Faculty
Kim Kelsey is a plant lover, nurse, and singer. She
grew up roaming the woods and beaches of Washington State on the Puget Sound. Throughout her childhood Kim was intrigued by plants and their uses as medicine.
Following her interests, Kim studied botany and ecology at The Evergreen State College. Later, she studied Reiki and attended nursing school on her path to becoming a healer. She has worked as a registered nurse at the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland for two years. Kim continues to explore her love for plants through gardening, wildcrafting, photography, and medicine making.
Scott Kloos, a Community Herbalist, Medicine Maker, and Wildcrafter, has been studying and researching the native plants of the Pacific NW for over ten years. In addition to many years of self-study, he has worked at the Herb Pharm in Williams, OR and has studied with Christopher Hobbs.
He spends much of his time in the mountains connecting with and collecting herbs. In his healing practice he works mainly with the psycho-spiritual aspects of plant medicine and leads classes on identifying and using edible & medicinal plants, medicine making, and recognizing plants as teachers. He is the founder of Cascadia Folk Medicine, which produces small batch herbal extracts from the native plants of the region and is the director of the Cascadia Materia Medica Project.
Even as a small child, growing up in the Great Pacific NW, the sheer
fragrance of lilacs entranced Rain. Chasing winter ski-racing, her love
for the mid-elevation woods grew firm. From the fast pace on skis, she slowed down to study the forest from the ground up. She started with a degree in ecological studies and a minor in biology. As if the quest for Latin wasn't enough, Rain studied with more
than a handful of women herbalists, and even a couple of men.
Augmenting her skills she became trained as a certified Scuba diver, a Wilderness First Responder, and a Core Synchronization practitioner. Rain is part of Cascadia Health Educators, a nationwide network of volunteer health care professionals who provide first aid training, and health support to environmental, labor, Native, and animal rights activists. The CHE Collective trains people in need at gatherings, marches, and ongoing campaigns across the country.
Nowadays in Portland her spare time is spent being a clinical herbalist, practicing Core Synchronization, making plant medicine, and filtering waste vegetable oil for running her diesel Benz. Through Rain's time spent propagating rare, endangered plants, a love of their genetic heritage blossomed within her, and she yearns to disperse her knowledge as they do.
Erico Schleicher, LAc, MAcOM, is a practicing acupuncturist and herbalist. Since 2003 he has been working with patients at the Center for Vibrant Health in Portland, Oregon. His recent workshops on both Western and Chinese herbs have been featured at the Breitenbush Herbal Conference and the Northwest Herbal Faire. Over the past three years, he has been the Vice President of the Oregon Acupuncture Association and the editor of the OAA newsletter, and the Health and Wellness Coordinator for the Earth Day celebration.
Erico began discovering plant medicines in 1994 and started working clinically after studying with J. Michael Moore in 1995 at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine, He taught herbal medicine classes at Oberlin College in Ohio from 1997-1999, before moving to Portland to study Chinese medicine.
Erico is deeply committed to sustainable directions for community health. He finds that by working seasonally with local and abundant plants that have discovered how to thrive in our climate, we learn to perceive the many voices that teach us how to integrate our own health into the life of the land around us.
Elizabeth Sidebottom is a Portland transplant from the
Redwood Forest. She has been playing with plants for
many years both in the garden and in the forest. She
attended Michael Moore's Southwest School of Botanical
Medicine, studied with Adam Seller in the Bay Area, and
attended various herbal seminars over the years. Also,
Elizabeth taught Herbal classes while in Humboldt Co.
with fellow SW School graduates Christa Sinadinos And
Cheryl Thompson under the guise of Three Sisters
Herbal Events. In addition to being an herbalist and
avid gardener, Elizabeth is also a Registered
Pharmacist and graduate of Temple University School of
Pharmacy. Her focus at the School for the '07 term
will be Medicine Making classes which is something
that she has always enjoyed.
Adjunct Faculty and Guest Speakers
Judy BlueHorse Skelton, (Nez Perce/Cherokee), is an educator, writer and herbalist who shares her knowledge of medicinal plants and healing at conferences, educational institutions and workshops. She is a Student Support Specialist with Portland Public Schools' Title VII Indian Education program, creating curriculum and leading cultural activities focusing on the traditional and contemporary uses of native plants for food, medicine, ceremony, and developing healthy lifeways. For ten years Judy worked at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in their clinic's medicinary. At PSU she co-teaches the capstone, Environmental Education Through Native American Lenses, and Multicultural Education and Native American Issues in the Native American Studies department. Judy serves as co-chair on the NACA (Native American Community Advisory) board and was recently invited to serve on the Mayor's Visioning Committee for the city of Portland and the Wellness Policy Advisory Board for Portland Public Schools. Judy's Health & Healing segments and Sacred Landscape segments are featured on the Wisdom of the Elders radio programs, currently airing nationwide on Public Broadcasting and AIROS (American Indian Radio on Satellite).
Colette Gardiner is an herbalist and activist with 20 years of experience teaching about the green world. She has a background in clinical herbalism, horticulture, women's health care, as well as an intense interest in all plants. She has been active in community herbalism for many years, organizing and teaching at local and national herbal conferences.
She started her magical practice twenty years ago in Southern Oregon women's circles. She is a Reclaiming Initiate, and a Faeri initiate. She was a founding member of GoddessIs, a ritual theatre collective, was a member of Strand by Strand a Reclaiming group that facilitated public ritual, and is a member of Black Cross Health Collective. She has taught at Sappho Camp and taught ritual theater at a Reclaiming Witch Camp. Published writings include "Nourishing the Menstrual Cycle", featured writings in We'Moon Almanac and publication in several anthologies. She currently is offering ritual training programs through her mystery school.
Ryan Drum, PhD, AHG, has degrees in chemistry and botany and studied herbs with Ella Birzneck at Dominion Herbal College. He has been a professional wildcrafter, herbal educator, and practicing medical herbalist for over 25 years. His extensive knowledge of seaweeds has led him to the exploration of thyroid disorders where he has become an expert in the alternative approach to thyroid health. He is also a contributing author in the book Planting the Future. For more info check out www.ryandrum.com.
Missy Rohs is the co-director of the Arctos School of Herbal Studies. She is trained in clinical herbalism and counts among her mentors Colette
Gardiner (Blue Iris School), Krista Olson (Common Roots), and Michael Moore (Southwest School of Botanical Medicine). She grows, wildcrafts, and processes her own herbal medicines under the name Two Cats Botanicals with a focus on sustainable medicines: those that grow easily in populated habitats, and those that can be harvested in the wild with minimal impact. Missy's love of plants, concern for the planet, critique of capitalism, and interest in people all inform her committment to herbalism.
Michele Eccleston is a garden designer and herbalist living in Portland,
Oregon. Last year, she started The Purple Garden, a garden planning and
design business to encourage people to deepen their connection with plants
by creating sacred spaces for refuge, relaxation, and healing. Michele
also teaches garden and herbal medicine classes out of her home and
at the Buffalo Gardens/Preserve nursery in Northeast Portland. She has
many years of gardening experience and a unique knowledge of the
plant world. Her professional work experience includes a thirteen year
career as a natural resource biologist. Michele uses her work experience,
intuition, and knowledge of native plants and herbs to create healing
gardens.
Izza has had a focused interest in herbs, nutrition, and alternative healing since 2001. She discovered flower essences in 2002, when they were prescribed by a polarity therapist. She was surprised to find that they subtly shifted attitudes and allowed for a more peaceful, transcendent state of mind. After developing a deeper connection to plants on all levels, she met and befriended several flower essence teachers through conscious gatherings in 2003, and her path with essences continued to develop, as the pull to work with plants on this level deepened. Essences have presented themselves to her as a revolutionary way to tap in to psychological and spiritual healing and intuition. They have been a great blessing in her own growth, and to those with whom she has worked with in the past few years.
Meg Turner is a licensed massage therapist, Master Herbalist, and life-long enthusiast of natural healing methods. She has taught classes in both herbology and aromatherapy, and uses them in her daily life to bring optimal health to her lifestyle. A firm believer in the sacredness of plant medicine, Meg has experienced the connection to the Earth that working with herbs brings first hand. She believes in the simple beauty and power that using herbs as a daily nutrient can bring. Her specialty is working with women's health and those who suffer from Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia. By teaching classes in herbs, Meg hopes to bring the simple beauty and wonder of natural health and healing alive to all.
Emma Whiteoak Lee is an herbalist that has been studying, making, and using plant medicines for nine years. She has lived and traveled all over the U.S. and abroad, playing the roles of both the community herbalist and the transient one. She has worked closely with 7Song and the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine for the last five years, as well as working with a variety of other medical practitioners. In 2005 she helped to start an integrative medical free clinic in Ithaca, NY, and believes that grassroots community herbalism is a tradition that is vital to the health of our planet and our society. She is currently a student at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland.
Michael Pilarski is a farmer, educator and author who has devoted his
life to studying and teaching how people can live sustainably on this
Earth. He has extensive experience in organic farming, seed collecting,
wildcrafting medicinal herbs, plant propagation, horticulture, teaching,
and international networking. He is the founder of Friends of the Trees Society (1978).
He is one of the foremost permaculture teachers and authors in the Pacific Northwest and has taught 22 design courses and hundreds of workshops. He has extensive experience in organic farming, horticulture, gardening, agroforestry, forestry, medicinal herbs, native plant uses, restoration, wildcrafting, plant propagation, fruit growing, ethnobotany and international networking. He has been a main organizer for over 100 major gatherings in the Pacific Northwest and has been an innovator in setting up networks for rural skills internships.
He has personally worked with over 1,000 species of plants. Primarily through farming, wildcrafting botanicals, collecting native plant seed, or supplying nursery stock of trees, shrubs and vines. If you are interested in a particular medicinal plant that can be grown or wildcrafted in the Pacific Northwest, chances are that he knows something about it.
Carla David has been a plant-lover since her first apprenticeship on an organic farm nearly 10 years ago. Since then, she has apprenticed with herbalists and worked as a gardener, seed-saver, teacher and winemaker. Making wines for the past 5 years as a hobby, she has recently gotten her winery license to produce and distribute Wild Wines. Her passion is to be found anywhere in the great outdoors, preferably with friends, harvesting, gathering, or merry-making amidst the plants, trees and critters.
Shawn Duncan began his love of mushrooms in 1996 after a spontaneous foray into the forest above his house in Clackamas Or. and has since been a student of Paul Stamets, David Arora, Gary Lincof and began his membership of the Oregon Mycology Society in 1998. He has achieved the certification of master cultivator as well as starting his own non-profit promotion the use of fungi in remediation called The Mycoguild which is, among other things, producing a patent pool to facilitate the further commercial progress of fungi based remediation.
and more to come...