Sanctuaries & Trails
United Plant Savers
The terms I use, Botanical Sanctuary and Medicine Trail, are borrowed from United Plant Savers (UpS). UpS is a non-profit organization which works to preserve wild populations of medicinal plants which face many challenges. UpS offers education on how to replenish lost populations and better meet medicinal demands. As an organization they have compiled two lists of plants: those that are “at-risk” and those that are “to-watch”. For more information on UpS, click here.
What is a Botanical Sanctuary/Medicine Trail?
From the perspective of the work I do, a Botanical Sanctuary/Medicine Trail is an intentionally manifested haven for our native floral friends, created to provide habitat where they can thrive for years or decades, continually providing wonder, all without having to worry of being removed or destroyed. Many native plants suffer from habitat loss due to forests being cleared for lumber or the creation of farmland and rural home sites. These plant populations also have to deal with erosion, pollution, invasive exotics, overharvesting for sell as food (ramps) and medicine (ginseng, goldenseal). Even overbrowsing by a deer population that is on the rise (due to a lack of predators and the cultural loss of hunting meat) is putting stress on native plant populations. These are some of the challenges they face. Botanical Sanctuaries and Medicine Trails are two way we can help our native plants to meet these challenges.
How do Botanical Sanctuaries and Medicine Trails differ?
Well, let’s start by saying a Medicine Trail is a Botanical Sanctuary but a Botanical Sanctuary is not necessarily a Medicine Trail. The main way they differ is in infrastructure and design. A Medicine Trail is designed to be accessed on a regular basis for research, plant walks, botany lessons, and so on. Often each plot of native plants in a Medicine Trail will have a sign nearby with the plant’s name, along with other information that may serve useful for educational or other purposes. A trail is intended to wind its way through the plots of native medicinal plants, hence the name Medicine Trail. It is best suited for those persons or organizations that want to offer education and research on the plants and their environments.
Now, a Botanical Sanctuary is more of a personal thing. You may have many acres of forest that you would love to plant native woodland medicinals, but you do not have a desire for any regular access or have a need for trails and signs to complete your sanctuary. You may intend to grow larger more scattered patches of plants, and you even may intend to harvest medicine for you and your family some day after you have built up populations on your land. A Botanical Sanctuary in this way is much more loose and is open to the imagination of the landowner and his/her needs.
Cost
The fee for my time is $30/hour for consultations. There is a 2 hour minimum. I can also do installations. If that is desired it will be discussed separately. I will drive within a 30 mile radius of home for no charge. Any miles over that I ask 75 cents a mile or vehicle maintenance. I am open to partial trade and barter.
The terms I use, Botanical Sanctuary and Medicine Trail, are borrowed from United Plant Savers (UpS). UpS is a non-profit organization which works to preserve wild populations of medicinal plants which face many challenges. UpS offers education on how to replenish lost populations and better meet medicinal demands. As an organization they have compiled two lists of plants: those that are “at-risk” and those that are “to-watch”. For more information on UpS, click here.
What is a Botanical Sanctuary/Medicine Trail?
From the perspective of the work I do, a Botanical Sanctuary/Medicine Trail is an intentionally manifested haven for our native floral friends, created to provide habitat where they can thrive for years or decades, continually providing wonder, all without having to worry of being removed or destroyed. Many native plants suffer from habitat loss due to forests being cleared for lumber or the creation of farmland and rural home sites. These plant populations also have to deal with erosion, pollution, invasive exotics, overharvesting for sell as food (ramps) and medicine (ginseng, goldenseal). Even overbrowsing by a deer population that is on the rise (due to a lack of predators and the cultural loss of hunting meat) is putting stress on native plant populations. These are some of the challenges they face. Botanical Sanctuaries and Medicine Trails are two way we can help our native plants to meet these challenges.
How do Botanical Sanctuaries and Medicine Trails differ?
Well, let’s start by saying a Medicine Trail is a Botanical Sanctuary but a Botanical Sanctuary is not necessarily a Medicine Trail. The main way they differ is in infrastructure and design. A Medicine Trail is designed to be accessed on a regular basis for research, plant walks, botany lessons, and so on. Often each plot of native plants in a Medicine Trail will have a sign nearby with the plant’s name, along with other information that may serve useful for educational or other purposes. A trail is intended to wind its way through the plots of native medicinal plants, hence the name Medicine Trail. It is best suited for those persons or organizations that want to offer education and research on the plants and their environments.
Now, a Botanical Sanctuary is more of a personal thing. You may have many acres of forest that you would love to plant native woodland medicinals, but you do not have a desire for any regular access or have a need for trails and signs to complete your sanctuary. You may intend to grow larger more scattered patches of plants, and you even may intend to harvest medicine for you and your family some day after you have built up populations on your land. A Botanical Sanctuary in this way is much more loose and is open to the imagination of the landowner and his/her needs.
Cost
The fee for my time is $30/hour for consultations. There is a 2 hour minimum. I can also do installations. If that is desired it will be discussed separately. I will drive within a 30 mile radius of home for no charge. Any miles over that I ask 75 cents a mile or vehicle maintenance. I am open to partial trade and barter.