tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19118478467962480882024-02-07T09:42:43.945-08:00Institute of Contemporary EthnobotanyPLANTS <--> PEOPLEUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-70736863919102951572012-10-12T13:21:00.003-07:002012-10-12T13:21:52.196-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--6Qw39lcMuI/UHh7yV0ad0I/AAAAAAAAIig/Ld3_rz-FrMg/s1600/523284_10151080126068100_1572010372_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--6Qw39lcMuI/UHh7yV0ad0I/AAAAAAAAIig/Ld3_rz-FrMg/s640/523284_10151080126068100_1572010372_n.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-17298408566537965532012-04-29T14:16:00.000-07:002012-04-28T11:20:12.354-07:00New Book Published<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjJKVjMlQBD-EQjdRVCeKHDPscWjJPB4O_71tSl7GcpEbq_4QbWkRXPkho7jsuRVAYqKRoj3vGeCv5SfgJyw5jkozNlTEmX9LXBNcxJPc2iW4bO9nljUPOHtpLqSPvWUBv0gOkwuT6mw/s1600/PoM+Cover.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585160415198173314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjJKVjMlQBD-EQjdRVCeKHDPscWjJPB4O_71tSl7GcpEbq_4QbWkRXPkho7jsuRVAYqKRoj3vGeCv5SfgJyw5jkozNlTEmX9LXBNcxJPc2iW4bO9nljUPOHtpLqSPvWUBv0gOkwuT6mw/s200/PoM+Cover.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 128px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://plantsofmindo.blogspot.com/">PLANTS OF MINDO<br />A Guide to the Cloud Forest of the Andean Choco</a><br />
<br />
<br />
This unique field guide is useful throughout the montane forests of the neotropics.<br />
Based in the Andean Choco of northwest Ecuador it illustrates almost 400 species, representing over 100 families of common plants.<br />
Bilingual, with almost 700 photos, it is a useful reference for students, botanists, naturalists, guides, scientists, and tourists.<br />
<br />
plantsofmindo(at)gmail(dot)com<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br />“My students love this book! It's a great introduction for learning about many of the common cloud-forest plants. I will continue to include it as a required field guide with every group.”</span><br />
- Peter Wetherwax Ph.D. Director. ‘Neotropical Ecology Program.’ University of Oregon.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://plantsofmindo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ORDER HERE </a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-17620746297694596492011-11-02T14:42:00.000-07:002011-11-14T15:10:20.005-08:00The 12th ANNUAL: FOOD NOT LAWNS SEED SWAP<p style="text-align: left;">The Institute of Contemporary Ethnobotany and the</p><p><a href="http://www.seedambassadors.org/">Seed Ambassadors Project</a> present:</p><p>The 12th ANNUAL: FOOD NOT LAWNS SEED SWAP</p><p>Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011</p><p>1:00 – 3:00 pm </p><p>FREE </p><p>The Community Room at the East Blair Housing Coop,</p><p>940 W. 4th st. Eugene, OR.</p><p>(Btwn. Adams & Jackson also accessable from W. 4th alley)</p><p>Build community by sharing surplus harvest bounty with your friends and neighbors at this annual event. </p><p>Bring your seeds, plants, canned goods, brews, tinctures, food, instruments, friends, or just yourself!</p><p><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Ftobiaspolicha%2Falbumid%2F5674990864719618849%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-46447081787875333332011-07-14T11:53:00.000-07:002011-07-14T12:00:06.230-07:00Botany at Rootstalk<a href="http://www.rootstalkfest.com/page/tobias-policha">Tobias</a> will be teaching a 2 part series called 'Botanically Speaking' at <a href="http://www.rootstalkfest.com/">Rootstalk</a> this fall with <a href="http://www.rootstalkfest.com/page/steven-yeager">Steven Yeager </a>of the <a href="http://www.botanicalstudies.net/">Columbines School of Botanical Studies</a> and <a href="http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/">Mountain Rose Herbs</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-87964428496390112502010-11-24T22:09:00.000-08:002011-11-02T14:41:18.826-07:0011th ANNUAL: FOOD NOT LAWNS SEED SWAPThe Institute of Contemporary Ethnobotany and the<br />
Seed Ambassadors Project present:<br />
<br />
The 11th ANNUAL: FOOD NOT LAWNS SEED SWAP<br />
<br />
Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010<br />
1:00 – 3:00 pm <br />
<br />
FREE <br />
<br />
The Community Room at the East Blair Housing Coop,<br />
940 W. 4th st. Eugene, OR.<br />
(Btwn. Adams & Jackson also accessable from W. 4th alley)<br />
<br />
Build community by sharing surplus harvest bounty with your friends and neighbors at this annual event. <br />
<br />
Bring your seeds, plants, canned goods, brews, tinctures, food, instruments, friends, or just yourself!<br />
<br />
http://www.seedambassadors.org/<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SwIV-zC-nCI/AAAAAAAAAFw/cv56WbcJeak/s1600/DSC09022.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404906671396789282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SwIV-zC-nCI/AAAAAAAAAFw/cv56WbcJeak/s320/DSC09022.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SwIWIIEfTmI/AAAAAAAAAF4/AlHsJ71AagM/s1600/DSC09019.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404906831659093602" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SwIWIIEfTmI/AAAAAAAAAF4/AlHsJ71AagM/s320/DSC09019.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-57176028518128055662010-06-23T11:46:00.000-07:002010-06-23T11:54:44.778-07:00Back in Oregon!So i recently arrived home after 5 months of research and teaching in Ecuador.<br /><a href="http://tobiastravels.blogspot.com/">Click here for some travel writing.</a> <br /><br />My attention is called to <a href="http://ethnobotanicalresearch.blogspot.com/">other things</a> at the moment, so classes and workshops may be sparse. <br />In the meantime, i hope that this page can serve as a resource to links and info on various things related to plants and people!<br />That said, i will be leading 2 plant walks at the <a href="http://www.herbaltransitions.com/NWherbfest.html">NW Herb Fest</a> this year, so if you find yourself there, swing by and say 'hi.'<br /><br />Happy summer,<br />TobiasUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-21057705675533211082010-01-05T16:38:00.000-08:002010-03-07T08:13:58.313-08:00Gone to Ecuador!I will be in Ecuador doing research on the pollination biology of a group of mushroom-mimicking orchids and helping to teach a neotropical ecology field course until the end of May 2010. <br />To follow along and read about my adventures check out my <a href="http://tobiastravels.blogspot.com/">travel blog! </a><br /><br />Saludos,<br />Tobias<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/S0Pbkc6r3cI/AAAAAAAAAIc/HcIxJaZj34E/s1600-h/Dracula+lafleurii-3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/S0Pbkc6r3cI/AAAAAAAAAIc/HcIxJaZj34E/s320/Dracula+lafleurii-3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423419795568319938" /></a><br />Dracula lafluerii<a href="http://tobiastravels.blogspot.com"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-91303414262319531922009-10-20T18:12:00.000-07:002009-11-16T19:19:57.603-08:0010th ANNUAL: FOOD NOT LAWNS SEED SWAP!!!Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 <br />1:00 – 5:00 pm <br /><br />FREE <br /><br />The World cafe 449 Blair Blvd <br /><br />Build community by sharing surplus harvest bounty with your friends and neighbors at this annual event. <br /><br />Bring your seeds, plants, canned goods, brews, tinctures, food, instruments, friends, or just yourself!<br /><br />http://www.seedambassadors.org/<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SwIV-zC-nCI/AAAAAAAAAFw/cv56WbcJeak/s1600/DSC09022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SwIV-zC-nCI/AAAAAAAAAFw/cv56WbcJeak/s320/DSC09022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404906671396789282" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SwIWIIEfTmI/AAAAAAAAAF4/AlHsJ71AagM/s1600/DSC09019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SwIWIIEfTmI/AAAAAAAAAF4/AlHsJ71AagM/s320/DSC09019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404906831659093602" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-7770820049283183862009-07-17T17:22:00.000-07:002009-07-17T17:23:56.056-07:00Only 2 More Weekly Plant Walks This Year!!!!That's right folks, <br />i am going out of town for research in august and september!<br />so, if you haven't made it, but want to.......<br /><br />NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!!!<br /><br />Happy Summer<br />TobiasUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-28134380519691871982009-06-08T17:26:00.001-07:002009-06-08T18:08:20.018-07:00Recent Register Guard Article<a href="http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/14063946-41/story.csp">A Natural with Nature: Botanist Tobias Policha found his career path out of a lifelong love for plants</a><br /><br />By Susan Palmer<br />The Register-Guard<br />Monday, May 25, 2009, page B1<br /><br />Tobias Policha, a UO doctoral student, leads a tour of Hendricks Park and its wildflowers recently. Policha also leads nature walks on campus.<br /><br />The Wednesday noon nature walk doesn’t get very far, barely once around the University of Oregon’s urban farm in a full hour.<br /><br />But plant-wise the journey is far-ranging, what with stops for chatter about sweet rocket (<span style="font-style:italic;">Hesperis matronalis</span>, you can eat the flowers), California poppies (<span style="font-style:italic;">Eschscholzia californica</span>, and not really poppies at all), comfrey (<span style="font-style:italic;">Symphytum officinale</span>, a bee magnet but it will take over your garden), blueberries (<span style="font-style:italic;">Vaccinium corymbosum</span>, related to the huckleberries scattered through the Coast Range) and common mugwort (<span style="font-style:italic;">Artemisia vulgaris</span>, the whole genus has medicinal uses).<br /><br />Tobias Policha — the UO doctoral student leading the expedition — could go on like this all day.<br /><br />An accomplished botanist, he also knows his herb lore and mixes in delightful bits — the common mugwort has been said to intensify the dreams of those who sleep near it, he tells the group of plant lovers who have braved a sunny but windy lunch hour for the stroll.<br /><br />Policha, 30 and sun-burnished, wearing a perpetual smile and jeans scuffed with soil, has been talking about plants and gardens in Eugene for more than a decade.<br /><br />In his early days, still a scruffy 19-year-old and armed with a little experience and a boatload of passion, he taught at the Free School in the Whiteaker neighborhood, a project of the local anarchist community.<br /><br />But he’s emerged as an accomplished scientist, studying an obscure family of orchids in Ecuador under the guidance of his faculty advisor, Bitty Roy, a biology professor at the UO’s Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.<br /><br />Perhaps no one is more surprised by this turn of events than Policha, who graduated from high school with the conviction that he wouldn’t take the usual route through adulthood.<br /><br />He was born and spent the first four years of his life in a rural setting on the edge of Edmonton, Alberta, a sprawling city on the Canadian plains. His mother moved the family to a farm in Pennsylvania when he was 13 after his father had died. But this was no ordinary farm. It was Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, a 425-acre farming community that includes adults with developmental disabilities.<br /><br />“He was always outdoors,” said his mother, Debra Falkenberg. “And he always had this element of wonder.”<br /><br />A toddler with a trowel in his hand, he morphed into a teenager working in the farm’s orchards, Falkenberg said.<br /><br />It wasn’t all just bucolic outdoor living. Policha cut his political teeth in West Philly, where punk rock bands such as Citizen Fish, Clash and Bad Religion made him think.<br /><br />He didn’t see it then, but he does now, the thread that connects the music with the science. “It’s the drive to question reality. It drives the music, and it’s what drives the science,” he says.<br /><br />Policha took a detour post-high school. He wound up in Toronto, the eastern Canadian city that borders Lake Ontario. There he became an activist, focusing on anti-poverty, political prisoners and indigenous rights campaigns.<br /><br />While the work was rewarding, “I was having a hard time rubbing nickels together, as my mother would say,” he said.<br /><br />There followed an apprenticeship on a New York community-supported agriculture farm, a winter in Mexico, and a circuitous journey to Oregon, for the simple reason that a friend was headed this way.<br /><br />Once here, he found himself among the anarchists preparing to demonstrate at the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle in 1999.<br /><br />But Policha didn’t go. He stuck around Eugene and hooked up with Heather Flores. Their love of gardening coupled with their interest in living sustainably became a notion that Flores eventually turned into a book: “Food Not Lawns.”<br /><br />Another apprenticeship at a farm, this one a seed collecting outfit in California, fired up a new kind of hunger in Policha.<br /><br />For the first time, he was paying attention to the Latin names of plants.<br /><br />He came back to Eugene burned out on Free School (“It’s not really free. You’re spending money making copies of handouts, posters.”) and discovered Pell grants, those government subsidies that allow adults to go back to school.<br /><br />Policha enrolled in botany and Spanish classes at Lane Community College, and made a surprising discovery.<br /><br />“It turned out I was really good at it,” he says.<br /><br />He did more than take botany through LCC. He also went through the apprenticeship program at Eugene’s Columbine School of Botanical Studies, a two-year intensive classroom and field training in medicinal herbs.<br /><br />He eventually moved on to the University of Oregon where he got a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in biochemistry in 2007.<br /><br />But through all of the training, Policha continued teaching, setting up his own institute of ethnobotany, co-teaching workshops through local groups such as the Oregon Permaculture Guild, leading nature hikes in Hendricks Park and sharing what he learned. If there is a seed swap, a mushroom show, a native plant sale, Policha is there.<br /><br />He’s part of a long tradition, said Roy, his UO advisor.<br /><br />Before Policha offered the noon nature walks on campus, respected UO botanist David Wagner led them, Roy said. Bruce Newhouse, a private consultant and perhaps the best naturalist in the valley, is also out there doing garden tours and volunteering at events, she said.<br /><br />“This is a wonderful community of people who model this behavior. It’s not at all surprising that someone as gifted in teaching as Tobias would follow,” she said.<br /><br />What makes him special is the energy and passion he brings to the subject, she said.<br /><br />“Whatever he learns, he almost feels compelled to share and he does it in a way that it kind of sneaks up on people. He tells stories. He makes it funny, but you can trust him to convey accurate information in a way that captures your interests,” she said.<br /><br />Example: Policha sits at a wooden table, one of those big wooden spools that in a previous life had long stretches of cable wrapped around it. He smacks the wood with the flat of his hand.<br /><br />“The physical matter of this spool used to be air,” he says. “That’s how plants make their living, transforming air into plant material. To me, it’s so remarkable.”<br /><br />To watch Policha talk about plants is to get swept up in his joy in them. Part of his schtick he picked up from Howie Brounstein, Columbine school owner, and Steven Yeager, who teaches there.<br /><br />“Imitation is a really nice form of flattery,” Brounstein said, but also quickly points out Policha came to the school with a lifelong interest and a hefty background. He was so hungry for knowledge he went through the program twice, Brounstein said.<br /><br />Policha isn’t sure what his future holds. Perhaps the academic world has permanently enchanted him. As part of Roy’s research team, he is studying an intriguing family of orchids in Ecuador. The orchids look and smell like nearby mushrooms, a technique for attracting flies that will help pollinate them. Policha describes the intrigue in terms of sex and deceit.<br /><br />Where will it all lead?<br /><br />Policha smiles.<br /><br />“It’s almost accidental, the nature of my academic career,” he says. “It’s very much in flow.”Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-79470943935817314632009-05-21T12:50:00.000-07:002009-05-21T12:55:25.764-07:00Sustainable Lifestyles Festival<a href="http://www.herbaltransitions.com/SustainableLifestyles.html"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sustainable Lifestyles Festival</span></a><br />June 27, 28, 2009<br />Pleasant Hill, OR<br /><br />Enjoy lectures & take advantage of in-depth workshops ranging from building solar hot water systems to raising chickens. Learn how to be more self-sufficient in a network of independent like-minded people. Participants will return home with enhanced skill sets that will aid them and their community in the times to come.<br /><br />Both <a href="http://www.pharmacopiaherbals.com/company.html">Nome McBride</a> and <a href="http://tobiaspolicha.blogspot.com">Tobias Policha</a> will be presenting at this event!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.herbaltransitions.com/SustainableLifestyles.html">More info!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-51783622079814462542009-05-20T17:06:00.000-07:002009-05-20T17:13:59.164-07:00CASL's "Redefine the Dream" Series<span style="font-weight:bold;">Explore Ethnobotany and Edibles from Headwaters to Wetlands</span><br />Sunday, May 31<br />11 a.m. – 3 p.m.<br />Location: Meet at the EMU Amphitheater (with a bike)<br />Learn about edible and medicinal plants with <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://tobiaspolicha.blogspot.com/">Tobias Policha</a> of the Institute of Contemporary Ethnobotany</span> along the Amazon Creek, then further explore how cultures integrate native plants in the West Eugene Wetlands. Learn about the challenges of preserving local wildlands with Samantha Chirillo of Cascadia Ecosystem Advocates.<br /><a href="http://casluoregon.wordpress.com/"><br />More info at the CASL site<a href="http://casluoregon.wordpress.com/"></a></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-56069734048046161672009-04-14T17:46:00.000-07:002009-05-21T19:06:50.218-07:00Plant Walk write up in Regiser Guard<span style="font-weight:bold;">Place of small wonders A tour of native plants in Hendricks Park illustrates springtime color and diversity</span><br /><br />By Susan Palmer<br />The Register-Guard<br /><a href="http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/11736515-41/story.csp">Posted to Web:</a> Sunday , Apr 12, 2009 11:34PM<br />Appeared in print: Monday , Apr 13, 2009, page B1<br /> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SeVlULOn9kI/AAAAAAAAAE4/nJWOIuQKBQ8/s1600-h/Plant+walk+crowd.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SeVlULOn9kI/AAAAAAAAAE4/nJWOIuQKBQ8/s320/Plant+walk+crowd.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324773531721397826" /></a><a href="http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/11736515-41/story.csp"><br />Photo by Kevin Clark/The Register-Guard</a><br /><br />Consider the coast fawn lily, its demure pink petals curving upward even as it turns its face toward the soil.<br />Botanist Tobias Policha invited a group of almost 40 native plant enthusiasts to take a closer look at the spring-bloomer nestled beneath the firs in Eugene’s Hendricks Park.<br />Policha spread his arms in a broad arch that mirrored the petal shapes as he shared the plant’s story on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, the wind sighing in the tree branches high overhead.<br />The coast fawn lily was once common in the Coast Range, but sightings of the plant are rare these days, Policha said.<br />They are nestled in a part of the park that once was home to a more formal garden with many nonnative species. But the irrigation that those imported plants required harmed the firs, so gardeners have replaced them with species native to Oregon such as the fawn lily that don’t need extra water in the summer, Policha said.<br />It was just one of many stops along the trails in the park with Policha bringing the plants alive as he shared both his passion, his broad knowledge and his humor.<br />Stopping at the yellow blooms of an Oregon grape, a tall broad bush that once caught the attention of explorers Lewis and Clark, Policha took time to mention the plant’s smaller cousin, which grows among the Ponderosa pines in the rain shadow of the eastern Cascades. The distant plant became present in the imagination as Policha crouched down, his arms waving as if he himself were becoming the vining species.<br />No bloom too tiny<br />He took time to point out the tiny unobtrusive blooms of the candy flower, giving it as much attention as the bright blossoms of the much larger red flowering currant.<br />“I thought it was called candy flower because it was so good to eat, but that’s not why,” he said. “It’s called candy flower because of the petals’ pink stripes.”<br />Asked about the flavor of the nearby currant’s berries, he was diplomatic. “Of all the currants you could eat, this is not the first one I would go to,” he said.<br />Policha also took time to share his knowledge of plants that some would consider weeds, such as the lowly English lawn daisy poking up through the grass around a picnic shelter.<br />Asked whether it is invasive, he said: “Only as invasive as lawns and concrete.”<br />More than rhododendrons<br />The two-hour walk was sponsored by the nonprofit group Friends of Hendricks Park.<br />This time of year, the park’s bright and bold rhododendrons often overwhelm many of the other botanical gems, but the rhody garden takes up just 15 acres of the park’s 78-acre forest, said Joan Kelley, a Friends of Hendricks Park board member.<br />“People think that the rhododendron garden is the park, but it’s much more,” she said.<br />Good location<br />The group sponsors such hikes on a regular basis — the next one is next Sunday — and they have proved popular in recent months, Kelley said. She said she thinks the park’s location just south and east of the University of Oregon makes it an easy choice for people looking for something inexpensive to do.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SeVldrxGO0I/AAAAAAAAAFA/RSsOetAqdhE/s1600-h/Plant+walk+me.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SeVldrxGO0I/AAAAAAAAAFA/RSsOetAqdhE/s320/Plant+walk+me.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324773695074745154" /></a><br />Botanist Tobias Policha shares his extensive knowledge about native plants on a tour at Hendricks Park on Sunday.<br /><a href="http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/11736515-41/story.csp">Photo by Kevin Clark/The Register-Guard<a href="http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/11736515-41/story.csp"></a></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-34994562910650224782009-04-01T17:43:00.000-07:002009-04-01T17:44:46.854-07:00Midweek Nature Walks!!!ALL SPRING!!!<br /><br />Wednesdays 12:00 - 1:00pm<br />FREE<br /><br />Meet at the UO Urban Farm<br />(near Franklin & Onyx)<br /><br />Join botanist Tobias Policha and others for an informal<br />plant walk over the bridge to Alton Baker Park.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-83664539196443205652009-02-03T19:31:00.000-08:002009-02-03T19:32:10.769-08:00Winter Woods WalkSaturday, February 7. 1:00PM to 3:00PM<br /><br />Meet at the S.E. trail head of Spencers Butte, off Fox Hollow (across from the Raptor Center).<br /><br />Come explore the ecology, evolution and ethnobotany of the wintery landscape. Learn about the adaptations, and characteristics, as well as the medicinal and cultural uses of the plants that thrive in the winter. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Focus will be on conifers, ferns, mosses, and lichens.</span> Come prepared to be outside, it may be cold and wet. We will be doing some hiking so don’t forget your drinking water.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-1175910002139664982008-12-24T00:40:00.000-08:002009-04-15T22:16:49.760-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SVH1vxhArwI/AAAAAAAAACs/nUZ6-cLfGOU/s1600-h/DSC05549.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iHAtAfL_bms/SVH1vxhArwI/AAAAAAAAACs/nUZ6-cLfGOU/s320/DSC05549.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283274038976753410" /></a><br /><br />Observing pollinators in Ecuador!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-64036825051077020542008-12-23T14:45:00.000-08:002008-12-23T14:50:28.209-08:00Permaculture Design CourseHello all,<br />i will be helping with this course again this year........<br />it is a super accessable, affordable way to gain skills and experience<br /><br />happy solstice<br />tobias<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.cascadiapermaculture.com/">Cascadia Permaculture Institute</a>, in collaboration with Permaculture Institute (USA), is offering the much-anticipated 9th Annual Weekend Permaculture Design Certification Course in Eugene, Oregon. The weekend format makes this exciting training available and affordable for busy professionals, students, educators, farmers, community members, government officials, engineers, architects, landscapers, gardeners, horticulturalists, activists, artists, and anyone interested in effective design.<br /><br /><br />Online registration form is available at:<br /><a href="http://www.cascadia permaculture.com/WVPDC09RegForm.doc">http://www.cascadia permaculture.com/WVPDC09RegForm.doc</a><br /><br /><br />During this highly praised course, participants will be empowered to advocate for meaningful change by becoming certified Permaculture designers with Jude Hobbs and guest instructors.<br /><br /><br />Discover the many aspects of Permaculture design, including:<br /><br />* Permaculture Ethics And Principles<br />* Natural Cycles And Pattern Recognition <br />* Observation Skills And Site Analysis<br />* Mapping And Design Exercises<br />* Water Harvesting And Management<br />* Soil Ecology And Building<br />* Animals And Their Place In The System<br />* Edible Landscaping And Organic Gardening<br />* Integrated Pest Management<br />* Agroforestry And Tree Crops<br />* Green-Building Design And Energy Conservation<br />* Urban Permaculture And Village Design<br />* Community Economics<br />* And Much More!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What:</span> 9th Annual Willamette Valley Permaculture Design Certificate Weekend Course<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">When:</span> January 10/11, February 14/15, March 14/15, April 18/19, May 16/17, June 13/14, 2009<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Why:</span> This course, through lecture, discussion, break-out groups, and hands-on experience, will give participants the tools to create ecologically based, sustainable landscapes, homes, and communities.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tuition:</span> $575.00-$525. 00 (sliding Scale)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Where:</span> Dharmalaya Center, Eugene, Oregon<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How:</span> To learn more about this course and register, please visit: <br /><a href="http://cascadiapermaculture.com/WVPDC09Weekends.html">http://cascadiapermaculture.com/WVPDC09Weekends.html</a><br /><br /><br />Or contact: Denise at cascadiapc@gmail.com or 541-688-1442<br /><br /><br />Please help us get the word out by forwarding this info to all interested parties! We appreciate your assistance.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">* Sample Testimonial received from 2008 course:</span><br />"Instructors Jude Hobbs and Tobias Policha bring to The Willamette Valley Permaculture Design Course the unique perspective of living their subject. Each is a wealth of information about Permaculture. The course covers an amazing breadth of material as required to certify students as Permaculture design consultants. Course materials are presented in a format accessible to layperson and expert alike, with an easygoing pace and plenty of time for questions and follow-up discussion. Look no further if you want a great introduction to this timely topic."<br />-Nick B<br /><br /><br /><br />Plants <--> People<br /><br />The Institute of Contemporary Ethnobotany<br /><br />contemporaryethnobotany@yahoo.com<br /><br />join at:<br />http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/contempora ryethnobotany<br /><br />"The ultimate role of ethnobotany lies not in the identification of new natural products for the benefit of the modern world, but rather in the illumination of a profoundly different way of living in relationship to nature." -Wade DavisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911847846796248088.post-36023766187154167982007-08-19T22:33:00.000-07:002007-08-19T22:36:00.877-07:00Fall ScheduleInstitute of Contemporary Ethnobotany<br />Fall 2007<br /><br />CASCADIA ECOFAIR<br />10th Annual Region Permaculture Gathering<br />August 23 -- 26<br />Cost will be modest, work-trades will be available as will scholarships.<br />River’s Turn Farm, 31139 Lane’s Turn Rd. Coburg. <br />(4 miles N. of Coburg make a left of River’s Turn Lane, first right is the farm)<br />Both Nome McBride and Tobias Policha will be leading workshops at this event. <br />The program will include on the farm skills, bioregional networking, learning about cutting edge work for a peaceful world, workshops about relocalizing and culture change in the realms of land use, economics, human potential, food production, communication skills, renewable energy and much more!<br />We encourage people to camp on site for a full culture change experience!<br />http://www.suburbanpermaculture.org/cascadia_eco_fair.htm<br />Contact Aleta at 463-7533 (h) 543-9103 (c) cascadiaecofair@ att.net <br /><br />SEED-SAVING FOR SELF RELIANCE<br />Sunday Sept. 16<br />12 am – 5 pm<br />$20 - $80.<br />The Strawbale at the Maitreya eco-village (On N. side of Broadway between Almaden & Chambers)<br />With Tobias Policha and Taylor Ziegler (HOPE Farm).<br />Reproductive biology, harvesting, processing, storage, and breeding techniques, philosophy, and politics.<br />Bring seed to clean!<br /><br />FALL ECOLOGY & HARVEST<br />An Intergenerational Exploration<br />October 13 -- 14<br />Tobias Policha will be leading a workshop at this event. <br />Sponsored by the Lost Valley Nature Center and NextGEN (the youth branch of the Global Ecovillage Network), <br />Focus on fall ecology, indigenous tradition, and the harvest season here in the western Cascade foothills. <br />More info at www.lostvalley.org/fallecology<br /><br />PLANTS FOR THE PEOPLE<br />Bioregional Herbalism<br />TBA (Oct 18)<br />6:00 – 9:00 pm.<br />BY DONATION<br />Upstairs at the Growers Market, 454 Willamette St.<br />With Nome McBride & Tobias Policha. <br />This presentation will introduce basic herbal actions as well as locally adapted plants that have medicinal value. Learn when, how and why to use pervasive weeds, native plants, and common garden herbs for health and nutrition. No experience required. <br /><br />FALL WOODS WALK<br />Oct. 20<br />1:00 – 4:00 pm<br />$5 -- $30<br />Meet at the Ridge Line Trailhead at Fox Hollow Dr. (Across from the Cascade Raptor Center).<br />Led by Tobias Policha. <br />Come explore the ecology, evolution, and ethnobotany of the fall landscape. Learn about the adaptations, and characteristics, as well as the medicinal and cultural uses of the plants that thrive in the winter. We will focus on the conifers, ferns, mosses, and lichens. Come prepared to be outside, it may be cold and wet. <br /><br />9th ANNUAL: FOOD NOT LAWNS SEED SWAP. <br />TBA (Oct 28)<br />1:00 – 5:00 pm<br />FREE<br />The Strawbale at the Maitreya eco-village (On N. side of Broadway between Almaden & Chambers)<br />Presentation & book signing by Food Not Lawns author Heather Flores. Nori? Bring your seeds, plants, canned goods, brews, tinctures, food, friends, or just yourself! <br /><br />BIOREGIONAL MEDICINE<br />TBA (Nov 4)<br />12:00 – 5:00 pm<br />$20 -- $80<br />The Strawbale at the Maitreya eco-village (On N. side of Broadway between Almaden & Chambers)<br />With Nome McBride & Tobias Policha. <br />This workshop will introduce herbal actions and when they would be applied to specific symptoms. We will also cover locally adapted plants as examples of the various actions. Basic physiology, botany and plant ID will be introduced. Learn when, how and why to use pervasive weeds, native plants, and common garden herbs for health and nutrition. <br /><br /><br />HERBAL PREPARATIONS: From Field to Pharmacy <br />TBA (Nov 11)<br />12:00 – 6:00 pm<br />$20 -- $80<br />The Strawbale at the Maitreya eco-village (On N. side of Broadway between Almaden & Chambers).<br />With Nome McBride. <br />This class will teach the many ways we can prepare herbs to increase their efficacy. We will cover harvesting, handling, and storage. We will discuss the specifics of preparing fresh and dried plants in many forms. This class will include demonstrations and hands-on activities. We will make something to take home. There will be a short lunch break.<br /><br />WINTER TWIGS. <br />Saturday, Nov. 17<br />1:00 – 4:00 pm<br />$10 - $50<br />Meet at Amazon Parkway and 24th. <br />With Tobias Policha. <br />Learn to identify your favorite trees and shrubs in the absence of leaves and flowers. Winter identification requires observing many unique characters that are often overlooked, discover hidden beauty while learning a new skill! We will use the book Winter Twigs by Gilkey and Packard. OSU Press, 2001. <br /><br />FROM PROTONS TO POLYSACCHARIDES: <br />Basic Concepts in Biochemistry <br />TBA<br />With Tobias Policha & Nome McBride<br />This series is intended to provide a basic understanding of biochemical concepts and enable students in further learning and research in herbalism, botany, and more. With a grasp of the basics, a wealth of information becomes much more accessible. We will cover molecular structure, chemical reactions, metabolism, solubility, families of compounds, as well as using phytochemicals as the building blocks of whole plant medicine. No prior chemistry experience required.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com