4 • The Southwest Portland Post
FEATURES
June 2015
Community farm meant to be a place for people to reconnect with nature
By KC Cowan
The Southwest Portland Post
In 2005, a group of people had a
dream of saving seven acres of property
in Southwest Portland from becoming
a 23-house subdivision.
Ten years later, they celebrated their
victory with an event called “Bloom
Fest” at the Tryon Life Community
Farm.
“Bloom Fest” is one of three annual
open houses, although the site is open
for drop-in visits six days a week.
A non-profit, Tryon Life is described
as a “Community Sustainability
Education and Demonstration Center”
whose mission is to connect people to
the land and nature.
The open-air tea house is one of many
places on Tryon Life Community Farm you
can relax. Pamela Zigo was hosting at the
teahouse during Bloom Fest.
(Post photo by KC Cowan)
Located just off Boones Ferry Road,
adjacent to Tryon Creek State Park, it is
easy to miss the small parking area and
sign next to a dirt road that pulls you
away from city traffic and down into a
bowl of green nature.
If you want to see the goats, you’ll
have to make your own path through
knee-high grass to get there.
The largest area to hang out is the
“village green,” an open space where,
during Bloom Fest, some families sat
on blankets enjoying live music. It’s
surrounded by the 30 foot yurt, the
composting toilets, a large sauna and
fire circle.
Rustic? Yes. But that’s how the
members of this space designed it.
It’s meant to be a space for people to
reconnect with nature.
Brenna Bell, a board member,
said although 15 people live there,
everyone is welcome to come and make
themselves at home.
“We have a farm, inside the forest,
inside the city,” explained Bell.
“Just by getting people on the land,
in a place that’s very different from the
typical urban landscape, with other
people they can meet, talk to and share
food and drink, it’s a way of making
those connections.”
A lot of what the folks on this farm
want to do is re-introduce people back
to the land that nurtures us, Bell added.
And that is absolutely the vibe.
According to Bell, “One of the things
we’re working at is to counteract to the
alienation of industrial culture, where
everyone’s in their own box, doing their
own thing, looking at their own screen.”
At Bloom Fest, there was
not a cell phone to be seen,
and children made their own
entertainment, hunting for
bugs and playing in the yurt,
unconnected from modern
technology.
Doing your own thing
is the intention. However,
there are many community
workshops and hands-on
sustainability programs.
Among those are
fermenting wild foods,
cheese making and carpentry
for women. The farm even
offers immersion programs of
two to eight weeks to study
sustainable living skills.
There is a Waldorf-style
preschool called the Mother
Earth School. Classes are held
in the large yurt.
In a covered outdoor
kitchen area, kindergarten
teacher Traci Jo was baking
biscuits for the Bloom Fest Traci Jo, kindergarten teacher at the Mother Earth
dinner in the hand-built, School, also baked biscuits for the Bloom Fest dinner.
(Post photo by KC Cowan)
wood-fired cob oven.
The nearby open-air tea house was
community in such ways as fundraising,
decorated with festive lights and
gardening, cooking and cleaning and
scarves and created a cozy place to
participating in workshops.
hang out. It offered not only tea, but also
Leis explained that Tryon Life
kombucha and herbal tinctures for sale.
members make their mortgage
Jenny Leis was the capital campaign
payments in part through renting the
coordinator to save the property. The
site for retreats. They can accommodate
farm raised $400,000 in order to get a
up to 100 people. “We’ve never missed
loan and to match city and state funds.
a payment,” she said proudly.
Leis said they try to be accessible
How does it all run? Aside from
to everyone, but agrees it’s not your
the members who live on site, there
typical park. Instead, it’s a place for
are a host of volunteers and a board
people to enjoy a yoga class or dig in
of directors. Everyone is dedicated to
the garden at a Saturday work party.
the proposition of creating a haven of
“We’re proud of being scrappy.
sustainability and social change.
It’s open to everyone and anyone to
As Jenny says, “You never know who
connect and weave the human world
you’re going to meet here, because
and the natural world.”
everyone shows up. There’s something
Leis is also a member of Cedar Moon,
that feels really good here.”
the “intentional community,” where 15
Tryon Life Community Farm is located
people share housing in the two original
at 11640 SW Boones Ferry Road. It is open
houses on the property.
Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Each member is required to spend
The next open house will be the Apple Fest
16 hours a week in contributing to the
this fall.
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