Create next generation of environmental stewards

The Friends of Tryon Creek continue to be a leader in environmental education for children in the Portland metropolitan area. Already in 2011 we have served just under 3000 students, while continuing to build on a program with the Lake Oswego School District serving all of their 5th grade classes. We are working hard at raising funds for our range of education programs and in May we once again received a $10,750 grant from the Gray Family Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation to expand our very successful summer teacher workshop program throughout the state. Other grants are pending to support our overall education program, our field trip program in particular as well as our effort to find additional funding for our scholarship program. Each year over 600 children receive support and have access to programs that they would not have been able to attend without that support. In addition, the Friends summer Nature Day Camp was filled close to capacity again and remains one of the premiere summer outdoor experiences available in the metro region.

We also said goodbye to long time leader and visionary Stephanie Wagner who retied this month after being involved with the Friends educational efforts for almost three decades. Developing many of the programs and growing the organization's capacity and regional reach to attract students from outside the parks' neighboring areas, Stephanie has almost single-handedly built one of the region's strongest environmental programs for children. Her passion for environmental education and teacher training has been an inspiration throughout the broader educational community. Matthew Collins, who has been working with Stephanie for almost two years has assumed the role of Education Director. His enthusiasm and deep thinking about the issues surrounding education and how we use the asset of Tryon Creek State Natural Area to transform lives is already making a difference here.

In addition, the Friends are finishing a strategic planning process this summer which will help guide us for the next three years. The emphasis, of course, will be to solidify our efforts in environmental education, develop more resources to support those efforts and an infrastructure which will sustain the organization into the future.

The Friends of Tryon Creek continues its commitment to being a regional leader in the movement to make nature a part of childrens' learning experience. The evidence continues to accumulate showing the benefits of informal education (education outside the classroom) as a way to stimulate physical activity as well as teach in ways that have longer lasting impacts. 2010 was a very successful year for the Friends overall moving from a significant deficit ending 2009, to finishing the year in the black. More and more individuals and foundations are investing in an organization that is following through on its commitments and is making a difference in the community. Here are some 2010 successes that were noted in our Annual Report:

• The Friends continue their commitment to foster stewardship of natural areas by offering nature education programs for all ages. In 2010, over 13,000 individuals participated in programs allowing them to learn more about the park and local natural history and ecology.
• Kids-In-Nature for families with children up to 7 years of age was a huge success. Children and their adult care givers were given the opportunity to learn more about the plants and animals that make Tryon Creek State Natural Area their home. The Friends also partnered with Muddy Boots, a local group of families with small children interested in outdoor education, to encourage parents to facilitate nature based outdoor experiences with their children.
• Our commitment to teacher education was expanded by developing partnerships with the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge and the Tillamook Forest Center to bring Connect to Science: Through Nature to formal and informal educators from throughout the region. 51 teachers had the opportunity to expand their knowledge of nature based science inquiry and develop methods for sharing these experience with their students.
• The Friends education staff began looking at methods to improve program assessment and integrate the new Oregon science standards into all of our programs for schools.
• Our spring, summer and winter Nature Day Camp programs were almost completely at capacity with 947 campers from 4–14 years old participating.
• Stronger partnerships were forged with the Lake Oswego and Riverdale school districts. All Lake Oswego 5^th and 6^th graders benefited from targeted watershed education programs presented in their community and here at Tryon. Riverdale 4^th graders have targeted learning local ecology by learning about and removing invasive plants, and propagating plants to restore an natural area of their school yard.
• The Friends’ education staff continued developing the high school internship program and our partnership with Oregon City Service Learning Academy. There were 12 high school interns working with either the Field Ecology Team or the Nature Guide Team in 2010.

And some updates:

• We received a $10,000 grant award from Trust Management Services in support of our education program. This is a foundation that supported us many years ago but has not been involved for almost a decade. We are thrilled that they see the value in our programs for youth and our leadership in this area.
• The Friends are in the middle of our strategic planning effort which is giving us a chance to examine and analyze both the programs we are offering and the structure we've created to maximize their impact. This process also involves focus groups made up of community members who will give us candid feedback about our many efforts. By this summer we will have a report from our consultants which will combine their findings and act as a guideline for us to consider clarifying our trajectory as an organization.

Thank you all who have given to support an organization that is working hard at making a difference in our regional community.

Links:

• Friends of Tryon Creek website

• 2010 Friends of Tryon Creek Annual Report (PDF)