Friends of Tryon Creek

Mission

Friends of Tryon Creek's mission, in partnership with Oregon State Parks, is to inspire every community to identify, cultivate or reclaim their relationship with nature in this cherished urban forest.

Bottom Line for Portland

We tend the land, teach youth and adults, and make Tryon Creek State Natural Area a place EVERYONE can find or build their connection to nature. 

Thousands of youth served through camps and 50 field trips a year, plus free day camp programming for BIPOC youth! Engaging with hundreds of volunteers to welcome park visitors, and care for the land. Hosting free festivals like Trillium Festival and Indigenous Culture Day! 

And what we do at this park goes beyond its 660 acres – as more and more people find their relationships with nature here, we are building the future of an equitable environmental movement and a new way to relate to public lands. 

Quote

“The time I’ve spent in the forest, I’ve always been taught to leave no trace; it leaves you with a sense that you’re destructive and to be really careful where you tread because we don’t belong out here. This is where the animals and plants live; it’s not the human world, but, through this program, I’ve been able to shed that and start to see that we really have a place out here in a role of continuous tending of the land.” - Jakob Foley, Green Leader Workforce Development Intern

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Portland area has some beautiful forests -- that aren't accessible to all of us. A long history of colonial settlement, racism, and redlining have cut BIPOC communities off from the city's forests, their health and climate benefits, from place-based relationships with nature, and by extension, from environmental careers, the environmental movement, and the whole community suffers as a result. 

We can't change the city's layout or history overnight, but Friends of Tryon Creek is aiming to make Tryon Creek State Natural Area, managed by Oregon State Parks, as accessible and welcoming as possible to all, while leading a regional effort to build place-based relationships to nature that will help us live in the right relationship to our planet. 

We know that for much of our organization’s history, Friends of Tryon Creek has engaged in the sort of exclusion that we are now working to reverse, and that we will make mistakes even with strong BIPOC leadership (70%+ of both staff and board). We continue to work humbly and in partnership towards a better future.  

Incentives

Your donation at any level makes you a member of Friends of Tryon Creek, so you'll get invitations to members-only night hikes and events, a discount at our Nature Store, and more! 

All donors get exclusive access to our newest Tryon gear release from Patchmarks via our web store and a $5 credit for a free patch or sticker, or a discount on another item.

New donors get a Friends of Tryon Creek sticker. 

New donors will have their gifts matched by Baysinger Partners Architects, who are contributing $5,000, and Interworks LLC who are contributing $2,500.

Partner(s)

Baysinger Partners Architects, and Interworks LLC is providing matching funds for our campaign, and we will publicize their work on our current capital project and their support of the campaign.

Patchmarks makes fun gear for Friends of Tryon Creek and Tryon Creek State Natural Area including beanies, hats, patches and stickers, we're partnering on some brand new items for incentives.

We are cross-promoting on social media with Blueprint Foundation, and Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts.