My land-care philosophy owes much to rich experiences with wild food. My study of native and exotic useful plants has been the project of a lifetime. In ethnobotany, I’ve developed a distinct intimacy with my bioregion.
Presently, my focus in foraging is in supporting free social foraging camps, researching my first book, and guiding participant-sponsored wild food expeditions. I’m working to organize Klamath/Siskiyou and Hells Canyon Botany Caravans. I’m also available for custom plant walks, presentations, and botanical surveys.
Educational Excursions
The first spring foraging expedition, in 2015, was with a forager friends and others involved in my Human Habitat Project. We all got the feeling that the experience should become an annual social event.
below: ideography by the elusive Kris from the 2015 Root Camp
That same year, I co-taught a month-long summer foraging course with my childhood hero Tom Elpel. Tom is a veteran forager, the founder of Green University, and the author of Participating in Nature, Botany in a Day, and Foraging the Mountain west. We spent half of our time based on my green homestead and the other half traveling through scenic Hells Canyon. We were also visited by Michael Pilarski, regional permaculture and wildcrafting extraordinaire.
Tom and I enjoyed teaching together, and in 2016 continued the spring expedition as a two-week class. The plants gave us a botanically mind-blowing adventure which I was thrilled to introduce. This group was privileged to be joined by primitivist pioneer Harmony Cronin, who brought talent and passion to the experience that clearly belonged in future Root Camps.
In 2017, Root Camp was organized as a collaborative art project, sponsored by participants and other supporters. We acquired an excellent ultralight tipi-shelter for future excursions. One outcome of the the project was this a by Mark Erde. We made mostly wild meals, using staples like rendered fat and brined venison to supplement our harvest.
below: ‘Root Camp 2017’, a film by Mark Erde, for the ‘Listening and Remembering’ film series
Don’t tell me it tastes like chicken…
Social Foraging Camps
Rice Camp
Social foraging camps, like Rice Camp, are free informal foraging gatherings, These are prime opportunities for socializing and honing our ethnobotany expertise. They are also opportunities to collect seed of useful regional plants. Collaborator Tom Elpel posts dates for Rice and Fruit camps with his Green University class schedule. Organization is egalitarian.
Fruit Camp
Fruit Camp is an evolving event which has taken place in in the Hells Canyon area, or other the warm canyons of other major rivers. Wild apricots have been the focus, but there is much to harvest. We also harvest and preserve mulberries, blackberries, cherry-plums, cherries, serviceberries, huckleberries, elderberries, apples, ext. I may like to host a future wild apricot camp in the vicinity of Palmer Lake near Loomis, WA.
Other Social Foraging Possibilities
Over the years, our community has discovered wild stands of walnuts, almonds, acorns, pears, plums, ext. We are also interested in creating camps around food fish and processing large animals.
Other Past Endeavors
I began practicing and demonstrating foraging and primitive skills as a teen. I taught classes for local Boy Scout groups and the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center. Later, I instructed at annual events like the Rabbitstick Rendezvous, Saskatoon Circle, and Between the Rivers. After a season as a Rare Plant Botany Technician with the Colville National Forest, I made demonstrations for National Park Service Programs, the Spokane Farm and Food Expo, and Human Nature Hunting School. My writings on such subjects include ‘The Botany of Nothing’ and ‘Our Associates’.
Human Habitat- the book, coming soon…
The book I have in the works will detail my explorations of human ecology, ethnobotany, archeology, and paleoecology. The finished book will have a comprehensive taxonomic index outlining our evolutionary relationship with the tree of life. If you want this deliciously info-dense resource RIGHT NOW, I’m open to sponsorship of the project.
Resilience Land Care 