Grant Reports

Standing Rock Botanical Sanctuary

Thomasine Loans Arrow said, "The Botanical Sanctuary will benefit the youth by helping them to learn about plant medicines and more about nature. It is the best idea to come to this area in a long time!"

Many visitors came to the sanctuary this summer, including Linda Jones, Ethnobotany Instructor with Sitting Bull College and her students to study native plant identification of this sensitive riparian area as well as many local residents ~elders and children alike. my neighbor, and strong supporter of the work we are doing, Kenny Painte said, "We need to bring our children to learn about the plants. This is new to a lot of people and we need to support things like this. We need support from natural environmental people, and we can help one another. Always pray for the plants to come back plentiful." (Kenny also said to invite people to come, to share their herbal knowledge.)

Richo Cech’s book “Growing At Risk Medicinal Herbs” was very helpful in guiding through the growing process in our plans to cultivate and re-introduce increasingly rare/endangered indigenous plant species back into the zone-4 Northern Plains grassland/unique woody area biome that forms the plant refuge.  We started many plants in our protected garden beds and are moving them into the preserve as they mature. We began with the UpS Analog Seed Set from the Spring Give-away and a tray of echinacea, adding more plants as the weather warmed.  We also ordered some small lomatium plants from Horizon Herbs to hopefully be able to grow this sacred plant here in North Dakota. We purchased low-impact signage for plants on the interpretive trail through the sanctuary. We envision this area to be a guided interpretive medicine trail for learning from our best teacher, Grandmother Earth (Unci Maka), and to revitalize ancestral connections with the sacredness of nature.