The Federal government has been slowly reclaiming land everywhere in the west, under the guise of protecting endangered species. In my area they just expanded a federal park. Then they blocked all further development within the “view shed” of that park. The Columbia gorge area is one prime example of this. See this story about how a couple was forced to tear down their house, then get back to me about how generous the feds are:
You might want to research that story a little more deeply. They ended up winning a unanimous decision in the Washington State Supreme Court 13 years ago and live in their house today.
One other thing: The Columbia River Gorge Commission is a creature of the Washington and Oregon state governments. They fund it and staff it. The feds had nothing to do with the Bea's problems.