Classes and Events, 2025
This year I will not be scheduling any full weekend classes. Most of the few classes workshops that I am offering will be part of larger events or hosted by other institutions, although I will do a few here at my property. I hope to see you at one of them! But if not, enjoy Nature to it's fullest.
Ecoculture. One day class, Saturday, April 19. N4623 Pieper Rd. Weyerhaeuser, WI. 9 AM- 6 PM $125
Ecoculture is the management of native plant communities to simultaneously support wild plants and animals and produce food for humans. In this class you will learn about theory, but we will be applying it in the field. We will be planting, transplanting, and tending to create a wild food paradise in four different environments: a crop field being converted to native orchard, a wet meadow and wetland area where we are enhanbcing the diversity by adding native edible plants, a brushy area that is farmland abandoned about 40 years ago, and a mature hardwood forest that was degraded through decades of grazing. Participants will learn about basic ecological concepts and how understanding them can make our interaction with the plants around us more successful and efficient. We will discuss how to interpret the past vegetation from what we see in the present--long-term plant tracking. Learn about soil, slope, disturbance, and competition. We will learn when to use transplanting versus seeding to esablish new plants and increase diversity, and to speed up the restoration of plant communities compromised by human activity. Through hands-on action you will learn practical means of caretaking. If you have your own property and project, please bring a map or photos or relevant info so that we can discuss ways to translate these concepts to your own particular situation. email [email protected] to register or get additional info.
Ecoculture is the management of native plant communities to simultaneously support wild plants and animals and produce food for humans. In this class you will learn about theory, but we will be applying it in the field. We will be planting, transplanting, and tending to create a wild food paradise in four different environments: a crop field being converted to native orchard, a wet meadow and wetland area where we are enhanbcing the diversity by adding native edible plants, a brushy area that is farmland abandoned about 40 years ago, and a mature hardwood forest that was degraded through decades of grazing. Participants will learn about basic ecological concepts and how understanding them can make our interaction with the plants around us more successful and efficient. We will discuss how to interpret the past vegetation from what we see in the present--long-term plant tracking. Learn about soil, slope, disturbance, and competition. We will learn when to use transplanting versus seeding to esablish new plants and increase diversity, and to speed up the restoration of plant communities compromised by human activity. Through hands-on action you will learn practical means of caretaking. If you have your own property and project, please bring a map or photos or relevant info so that we can discuss ways to translate these concepts to your own particular situation. email [email protected] to register or get additional info.
Spring Foraging--One Day Class. Saturday, May 3. Lansing, Iowa.
Iowisota Retreat and Education Center, 2472 IA-26, Lansing, Iowa. (Class Now Full)
This is an incredible location to teach a foraging class, in the heart of the Driftless Region in the hills along the Mississippi River, which might seriously be the best foraging region left on Earth. Iowisota has 200 acres of forest, brush, and real prairie, from ridge top to valley, with an incredible array of edible plants. Linda and Dennis, our hosts, are excellent stewards of this ecologically rich landscape. The clas runs from 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. We will be exploring several plant communities and identifying a wide array of edible species, getting to taste many of them in the field. Participants will need to hike about 2 miles total, some of it steep. Lunch included. Overnight camping or lodging is available for an additional fee. To register, go to iowisota.org
Iowisota Retreat and Education Center, 2472 IA-26, Lansing, Iowa. (Class Now Full)
This is an incredible location to teach a foraging class, in the heart of the Driftless Region in the hills along the Mississippi River, which might seriously be the best foraging region left on Earth. Iowisota has 200 acres of forest, brush, and real prairie, from ridge top to valley, with an incredible array of edible plants. Linda and Dennis, our hosts, are excellent stewards of this ecologically rich landscape. The clas runs from 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. We will be exploring several plant communities and identifying a wide array of edible species, getting to taste many of them in the field. Participants will need to hike about 2 miles total, some of it steep. Lunch included. Overnight camping or lodging is available for an additional fee. To register, go to iowisota.org
The Wild Bounty of Spring. One-Day Class in the Blue Hills near Bruce, Wisconsin. Saturday, May 10. $125 (Class Now Full)
This class will be held at my property, which is very diverse, so we won't be walking very far. We will learn about and taste a number of species typical of northern hardwood forests and wetlands, such as ramps, spring beauty, trout lily, cut-leaf toothwort, ostrich fern, hot mermaid, swamp saxifrage, dwarf ginseng, nipplewort, and wood nettle. We will talk about look-alikes, habitat, and preparation tips. This class will also contain a dive into forest ecology, to help us understand how to be better stewards of the land we gather from. Be forewarned, this site can be bad for mosquitoes, ticks, and black flies in spring. It is also one of the floristically richest forests I have ever seen in northern Wisconsin.
There is no online registration for this class, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
This class will be held at my property, which is very diverse, so we won't be walking very far. We will learn about and taste a number of species typical of northern hardwood forests and wetlands, such as ramps, spring beauty, trout lily, cut-leaf toothwort, ostrich fern, hot mermaid, swamp saxifrage, dwarf ginseng, nipplewort, and wood nettle. We will talk about look-alikes, habitat, and preparation tips. This class will also contain a dive into forest ecology, to help us understand how to be better stewards of the land we gather from. Be forewarned, this site can be bad for mosquitoes, ticks, and black flies in spring. It is also one of the floristically richest forests I have ever seen in northern Wisconsin.
There is no online registration for this class, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
The Wild Bounty of Spring. One-Day Class in the Blue Hills near Bruce, Wisconsin.
Saturday, May 17. $125
The same as the above, only a week later. This is my most popular foraging class, so I'm offering it twice this year.
There is no online registration for this class, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
Saturday, May 17. $125
The same as the above, only a week later. This is my most popular foraging class, so I'm offering it twice this year.
There is no online registration for this class, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
Introduction to Edible Wild Plants One-Day Class in the Blue Hills near Bruce, Wisconsin. Saturday, May 31. $125
In this class we will explore woods, fields, and wetlands to learn many common late-spring wild edibles: their natural history and habitat, how to identify and prepare them, and how to harvest them sustainably. However, students will also learn the process of confidently identifying new, unfamiliar plants. Through hands-on activity in the field you'll get an introduction to the basic botanical vocabulary needed to navigate plant references, as I guide you through the process. In this class you will also learn to recognize 5-7 of the most important plant families for foragers. This will be an opportunity to address and overcome your fears of eating wild and become comfortable foraging on your own. Be prepared for long hours outdoors where there are biting insects and ticks. Class will run from 9 AM to 6 PM with a 45 minute break for lunch.
There is no online registration for this class, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
In this class we will explore woods, fields, and wetlands to learn many common late-spring wild edibles: their natural history and habitat, how to identify and prepare them, and how to harvest them sustainably. However, students will also learn the process of confidently identifying new, unfamiliar plants. Through hands-on activity in the field you'll get an introduction to the basic botanical vocabulary needed to navigate plant references, as I guide you through the process. In this class you will also learn to recognize 5-7 of the most important plant families for foragers. This will be an opportunity to address and overcome your fears of eating wild and become comfortable foraging on your own. Be prepared for long hours outdoors where there are biting insects and ticks. Class will run from 9 AM to 6 PM with a 45 minute break for lunch.
There is no online registration for this class, email [email protected] if you wish to sign up.
Rib Lake Public Library, Rib Lake, Wisconsin. Wednesday, June 4, 6PM
I'll be doing a free plant walk, about an hour, walking around Rib Lake. There will be lots of cool plants to see.
I'll be doing a free plant walk, about an hour, walking around Rib Lake. There will be lots of cool plants to see.
Fire, Food, and Prairie Ecology. Lansing Iowa. July 19, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
This workshop will focus on the ecological relationship between fires, food, and plant community structure in the setting of the steep hillsides of the Driftless Area. We will visit the entire spectrum of fire frequency in this region, from old mesic forest to oak savannah and dry prairies. There will be a special focus on this site's small but diverse bluff top "goat prairie", home to many plants that were valuable food sources for indigenous people of this region. We will begin the workshop in the Gathering Room at Iowisota for an introduction and background, then will spend much of the day outdoors, talking about the landscape and plants. Participants will learn to identify numerous edible species, and have a chance to try several of them. The intact “goat prairie” at Iowisota is steep and rugged, so sturdy shoes and the capability to hike on uneven surfaces is necessary. Expect to hike up to three miles and spend extended time outdoors. It will probably be hot, there will be biting insects, and we may encounter snakes. Lunch will be provided. (It will not include insects or snakes.) For more info or to register, go to www.iowisota.org.
This workshop will focus on the ecological relationship between fires, food, and plant community structure in the setting of the steep hillsides of the Driftless Area. We will visit the entire spectrum of fire frequency in this region, from old mesic forest to oak savannah and dry prairies. There will be a special focus on this site's small but diverse bluff top "goat prairie", home to many plants that were valuable food sources for indigenous people of this region. We will begin the workshop in the Gathering Room at Iowisota for an introduction and background, then will spend much of the day outdoors, talking about the landscape and plants. Participants will learn to identify numerous edible species, and have a chance to try several of them. The intact “goat prairie” at Iowisota is steep and rugged, so sturdy shoes and the capability to hike on uneven surfaces is necessary. Expect to hike up to three miles and spend extended time outdoors. It will probably be hot, there will be biting insects, and we may encounter snakes. Lunch will be provided. (It will not include insects or snakes.) For more info or to register, go to www.iowisota.org.
Refund policy: A refund can be issued up to 30 days before the class date with a $50 service fee; afterward, a 75% refund will be issued only upon filling your space in the class. No refunds the week of class.