oil industry and her father, a petroleum geologist, was hired to train Brazilian engineers to become geologists as well. During that time, her family purchased some Brazilian gemstone jewelry. Linda has a dozen pieces: rings, brooches, pendants, and earrings with green tourmalines, amethysts, aquamarines, and other gems. When Linda read that Steigerwald Shores was the "crown jewel" of the campaign, those words sparked the idea for her unique gift. "I decided to donate all of my Brazilian gemstone jewelry to Preserve the Wonder. Jewels for the jewels of the Gorge!" Thank you, Linda, for the gift of your jewels, to help Preserve the Wonder!