Our 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.  

Strengthened by over 50 years of experience, in 2021 Friends of Tryon Creek board and staff welcomed a new mission, vision, and strategic plan to ground the organization and how we interact with the community and the land now known as Tryon Creek State Natural Area.  This new direction represents our intention to create programming, space, and pathways for all communities and people to feel comfortable in the forest.  

We recognize that this is not and has not been possible across many public lands due to the ongoing legacy of colonialism and white supremacy. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and marginalized communities have faced physical and structural barriers to natural areas, like Tryon, and have had their communities’ cultural knowledge erased from narratives of the land. 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 – we have committed to internal work that prioritizes BIPOC leadership, in addition to decolonizing traditional nonprofit organizational and environmental education models. 

Friends of Tryon Creek envision an inclusive community connected to this cherished urban forest now and for future generations.  

Friends of Tryon Creek values Relationships, Investment, Reciprocity, and Authentic Narratives.  

Our mission, vision, and values provide the foundational understanding of how we operate and will guide us toward an equitable, resilient, and sustainable community and urban forest. 

As we move forward, Friends of Tryon Creek welcomes your continued support, investment, and shared inspiration. With our collective care and energy, Tryon Creek State Natural Area can remain a resilient, educational and cultural community that will one day establish itself as an old-growth forest.