Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, Iowa 51542
Ages
Ages 16+ please
Cost
$10 per person
Spring is in full swing! Take a guided spring hike and discover all the edible and medicinal plants that are beginning to emerge this time of year as well as some interesting ways to preserve and use them. Become familiar with interesting spring folklore, and seasonal practices associated with the coming of May. Learn how fairy tales and traditional stories contain a lexicon for being in dialogue with the natural world. We will also discuss how you can incorporate wild foods and medicines into your own garden.
Our special guest, Shea Harkness, will offer instruction on how to prepare medicinal herbal syrups using seasonal plants which can be grown and harvested locally. She will also provide guidance on the preperation of edible plants.
Ages 16+ please. $10 per person. Park entry fee included in registration. Please meet at the Loess Hills Lodge.
About Dustin:
Dustin Clayton is a lifelong student of the natural world and an avid woods walker. He has for many years been a practitioner of various Earth-based skills including: flintknapping, folk herbalism, foraging, traditional woodworking, cordage making, and fiber arts. Additionally, he has extensively studied folk traditions and practices from around the world. He believes very deeply in approaching the land as it presents itself through the lenses of myth, craft, and contemplation. Dustin’s goal in all the programming he presents is to inspire people to get out into the woods and begin to build respectful relationships with the living world all around them.
“It is my very great hope that this program will provide people who are not scientists, but who are nevertheless filled with wonder and curiosity while in natural spaces, with access points for being in right relationship with the living world.” — Dustin Clayton
Awaken Your Connection to the Natural World Today:
This is one of nine programs that Dustin will lead this year, all with the goal of guiding you into a deeper relationship with the land by awakening your senses, curiosity, and interconnectedness with the living communities of which you are a part. Each program will include three components: traditional craft, folk/ancestral knowledge, and contemplative engagement. These programs will naturally build on each other and have cumulative value, but participants do not need to attend them all to gain understanding and a sense of awakening. We hope to see you soon - whether it’s for a single program or more!
About Shea:
Shea Harkness is a formally trained, clinical herbalist with several years working in western and traditional medicine. She has spent a lifetime tending gardens, learning about and growing medicinal herbs. She teaches regularly at the local herbalism school and hosts classes at the farm.
Please note that processing fees will not be refunded. Guests may cancel their reservation for a refund up to 1 week (7 days) prior to the program date by calling 712-545-3283 and speaking with staff directly. Cancellations received less than 1 week (7 days) in advance of the event will not be refunded. Fees for programs canceled by Pottawattamie Conservation due to weather or other circumstances will be refunded, including the processing fee.
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