GivingTree Farm Herb Company is once again offering a 150 hour Spring Wildcrafting Apprenticeship Program. Since 1998, GivingTree Farm Herb Company has presented popular and practical herbal apprenticeship programs for serious students of herbalism.

The Apprenticeship begins Sunday, April 1st and continues through Monday, June 4th. The program will meet for Sunday Field trips and Monday night lectures. At the end of the Apprenticeship we will also enjoy a spring overnight trip from Saturday through Sunday, June 2 - 3rd.

This introductory -to - intermediate course will cover the basic anatomy and physiology of approximately six systems of the human body and accompanying materia medica (= medicinal uses) of related plants, the majority of them local and native species.

Students will be taught taxonomy and plant identification, field botany skills, edible, medicinal and traditional uses of plants. You will learn how to: locate and properly harvest herb stands; tend and propagate stands of herbs; transport fresh herbs correctly; clean and process herbs; and recognize and avoid poisonous plants. Ecology, ethnobotany, philosophy, natural history and other forms of inquiry will be incorporated into the program.

My purpose in offering this Apprenticeship is to set you firmly on the path towards becoming a knowledgeable herbalist, ethical wildcrafter and a basic practitioner of safe and natural self-care.

Students must be willing to commit to the entire Apprenticeship; 50 hours of lecture and approximately 100 hours in the field. Our pace will be rigorous, stimulating, fun and exciting. Dedicated students will discover many wonderful and amazing things not only about plants and the natural world around them, but even more importantly, about themselves as well.

Where appropriate, we will incorporate shamanic, spiritual and mystical plant knowledge into our work together. This approach will help us create a bridge between the scientific view of the world and the world as viewed by our friends the plants. Overall, the goal is to further our sense of community, awareness and connection through our intensive study of plants.

Sunday all-day field trips will find us journeying to different areas of Oregon’s beautiful landscape. Our wanderings will cover the Oregon coast, the Cascade Mountains, and many points in-between. On field trips we will be learning plant identification and the art of ethical wildcrafting. Additionally, students will learn to make a variety of basic medicines: tinctures; salves; oils; and other healing preparations.

Perhaps one of the most important wildcrafting concepts students I emphasize is that it is frequently more important to consider what not to harvest rather than to just focus on herbs that you could be harvesting.

Monday night workshops will begin at 5pm and end at 9pm. Class will consist of about one hour each of field trip review, anatomy and physiology, herbal materia medica, and practical medicine making.

Monday night workshops will be held at the herbalist’s home located in Albany, Oregon.

Students that successfully complete the Spring Apprenticeship Program (no more than one field trip absence, or one missed workshop) will be given a certificate of achievement. They will also be eligible to apply for a position in the Summer Wildcrafting Apprenticeship Program.

College students and Health Care Professionals are encouraged to apply, especially since it may be possible to arrange continuing education units, or cooperative education credits for you. Please inquire in advance about making arrangements for these opportunities.

COST

We will have space for only 10 students. The cost of the Apprenticeship is $885 dollars. After meeting your instructor and completing an interview, a non-refundable deposit of $100 (that will be applied to your cost for the program) will reserve your space in the Apprenticeship.

Unless otherwise arranged, the full amount of the Apprenticeship is due by March 18th. Payment plans are available, please inquire about arranging payments. Please make all forms of payment payable to:  Lawrence Birch.

Students wishing to take only the Monday night workshops (and not the Sunday field trips) are welcome to attend the anatomy and physiology, herbal materia medica, and medicine making sections of the class. For workshop-only students, classes are from 6pm to 9pm. The cost for just the 30 hour workshops, is $250.

Students must commit to taking the entire workshop series. No exceptions. A non-refundable deposit of $50 (that will be applied to your cost for the workshops) will reserve your space in the Monday evening class. The full amount of the workshop is due by March 18th, unless other arrangements are made. Payment plans are available, please inquire about arranging payments.

Please note: your payment is your registration. Due to the small size of the classes, any money applied to the program or workshops cannot be refunded for any reason in the event that a student is unable to complete the course.

SUPPLIES

Students can expect an additional minimal cost of $50 - $150 for supplies, gas, etc, beyond the tuition charge.

We will be using a required text, The 2001 Revised Edition of the Handbook of Northwestern Plants by Helen Gilkey and La Rea Dennis. Costing approximately $30 new, this book will be a vital guide for understanding and categorizing the plant life we will be discovering. It will become a handy reference work for students in the future, and is a good investment. Please do not purchase the older editions of the Handbook, although they are less expensive, they are now out of date, and unacceptable.

IMPORTANT: You must purchase this book before our first class meeting, because we will be doing a botany intensive on Sunday, April 1st (no foolin'!). Check the internet, the OSU Bookstore, Browsers' Books, The Book Bin, Grass Roots Books, your local independent bookseller, or Powell’s, for “The Gilkey,” as it is affectionately known.

We will be making alcohol-based tinctures, so students will need to procure a goodly supply of alcohol, approximately three - four liters. We will be using both 40% (Vodka and perhaps Brandy) and 100% (Everclear, Puro de Cana) alcohol. The expense of alcohol can be shared among students.

The heart of our Apprenticeship will be found in the field. There is no substitute for hands-on learning. We will brave almost any conditions, however, to accomplish our learning objectives, so students must be fully prepared for challenging terrain (but nothing extreme!) and, of course, Oregon’s (in-)famous springtime weather!

What You Will Need In The Field:

o   Your Handbook of Northwestern Plants

o   Notebook and pen/pencil

o   A sturdy pair of waterproof hiking boots

o   Waterproof raingear (<sounds redundant but it’s not!)

o   Daypack

o   Water, Lunch and “Snacks” as necessary

o   A pair of sharp hand-pruners or clippers (Corona, Felco or the like)

o   Plastic and paper bags for collecting and storage

o   Glass Canning Jars, half-pint, and pint-sized for tincture making (note:  do not use Kerr brand lids, they will decompose when exposed to alcohol, use Ball brand instead)

o   Hand lens, also called a “loupe,” at least 10x which is a small magnifying glass (OSU Bookstore carries these)

AND FINALLY:

Herbalists are a colorful and unique bouquet of people.  The freedom that comes from an intimate knowledge of plants is invaluable.  With that knowledge comes a heightened sense of responsibility.  We live in a time when many of the species on our planet are threatened by our mindlessness and destructive actions.  It is our hope that by responsibly educating ourselves and others, we can change the way humans relate to the world from one of exploitation to one of balanced exchange. 

Becoming an herbalist is a great way to make a positive difference.  It has changed many lives for the better, may it change yours, too.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Lawrence Birch, BA, founder of GivingTree Farm Herb Company, is a Wildcrafter, Shamanic Practitioner and Certified Clinical Herbalist. A 1992 graduate of Columbine and Wizardry’s two-year herbal program, he was a lecturer and teaching assistant during the 1995 apprenticeship.

From 1995-96, he worked as a botanist for Oregon State University on the Long Term Ecosystem Project. He completed his clinical herbalism training at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine with Michael Moore in 2000 and currently leads field trips, teaches innovative classes, and is available as a guest lecturer.

Lawrence teaches a variety of classes privately, through LBCC and is an Instructor of Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology in the Licensed Massage Therapy Program at Lane Community College in Eugene.

TO REGISTER, SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, OR FOR MORE INFORMATION: