P l a n t i n g   t h e   F u t u r e

in the

G r e a t   L a k e s   B i o r e g i o n

.: August 2nd, 2008 :.

to be held at
Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center
Upland Hills School & The Karen Joy Theatre

in Oxford, Michigan

(southeast michigan, about an hour or so north of detroit)

.: presenters :.

f r o m   m i c h i g a n . . .

joyce wardwell author of the herbal home remedy book

jim mcdonald of www.herbcraft.org
wendy wagoner of creekside herbs
coleen dodt author of the essential oils book

f r o m   o h i o . . .

leslie williams herbalist

george vaughn founder of mushroom harvest
 

f r o m   i l l i n o i s . . .
althea northage-orr of the chicago college of the healing arts

f r o m   o n t a r i o . . .
christine dennis of the ontario herbalists association

f r o m   w i s c o n s i n . . .
linda conroy of moonwise herbs

f r o m   v e r m o n t . . .
betzy bancroft of the united plant savers
 

.: contact :.

Jim McDonald at (248) 737-3589 or jim@herbcraft.org

with any questions

or Betzy at (802) 476-6467 or plants@unitedplantsavers.org

to express your interest in joining us...

.: topics :.

Using our Midwestern Medicinals ~ Althea Northage-Orr
Why use all those exotic plants when we have such a wonderful diversity of our own? I will describe how to create a basic pharmacy/first aid chest with our own wonderful weeds. Included will be my favorite recipes for salves, teas and tinctures.

Writing About Herbs ~ Leslita Williams
The poetry and the science.  Using our own voice effectively to speak of plants, be it one dandelion root, a new herbal, a magazine article or a class.

Saving your herbal resources ~ Joyce Wardwell
Good stewardship practices for maintaining and expanding our herbal resources through attentive gathering, sowing and harvesting techniques... made easy.

A Late Summer Herb Walk ~ jim mcdonald
Join michigan herbalist jim mcdonald in a walk 'round Upland Hills to discover the medicine that resides in the lawn, meadow and wood. It is through creating sustainable relationships with the plants that grow around us that we can take pressures off of the plants being commercially harvested for the herb market. Jim will share how to make use of the herbs that offer themselves in abundance, how to sustainably and respectfully harvest those that are more sensitive, and when to take in their medicine with our senses alone.

Exploring Life's Meaning through Plants and Nature~Christine Dennis
Why am I here and where am I going? It is often said that we are closest to the Divine heart when we are in nature and so this seems to be the most logical place to turn to for answers to such big questions.... Where is the instruction manual that is handed out at birth?

Herbwalk ~ Betzy Bancroft
Introducing people to her green friends is one of Betzy’s favorite pastimes. She weaves together just enough practical botany to help students learn how to identify plants with stories, tips on preparation, sustainable use and clinical pearls . . . making her herb walks both informative and interesting.

Medicinal Mushrooms ~ George Vaughn
An overview of medicinal mushrooms, mushroom preparations and their medicinal properties. Mushrooms have numerous medicinal properties, from alleviating asthma to combating cancer, many of which are due to their ability to boost and modulate the immune system. We’ll cover the uses of several mushrooms and discuss how the different methods of preparation affect their properties.

Collecting Native Seed ~ Wendy Wagoner
An overview of collecting native seed, cleaning, storage techniques, starting your own cooperative in your area and partnerships that work. (I will talk with Jim about maybe going in the field to have a hands on collection and cleaning of available seeds in the area)

Living with Herbs ~ Althea Northage Orr
I will describe how to begin the process of restoring a piece of land from mono-culture to a rich diversity of herbs, and the cultivation of endangered botanicals such as blue and black cohosh, American ginseng, pleurisy root and others. I will describe also my experiences with creating mini-habitats for these herbs, and my own spiritual experiences with the plants during our 22 year tenure on our herbal sanctuary. The class will cover both practical and fun ways to live with our green neighbors.

Home Aroma ~ Colleen Dodt
Join us on an aromatic adventure into the everyday uses of pure essential oils in the home. From cleaning and body care, to creating an inviting atmosphere pure essential oils can enhance our lives, body, mind, and spirit.

Fermentation for Herbalists ~ Linda Conroy
Learn to promote health through these time honored preservation practices. Fermented foods are made by a technique that relies on the breakdown of carbohydrates and proteins. When we combine herbs with fermented foods we increase their nutrient density and thus their healing potential. During this program we will make and/or sample a wide spectrum of fermented foods that include herbs in their prepartion. Particpants will leave inspired with recipes for future experiementation.
 

.: teachers :.
 

Betzy Bancroft, RH (AHG) is the Office Manager of United Plant Savers. For over two decades, she has been an ardent student of herbs, a gardener, worked in the herb industry and taught classes in herbal medicine and wild edibles throughout the Northeast. Currently she serves as Co-Director and Core Faculty for the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in Montpelier. Betzy also practices with the VCIH Community Clinic.

Leslita Williams... Raised by a family of bohemian gardening possums in the swamps of North Florida, who loved to go driving around the country gathering plants. My grandmothers taught me rural Southern herb lore. I have studied Chinese, Ayurvedic, "western" systems of healing, as well as local. I have taught about herbs and worked with clients for more than 25years, have written many articles, books, essays and won numerous national poetry awards.

Jim McDonald lives in Michigan, and offers a perspective of herbalism that blends western folk and indigenous views of healing with the Vitalist traditions of 19th century western herbalism. He has offered classes and walks throughout the Great Lakes bioregion and nationally, hosts the website www.herbcraft.org and is currently writing "A Great Lakes Herbal". Jim is a community herbalist, a manic wildcrafter and medicine maker, and has been an ardent student of the most learned teachers of herbcraft... the plants themselves.

Christine Dennis Medical Herbalist, RH, MNIMH, MSc. (Herb Med.)... Christine is a practicing medical herbalist with a Master of Science degree from the University of Wales (MSc.) in the UK. Christine is the past president and Professional Member of the Ontario Herbalists Association (RH) as well as a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (MNIMH) in England. Christine considers herself to be an eclectic herbalist having had a balance of bio-medical, traditional and energetic herbal medicine training as well as a great deal of hands on experience in the field. Christine is the managing editor for the Canadian Journal of Herbalism (CJH) in addition to writing the regular kids column—Growing Kids the Natural Way. Living on an organic farm allows Christine the perfect opportunity for her home based office were she see patients, offers clinical training and gives herbal walks, workshops and seminars.

Linda Conroy is an herbalist, herbal educator as well as wild and whole food enthusiast. She dedicates her life to connecting with the green world. Her primary mentors are the plants who never cease to instill a sense of awe in her daily life. Linda has completed two herbal and shamanic apprenticeship programs, has been mentored by and studied with Isla Burgess of the International College of Herbal Medicine and has a certificate in permaculture design (offered through the Earth Activist Program) as well as a degree in social work. She is the proprietress of Moonwise Herbs as well as Wild Eats: A Movement to Promote Whole and Wild Foods in Community. Linda's work with whole and wild foods is nationally known and has inspired others to create similar offerings in their own communities.

Wendy Wagoner is owner of Creekside Herbs & Art, a UPS Sanctuary site in the Easter Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Founding member of the Northern Wild Plant & Seed Cooperative and employee of the Chippewa East Mackinac Conservation District.

George Vaughn... I first became interested in mushrooms by hunting for them as a child in the woods and quickly became fascinated by all the different kinds and colors of mushrooms. I continued learning about mushrooms in college and earned a B.S. in Botany and an M.S. in Plant Biology from Ohio University. I then started Mushroom Harvest on a 46 acre parcel of tree-covered hills outside of Athens, Ohio in 1998. We now supply certified organic medicinal mushroom powders and mushroom spawn to customers nationwide.

Colleen Dodt has been enchanted by herbs and aromatic plants for over 25 years. Her herbal endeavours led to a keen interest in what made the plants smell so wonderful. This became an education in pure essential oils and aromatherapy. She is the author of The Essential Oils Book and The Natural Baby Care Book. She currently divides her time between her home of 30 years in Rochester Hills and Ireland.

Althea Northage-Orr, MA, AHG, L.Ac. CST, is a professional herbalist, master gardener, licensed acupuncturist, and Structural Therapist versed in various methods of bodywork therapy, both Oriental and Western. She is founder and President of the Chicago College of Healing Arts, an institution that has Illinois State Board of Education approval and which offers a Massage Therapy Program, a number of herbal programs ranging from short to a three year clinical training program and a number of other healing modalities. She owns and maintains an 80-acre herbal farm in Indiana that is utilized by both the Chicago College as a teaching forum, as a product source for her herbal pharmacy and as an experimental site for the cultivation of rare and endangered botanicals. . She is author of Living With Herbs: A Materia Medica and the Kiva Handbook for Alternative Medicine. Althea received a Bachelor’s Degree in English from St. Mary’s of the Woods College and a Masters Degree in Literature from Indiana University, a degree in Chinese Medicine from the Midwest College for the Study of Oriental Medicine, and numerous other certifications in the field of healing arts . She has over 25 years of clinical practice and 15 years of teaching. Her professional affiliations include the American Herbalists Guild, Illinois Acupuncture Association, National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and American Botanical Council.

Joyce Wardwell's herbal work is to take us from uniform consumers into creative producers of healthy, vibrant internal and external ecosystems. For 30 years she has written, taught, worked as a clinical herbalist, lectured and demonstrated with plants to make them easily accessable to all.