Introducing Tuomas Forsberg, Friends of Tryon Creek's Summer Intern

 

Tuomas Forsberg interning for the Friends of Tryon Creek, Summer 2012

Five weeks ago Tuomas Forsberg and his wife Anna landed at PDX International Airport. Their mission? Experience life in the United States and improve their English-speaking skills.

Tuomas hails from Helsinki, Finland and on this, his flagship journey to Portland, he is spending the summer volunteering as an intern with the Friends of Tryon Creek. He completed his degree on structural engineering and is now working on a Masters of Finance. Environmental studies are new to him but he is adapting quickly, as his internship requires him to spend twenty hours a week doing jobs as varied as stewardship and trail maintenance in the park to acting as a counselor for kids in the Friends’ Adventure Camps and providing childcare at the end of the camp day.

When asked about his connection to nature, Tuomas replies that he has a close relationship to the land, as do Finns in general. He explained that Finland became an independent republic in 1917 and because it is a young country that didn’t experience a great deal of growth until the 1950’s, people maintained their agrarian roots. In the past, the economy was heavily dependent on timber, as Finland has large tracts of forest land. Tuomas enjoys spending time camping, hiking, backpacking, fishing, and unwinding at his family’s summer lake house (Finland has 80,000 lakes!).

Tuomas wanted to come to the Pacific Northwest because of its reputation as a beautiful, pleasant place to live. He is enjoying his time here and says that he “is having a lot of fun. It’s half vacation and half work”. He has been exploring our region, heading north to Seattle and south to Crater Lake. When he is done interning with the Friends, Tuomas and Anna will travel to California where they will spend time in San Diego and Los Angeles, as well as visit the Grand Canyon before returning to Finland via Las Vegas.

The Friends of Tryon Creek are so pleased that Tuomas is spending his summer with us! We wish him well and appreciate his service.  

"Thanks. Please bring us back!"

Cascade Academy student finds a friend

In May the Friends of Tryon Creek welcomed students from Beaverton's Cascade Academy to the park. The students participated in an Environmental Education and Stewardship pilot program that included instruction on Ethnobotany and Forest Ecology. 

Preparing for Tryon Creek trail maintenance

In addition to learning about the environment students also focused on trail maintenance and plant propagation...

Cascade Academy students working hard on the trail

Twelve Cascade Academy students and a few adults potted 450 native trees in less than two hours, an achievement that is testament to their dedication and teamwork.  Carl Axelsen, a Friends volunteer who worked closely with the students, noted the heartfelt request made by a student as they left the park: "Thanks. Please bring us back!" Happily, the Cascade Academy hopes to expand the program when school starts again in the fall. The Friends of Tryon Creek look forward to working with these young people in the future and applaud their past efforts. 

   

To learn more about Cascade Academy please visit: http://www.nwresd.k12.or.us/Schools/CascadeAcademy.html

The Friends attend CSC Nonprofit Fair

The Friends participate in CSC's Nonprofit Fair, June 2012

On Thursday, June 14^th, the Friends of Tryon Creek were invited to participate in Columbia Sportswear Company’s (CSC) Nonprofit Fair.

The Fair was an excellent outreach opportunity for the Friends and other local nonprofits. We were able to introduce our organization to CSC employees and share our mission – to connect people to the natural world and cultivate passion for nature – in a relaxed, friendly environment.

CSC employees unfamiliar to the park wanted to know its location (near Lewis & Clark college, bordering Southwest Portland and Lake Oswego), as well as how we go about connecting people to the natural world (through our many outdoor education, volunteer, and stewardship opportunities for children and adults) and how they can get involved.

Those CSC employees who are familiar with the park shared stories about bringing their families here and experiencing such wonderful nature sightings as a beaver dam, a mother owl feeding her owlets, children chasing butterflies in the meadow and watching leaves float by at the stone bridge… the tales were many and varied but all underscored the importance of protecting our natural spaces and providing as many opportunities as possible for people to connect with nature.

The Friends thank Columbia Sportswear Company for inviting us to connect with their employees and share our volunteer, stewardship and environmental education opportunities with them.      

Friends tour Tryon Life Community Farm

Tryon Life Community Farm tour

On Saturday, May 26th, volunteers with the Friends of Tryon Creek were treated to an engaging and inspiring tour of Tryon Life Community Farm (TLC).

TLC occupies seven acres of land with rolling meadows, gardens, wooded cliffs, homes and naturally-built structures that is adjacent to Tryon Creek State Natural Area. Families work together and live together in an intentional community called Cedar Moon. Residents volunteer ten hours a week assisting with projects (such as building and events) and six hours a week contributing support to the community (cooking, gardening, etc).

TLC's mission, to "grow community learning while preserving common green space, restoring native ecosystems, and demonstrating sustainable urban density living", is a perfect compliment for the Friends of Tryon Creek, who share our passion for environmental education, and the preservation and conservation of nature, with the goal of instilling that value in others. As neighbors of TLC, touring the property with Friends' volunteers, was informative and rewarding. 

The Friends extend our sincere thanks to TLC (their ovens make the tastiest wood-fired pizzas on the planet!) and appreciate their hospitality and vision. We encourage the public to support Tryon Life Community Farm in their efforts to create a Sustainable Community Building that will house events for both TLC members and interested members of the public. For more information please visit: http://tryonfarm.org/share/

Stories from the forest

Spring robin at Tryon Creek

Today is an absolutely beautiful spring day at Tryon Creek, perfect for a hike in the woods. It is impossible not to notice how peaceful and glowing green everything is. The songs of what seem like a million different varieties of birds mingle with peals of laughter from the groups of young school children who are visiting the park and learning about the forest.

There is a surging feeling in one's heart and mind on a day like this, a sense of the sacredness of all living things.

Perhaps that feeling arises from our interconnectedness (lest one think that a mole and a robin exist in wholly separate spheres): a few moments ago robins were spotted flocking to a patch of moist dirt in the park where a mole was burrowing, and as the mole tunneled along the earth moved and rose to form a mound. Earthworms made their way to the surface much to the delight of the robins, who were snapping up the worms as fast they could. It is quite a thing to see the earth move from unseen forces, and to see countless earthworms escaping to the surface only to find themselves lunch for the waiting robins who likely brought some home share with their babies.

The natural world truly delights.

Spring rolls along at Tryon Creek

As trillium age, the flowers turn from white to dark pink as seen in the range of color in this patch.

 Spring has been in the air at Tryon Creek State Natural Area for some time. As the weather continues to warm, the growing green flora in the park takes on a vibrant life of its own with a color and variety that is altogether different from the chill winter months. The air smells of things blooming and birdsong is heard everywhere.

Fiddlehead sword ferns surrounded by waterleaf, one of Tryon Creek's most prevalent groundcover

This picture was taken by a 9-year-old park visitor who, after many tries, was finally able to capture a still shot of a "robin redbreast"

Lazy day at the creek

This tree has been loved by many a child

Tryon Creek is an ideal refuge from the hustle and bustle of daily urban life. As one strolls along Tryon Creek's miles of trails and listens to the tumbling of the creek, there is little doubt that the forest's tranquility and serenity serve as a tonic for the human spirit.

Muddy Boots Family Nature Club finds home at Tryon Creek

Muddy Boots Family Nature Club hits the trail at Tryon Creek

The Friends of Tryon Creek are excited that the Muddy Boots Family Nature Club, started in 2010 by Jess Hoylman and Angela Fojtik, is now a part of the Friends' family.

In February 2011, Jess and Angela partnered with the Friends of Tryon Creek to provide the Muddy Boots Family Nature Club with a full day of activities at Tryon Creek State Natural Area. The partnership was a great success, so it was natural that the Friends' were entrusted with the nature club's administration earlier this year, as Jess and Angela moved on to other endeavors.

Connecting children and adults with nature is the Friends' bread and butter, and is a great fit for Jess and Angela's original goal for Muddy Boots, "to connect families with one another so they can get outside together". The Friends put these concepts into practice this past Saturday, April 28th, 2012, when we hosted the "Muddy Boots Family Trail Day" kick-off event featuring a day of fun family-oriented activities on the trail:

Derek Mellinger, the Friends' Education Intern, instructs Muddy Boots families on the Chinook salmon

Muddy Boots' families get a chance to pet a beaver

Families explore the park's flora and fauna

In the months ahead, families in the Portland metro region can look forward to many more opportunities to connect with nature with the Muddy Boots Family Nature Club. The Friends plan to provide activities and hikes in Tryon Creek State Natural Area and in other wild spaces in and around Portland and Lake Oswego so stay tuned.

For more information please visit: www.muddybootspdx.org
(Photo credit: Carol Gilden)