New Botanical Sanctuaries

Sanctuary Steward: Barbara Hughey, Applegate, Oregon

We moved to SW Oregon two and half years ago. When we first saw what would be our new home we marveled at the different kinds of environments that were here. Forested hillsides, gave way to bright sunny open fields, and from south to north there is a lovely creek, overhung with big trees. Alders, oaks and ash form the canopy. The creek is very beautiful. The sound of the water, and the wonderful plants, animals, birds and insects that are sustained by it creates a peaceful sanctuary. We were enchanted. However, we realized right away that this place needed some attention. A “hands off” attitude towards nature had led this magic spot to be overrun by an invasive plant tangle of Himalayan Blackberry.

Sanctuary Stewards: Suzanne Johnson and Jeff Joseph, Willseyville, NY

It was our good fortune to become land stewards in 2003, when after a long search we purchased 33 acres of forestland in south-central New York State. We are both Biointensive gardeners and naturalists and have also studied primitive skills with Tom Brown’s Tracker School. I have herbal certificates from Donna D’Terra’s Yerba Woman program in Willits, CA and from The Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. Jeff is a woodworker, New York State Master Forest Owner and member of the New York Forest Owners Association. Our intention was to find a location we could caretake to bring the forest back to health while learning to grow and provide our own food, medicine, heat and shelter.

Sanctuary Steward: Jessica Rubin, East Montpelier, VT

Fifty-five acres of land nestle between the Worcester and Green Mountain ranges where two leggeds are in the minority. Coyote, white tailed deer, ermine, moles, red fox, garter snakes, painted turtles, red efts, barred owls, turkeys, grouse, rose breasted grosbeaks, and June bugs are just a few members of the vast wild community living in harmony.

Sanctuary Stewards: Steven Bower and Marguerite Uhlmann-Bower, East Meredith, New York

In January 2007, we walked and intuited what is now our 12 acres of hillside, woodland, wetland and open pasture for the building of our new home—and the dream I'd been waiting for, a UpS At-Risk medicinal plant sanctuary. What attracted us to this land was its feel. We sensed a solid grounding force and light loving connection. It is untouched by civilized man and perhaps only walked on in the days when natives passed through for food. It didn't take us long to realize why we were being pulled here, as we realized that finding where we would build and garden would be a great challenge. Much of the land has a 15% land slope and required some shifting of soil. It was hawthorn that dotted the landscape throughout and pulled our hearts to stay here. Preparing the hillside took time, patience and a lot of planning and re-planning. We wanted to ensure that pasture was left open for our neighboring goat farmers and the wetlands, woodlands and open hillside for wild and cultivated medicinal plant cultivation. I put the thought out that this would make a perfect plant sanctuary and almost like from the sky we were gifted with over 50 wild medicinals (at-risk, too) from Don White in Albany New York. These included black cohosh, goldenseal, bloodroot, red trillium, wild ginger and Solomon's seal. Today, 2 years later, these plants have acclimated wonderfully and are accompanied by numerous wild edibles and medicinals, including (of course) hawthorn, which adorns nearly every trail, hedgerow and corner of our land.

Sanctuary Stewards: Jim and Peggy Duke, Fulton, MD

"Wintergreen's a breath of spring on the wintry forest floor
It makes a body sing when the songs don’t come no more..."
 
Nestled between the hustle bustle of the Baltimore-Washington, DC metropolitan region, where the piedmont meets the coastal plain in the Patuxent River valley, is the Green Farmacy Garden.  The Green Farmacy Garden is home to over three-hundred native and non-native plants, red-shouldered hawks, song birds, myriad species of Lepidoptera, cicada killers, water snakes, tree frogs, white-tailed deer and Jim and Peggy Duke.  Jim and Peggy have been collecting medicinal plants for over sixty years and in 1997 transformed part of their pasture land into a teaching garden highlighting medicinal plants, many of which are featured in Jim’s book, The Green Pharmacy.  On most days, while Peggy is working on botanical illustrations, Jim can be found strolling barefooted through the garden terraces or the forested yin-yang valley in search of plant material to add to his daily soup, greeting visitors, compiling information to add to his USDA database or composing new herbal verses.

Steward: Friede Rica
Duluth, MN
 
The Little Knife Botanical Sanctuary is located in a transition zone, ecologically speaking, between the southern hardwood forests and the boreal evergreen woods of the north. It consists of 19.7 acres situated 1 mile inland from Lake Superior and about 12 miles northeast of Duluth, MN along Hwy 61. We, my father and I, have owned the property for the past 15 years and have recently started to craft our vision of an environmental arts and herbal center. The Little Knife River cuts the property in two sections—the smaller section on the western side is being developed with a small garden, apple orchard and a couple of airstream trailers outfitted with wood-burning stoves. The
larger portion is being kept wild with a few small trails for guided tours.