Wild Plant Intensive Program Details

Greetings!

Thank you for registering for the Wild Plant Intensive course with Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, Washington. This course is our most in-depth training in plants and their many wonderful uses.

Please see our website for detailed information about our cancelation and transfer policy.

This program details page contains information that you will need to prepare for this program.

In this document you will find orientation material, a syllabus, and a gear list.

Please read it carefully.

If you have any questions regarding your registration, please contact Wilderness Awareness School at (425) 788-1301; our office hours are 8:00-4:00, Monday through Friday. Or email [email protected].

If you have any questions about the curriculum, please email Lindsay Huettman at [email protected].

We are looking forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,

Lindsay Huettman
Wild Plant Intensive Lead Instructor

Nicole O’Byrne
Adult Program Manager

When : The first weekend is Saturday-Sunday, March 16th & 17th. Class typically runs from 9am-5pm on Saturday and from 9am-4pm Sunday.

Where : Our core location is our 40-acre campus, Linne Doran. It is located about fifteen minutes outside of Duvall (where our office is located) in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Here is the address of our campus: 20410 NE 320 ^thAve NE Duvall, WA 98019

You can find a map and directions here.

Park in the main Linne Doran Parking lot and follow signs to Cedar Lodge. Unfortunately, there is no public transportation available to get to our Linne Doran campus.

What to Expect:

We will be communicating primarily through our Google Groups list: [email protected]. You will receive an email communication with specific details about what to know for each weekend.

As you might expect, we will be spending time outside in a wide variety of conditions:

Be prepared to dress in layers so that you can adjust easily (see attached gear list). We will be hiking at varying speeds (from a crawl if we are harvesting plants to a fast walk to get to a specific location).
While this class is focused, our goal is to create ideal learning conditions. There will be a mix of engaging presentations and lots of “dirt time”. We strive to balance theory with hands-on practice in a safe learning environment.

Facilities:

Our Linne Doran campus includes Cedar Lodge, our indoor classroom and meeting space, as well as several outdoor classrooms including a large yurt and our outdoor classroom. There are porta-potties on the property. Linne Doran has limited cell reception and no internet access.

Participants are welcome to camp on our property on Saturday evening. Accommodations are rustic: there are simple campsites, potable water, and firewood provided. To reserve your spot to camp on our land, please register on SmartRec.

If you would like more modern accommodations, there are some Airbnb/VRBO type accommodations nearby, as well as a Tolt McDonald Park (20 minutes away) for large RV set-ups. We do not have space for RV’s or for campers that are larger than a standard pickup truck.

When on a Field Trip:

We travel to many stunning areas for this course. We will typically stay at established campgrounds with potable water, restrooms, and a place to set up your sleeping gear. There might be an occasional weekend that is deeper in the wilderness without any facilities or water.

Food:

Food is not provided for this course. Please bring whatever food you need for each day. Refrigeration will NOT be available or access to stoves. There are also great restaurants in town, your instructors can give you recommendations.

Health Precautions
We ask all participants to stay home if they have signs or symptoms of Covid-19. Please see the following Dept. of Health Guidelines for an updated list of symptoms. All students are asked to quarantine or isolate if they have symptoms or a Covid exposure per the most up-to-date state and county guidelines. Please note that masks may be required OR may be optional. We will send an update about current health and safety requirements 2 weeks before the start date.

Wild Plant Intensive Gear List and Book List

What you will need for the class: We provide curriculum print out materials, plant supplies, etc. What you need to bring to each class is:

Required books (see list below)
A journal. One option is Rite-in-the-Rain
Pencils, markers, pens for sketching and taking notes
Three ring binder for handouts – this is MUCH better than shoving them in the back of your journal and makes it worth it for me to print them out!
Food for each day. Lunch and snacks for typical days, dinner and breakfast for trips.
A sharp knife. Highly recommended to have a fixed-blade, non-serrated option. The Mora Clipper is a basic starter knife that we sell at the school. Ask Lindsay if you need support with this
Pruners
Harvesting bags: cloth, paper and/or a basket
Clothes and gear to be out in any weather
A backpack, water bottle and whatever else you need to be present for class
A 10X magnification hand lens

Books

These are the basic few and I have MANY more I can recommend to complement your studies! These are really a good start. If you cannot afford them all, please make sure you have the ones that are BOLD.

Botany in a Day -Tom Elpel
PNW Medicinal Plants – Scott Kloos
People of Cascadia – Heidi Bohan
Held by the Land – Leigh Joseph

Strongly Recommended:

Plant Medicine of the Pacific Northwest – Michael Moore
Plants of the Pacific Northwest – Pojar and MacKinnon
Plant Technology – Nancy Turner
Food Plants – Nancy Turner

Wild Plant Intensive Syllabus and Details

Introduction: It is our goal that you will gain the following skills by the end of our year together:

Confidence with Plant ID and dichotomous keys
Familiarity with the evolution of plants
Respectful awareness of PNW Tribes and Ethnobotany
Some memorization of characteristics of important plant families
Practical understanding of harvesting ethics and being a steward of place
Basic understanding of secondary metabolites as our friends (Plant Medicine, Dyes, etc.)
Solid ID of toxic and poisonous local plants
Ecological zone knowledge of Washington State
Hands on skills on making medicines, foods, crafts and plant technologies
A feeling of confidence as a wild foods forager in many different ecosystems
Greater understanding & respect of PNW Ethnobotany and local tribes
Inspire sustainable growing techniques and plant cultivation
Development of a deeper, soulful relationship with plants, the land, and each other

Meetings/Inquiries: If you have questions outside of class feel free to contact Lindsay at [email protected], or Rachael at [email protected]. They will respond as soon as possible. Some things may be redirected to the next in-person weekend, depending on the topic.

Homework and Certificate Paths: We do require that you do projects and study outside of class IF you are going for a Primary or Advanced Path Certificate. If you are having problems sticking with a project or finishing it, please let Lindsay know. Homework and projects are not required to take this course; they are offered to support those who wish to go deeper.

Commitment: We ask that you commit to the 8 weekends of this class. If you are going to go for certification, we require that you attend all weekends. There are certainly things that come up, but we create this class for students to attend every class weekend. We keep it small for the integrity of the learning environment and to respect you as our student. When you leave early it impacts the cohesion of the group and the community dynamics (and it’s not cost-effective for you!). We also really love to have YOU in our group! Only you can bring your gifts to our community. It is my belief that each group is together for a reason!

Plant Projects: You will see on the schedule that there are opportunities for us to work on fiber projects, making food and medicines. This space is provided to help you follow your passions and interests. You are more than welcome (and most likely) to develop many small projects and/or large, yearlong ones for your certification requirements as well.

Projects could include:

Herbarium
Baskets, hats, mats, role of cordage, clothing, etc.
Wood carving – bowls, spoons, masks, paddles, etc.
Making your own plant medicine supply
Wild tea collection
Wild honey, syrups and culinary delights
Preserving wild foods project
Journal of Plant Profiles
Plant/lichen dye projects
Botanical literature
Wild plant art project
Permaculture/Agroforestry project
Medicine chest/First aid kit
Whatever you can imagine!

Core Routines: Every weekend we will explore the topics below in addition to the theme of the weekend.

Bringing our minds together in gratitude
Personal check in
Projects/Studies check in
Plant family of the month
Ecozone of the month
Plant morphology lesson of the month
Plant smell and taste of the month (almost every month)

Supplies and Logistics

Traveling: A few of our classes will require us to travel beyond the local Puget Sound. Due to COVID-19, we cannot offer any transportation via school vans at this time. If this changes, we will certainly let you know.

Expectations on physicality & dealing with weather: We will be hiking and camping for some of these classes, up and down hills that will require you to be in decent shape. This will only be for a few trips. We will be going out whatever the weather is, so please be prepared. We will let you know the month prior what to expect and can help prepare you for whatever we do!

Absences: Please call/text Lindsay (360 333 7189) or email her ([email protected]) in advance if you are not showing up for a class. If you cannot come for unexpected reasons we understand. Please know that missing class doesn’t serve you financially or for your learning journey AND we want you to be there to bring your unique energy to class! We are unable to offer refunds for missed class days.

Field Trips: We will be travelling to locations up to 4 hours away. Some places will require that you have a parking pass (Discover Pass mainly). Please inquire with Lindsay about what you may need to comply with permit regulations. Please bring your own food and water/water purifying device. Tent, sleeping gear, any medications, etc. Be prepared to be in cold and hot.. .dry and WET!

The Other Stuff: For our classes, we ask that you do not bring alcohol, marijuana or any other recreational drug. We want a safe, substance free environment for learning and growing. Lindsay also asks that we respect each other’s physical, emotional, and mental health while we are together to promote an environment of inclusion-not exclusion. Please know you can come to me directly if you are having ANY issues during our class, about anything.

Land Acknowledgement and Statement:

We would like to acknowledge that we are living and teaching on traditional territories of the Snoqualmie Tribe, Tulalip Tribes, Upper Skagit Tribe, Confederation of the Colville Tribes, Confederate Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and Makah Tribe. We pay my respects to them and their Elders of the past and present. We will be respectful and aware in our teachings to Indigenous Peoples and not appropriate cultural practices or teach about their uses of plants as an absolute authority. When possible, available, we will form (and have) respectful relationships with local tribes who lands we visit. We respect all laws, requests, boundaries and teachings offered from these Sovereign Nations.

Class Descriptions By Weekend

We will do our best to stick to this schedule. It’s possible that we will need to make changes due to weather, incredible opportunities, etc. We will give as much lead time as possible if any changes are to occur.

March 16 – 17: Introduction to Plants & Welcome: Linne Doran

Welcome! Orientation to PI & Curriculum
Plant kingdoms & phylogeny presentation
Plant Identification 101 Activity (Morphology & Growth Forms)
Spring Edibles Harvest and Spring Ritual
Ethnobotany 101
Core Routines & Low Montane Westside Forests

April 13 – 14: Intro to Plants 2 & Plant Medicine 101: Linne Doran

Plant Families 101 & Hazardous Plants 101 (PP Presentation)
Project and Goals Sharing: You are going to have a project (or projects) that you will be working on throughout the year. During this weekend we are going to take some time to share and ask questions about what we want to work on. This allows more space for you to follow your passions with the support of the group.
Plant Medicine 101: We will be making our spring medicines, learning ethical harvesting and cultivation of medicinal herbs.
Core Routines & Ecological Gardening

May 18 – 19: Eastside Spring Foraging Trip

Wild Edible Feast: How to cook, preserve and prepare wild edibles
Plant Fiber Project: Pine Needle Baskets
Ethnobotany of Eastside
Wild Plant First Aid Kit
Eastside Plant Medicine
Core Routines & Eastside High Montane Ecology

June 8 – 9: Organic Farming, Agroforestry & Old Growth: Upper Skagit

Old Growth Forest Exploration: harvest for food, fiber and medicine
Farm, Homesteading Skills and Agroforestry: We will also be touring some local farms practicing homesteading, organic farming and agroforestry
Plant Fiber Project: Cordage & Mushroom/Lichen Dyes
Wild Plant Nutrition 101
Ethnobotany of Upper Skagit
Core Routines & Old Growth Forest Ecology

July 13 – 14: Seaweeds and Subalpine Trip: Olympic Peninsula

Edible Seaweeds Harvest
Dichotomous Keys 101
Ethnobotany of Lower Elwha Klallam
Plant Fiber Project: Bark Baskets/Wood Carving
Core Routines & Coastal/Subalpine Plant Ecology

August 10 – 11: Wild Plant Intuition & Plant Intensive EVAL: Linne Doran

Wild Plant Identification Intensive Eval
Plant Intuition 101: Finding and connecting with plants intuitively
Plant Fiber Project: Cattails
Core Routines and Riparian Ecology

September 14 – 15: Eastside Fall Foraging Trip

Eastside Fall Foraging: food, fiber and medicine – this will be in a different location than our spring trip
Plant Fiber Project: Twined Baskets
Eastside Ethnobotany
Fall Eastside Plant Medicine
Core Routines and Sagebrush Steppe Ecology

October 12 – 13: End of Year Celebration Campout!

Student Project Presentations
Wild Foods Preparation and Meal
Certificate Ceremony and Celebration
Friends and family welcome!

Advanced Path

If you choose to register for the advanced path, you will be coming on the same class days as the Primary Path students. However, there will be an extra class day per month for you to receive additional instruction the Friday before each class weekend. You will have either Rachael Witt or Lindsay Huettman depending on the content. We will be deepening each month’s lessons with you as well as supporting you on your certification path. For certification you are required to come to all 8 class weekends.

Some additional topics to be covered during Advanced Path Days:
~Advanced Identification: Common and Botanical names & Sensory ID
~Plant Families and Phylogeny of those families
~Plant Biochemistry as it relates to plant medicine, food and fiber
~Plant Ecology of the PNW: truly knowing the 8 ecozones
~Advanced Plant Medicine skills
~Plant Intuition and Healing
~Horticultural Skills for the gardener and forager
~Supporting you individually on completion of your requirements