Appalachian herb gathering is June 23-24

RUTLAND, Ohio – On June 23 and 24 as many as 400 landowners, herb growers, and small business owners will be gathering in Southern Ohio to learn about growing, marketing, and conserving native plants.

Rural Action’s Landowners Conference will be merged with United Plant Savers annual conference to create the Appalachian Herb Gathering, which will feature over 40 speakers from across the region and across the country. The conference will be held in Meigs County, Ohio, at the United Plant Savers botanical sanctuary and the National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs research and education center.

Many changes.

Formerly billed as the Landowners Conference, this year’s event’s new name is just one of the changes participants will notice. It will include an expanded focus on the use, conservation, and restoration of native medicinal plants and their habitats.

Steven Foster, nationally known herbal author and photographer will present the keynote address. Some of the foremost experts on wild-simulated ginseng growing will participate, including Scott Persons and Bob Beyfus. One of the many local speakers is Paul Strauss, owner of Equinox Botanicals and UPS’s sanctuary steward. Paul is an herbalist who has been studying and working with medicinal plants for over 30 years.

Topics.

Topics include low impact woodland herb cultivation, soil, foxfire herbs, nursery propagation of woodland medicinal plants, creating botanical sanctuaries, plant identification, ecological herbalism, tracking and survival skills, an herb cultivation research panel, marketing NTFP’s, growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms as well as Chinese medicinal plants, sustainable forest management and tree identification, agricultural taxes and bookkeeping, healing lichens, native prairie restoration, wild foods restaurants and marketing, as well as a number of workshops on growing wild simulated ginseng, protecting ginseng from disease, insects and critters, American Ginseng, and issues concerning wild ginseng.

Prices.

The full weekend price ranged from $120-145, depending on membership status and date of registration. This fee includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, breakfast and lunch on Sunday and camping. Day passes are available for $30-45 for local growers and scholarships are available for low-income persons. Work-trade is also available.

For information contact Cynthia Brunty at Rural Action’s Sustainable Forestry program at 740-767-2090.