Can't make it to the bog? Try the blog
Can't make it to the bog? Try the blog
Tue, 10/10/2006
I've long considered the folks at the Friends of the Hylebos Wetlands a rather creative bunch.
They spend most of their working hours devising ways to put people in touch with the abundance of nature here in Federal Way. Their hope is that, once you discover the Hylebos, you'll fall in love with its sanctuary of abundant wildlife and green space, and then want to join them in their efforts to protect it.
It's a tempting proposition, and I'm proud to say I've subscribed to it fully.
Their labor no doubt yields a great deal of personal satisfaction, but I don't think we've yet fully realized the long-term benefits their contributions to the last remaining wild spots in Federal Way will have on those that live in this rapidly-changing region.
In a city that once allowed a shopping mall to be built on the headwaters of a productive salmon stream, the Friends have found allies in our local government, in Olympia, and around the world. Some say Federal Way may be struggling with an identity crisis, but it already has an enviable mascot: The Hylebos.
From the annual Ruby Dance, to the salmon-watching Stream Team, to a host of public conservation and habitat enhancement projects, the Friends have become the most outspoken advocates for this fragile and precious habitat, and they continue to spread the word.
For those who love to visit the West Hylebos Wetlands Park but can't, or those that have never been but yearn to go, the Friends now offer a virtual tour of the area with the Blog from the Bog.
As a hopeless Hylebos junkie and an avid wildlife photographer, they've asked me to contribute.
The Blog from the Bog is my first foray into blogging, and I have to admit that I've found it thrilling to compose my own posts and read those left by others. To me, it feels like all the fun of reading someone else's diary, without all the guilt.
And as a propaganda tool, I find it a highly effective way to share my fondness of the Hylebos with the rest of the online world, and maybe even recruit a few new converts.
Friends Director Chris Carrell agrees. The mastermind of the organization's blogging campaign said he began publishing the sites to help people around the world connect or stay connected to the park and the Hylebos watershed.
"I figured that most people who like visiting the park don't get a chance to go as often as they like," Carrell said. "I spend way too much time behind the computer, and I work for the Friends of the Hylebos!"
"There is so much wonder to experience at the park," Carrell added. "The blog provides a way for others to share those experiences with people."
In fact, the director enjoys blogging so much, he maintains his own site, the HyleBlog, and fills it with information on Hylebos events, conservation project updates, and posts the Friends' view on upcoming legislation and the potential impact new laws will have on the delicate watershed.
"The HyleBlog does some of the same things (as the Blog from the Bog) but at different locations through the watershed," Carrell said.
"It also provides a way for me to communicate much more about what the Friends is doing than I can through the website or newsletter."
"There are a lot of everyday anecdotes in our workday that I think may be interesting to people, and help illustrate the work that we do," he continued, "but don't lend themselves to newsletter or website format."
And the blog is markedly less heady than a news release from Olympia or City Hall. Carrell relays pertinent information about news that impacts the Hylebos in a way that makes people actually want to read it.
"The conversational nature of the blog allows for a certain relaxed style of communication," he said.
Check out the Friends' blog sites at:
http://hylebos.typepad.com/blog_from_the_bog
