Muddy Boots at Tryon Creek

I recently had the good fortune of meeting Angela Fojtik and Jess Hoylman, the dynamic duo behind Portland's family nature club, Muddy Boots. Next month the Friends of Tryon Creek are hosting Muddy Boots on a guided hike through the park. Hikers of all ages will participate (must be the hike's "Winter Worms" theme!) and get their hands - and boots! - dirty.

Muddy Boots is the brainchild of Jess Hoylman. She was assigned the task of crafting a Community Action Project of her own design while completing her AmeriCorps term at the Northwest Service Academy (NWSA), an environmentally focused AmeriCorps program operating in Oregon and Washington. The end result was Muddy Boots, a nature club she was inspired to organize after hearing Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods", speak at the Nature Play Summit in Vancouver, Washington in June 2010.

Richard Louv has had an immeasurable impact on the way society views children and their relationship to the outdoors. After publishing his book, Louv partnered with other like-minded individuals who shared his passion for promoting the importance of getting kids out in nature and combating what Louv termed, "Nature Deficit Disorder". Together, Louv's group formed the Children and Nature Network (C&NN). Their objective is to get children outside and engaged with the natural world.

After hearing Richard Louv speak, Jess was moved to take action. Her Community Action Plan needed to serve the community - what better way than to provide a vehicle for getting families out and about in Portland-area parks! C&NN provided a model for a family nature club. Jess expanded it and used her background and expertise to build more structure into the program. Angela Fojtik, who Jess met while attending NWSA, shared Jess' vision and together they made Muddy Boots into an accessible hiking club.

Muddy Boots' first official hike in November 2010 was a great success. A dozen families from around the Portland area got together, hit the trail and spent time getting to know each other and the landscape. Jess and Angela have chosen Tryon Creek as the site of Muddy Boots' second hike. The Friends are looking forward to guiding them - and providing them with an opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the park's most important residents: The lowly earthworm.

For more information about Muddy Boot follow this link: http://www.muddybootspdx.org/. To learn more about the Children & Nature Network follow this link: http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/center/