Faculty
Kim Kelsey is a plant lover, nurse, and singer. She grew up exploring 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. Since 2005, she has worked in Portland as a registered nurse at the Oregon Health and Sciences University. Kim continues to explore her love for plants through gardening, wildcrafting, photography, and medicine making.
Scott Kloos is a Plant Medicine Practitioner, Medicine Maker, and Wildcrafter, and has been studying and researching the native plants of the Pacific NW since the late 90's. In addition to many years of self-study, he completed the 1999 Herbal Apprenticeship Program at the Herb Pharm in Williams, OR, and in 2000, he attended a nine-month Community Herbalist Training Program with Christopher Hobbs. In 2009, he studied Traditional Western Herbalism: An Intuitive and Energetic Approach with Matthew Wood in Portland, OR.
He spent seven years studying the human psyche (his own and others) in Paul Levy's Awakening in the Dream group. Paul's unique synthesis of the Dzogchen School of Tibetan Buddhism, Western Alchemy, Jungian Psychology, the Dreambody Psychology of Arnold Mindell, and shamanism deeply shaped his view of the world and his approach to healing and working with plants.
He is the owner of Cascadia Folk Medicine, which produces small batch herbal extracts from the native plants of the region. In his healing practice he works with the psycho-spiritual aspects of plant medicine and leads weekly Plant Teacher classes exploring the physical and psycho-spiritual properties of the plants of the Pacific Northwest. He is the founder of The School of Forest Medicine in Portland, OR, and a faculty member of Matthew Wood's School of Traditional Western Herbalism.
Erico Schleicher, LAc, MAcOM, is a practicing acupuncturist and herbalist. Since 2003 he has been working with patients in Portland, Oregon, currently at Portland Natural Health Clinic. Erico is deeply committed to sustainable directions for community health. He finds that when we work seasonally with locally available plants that have discovered how to thrive in our bioregion, we learn to perceive the many voices that teach us how to integrate our own health into the life of the land around us.
Erico began discovering plant medicines in 1994 and started working clinically after studying with Michael S. Moore in 1995 at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. His workshops on both Western and Chinese herbs have been featured at the Breitenbush Herbal Conference, the Northwest Herbal Faire, Tryon Life Community Farm and the Montana Herb Gathering.
Adjunct Faculty and Guest Speakers
Karin Rohland started playing with plants as a little girl when she and her sister Liesl combined rose petals and sweet gum pollen into fairy potions in the backyard. She earned a BS in Botany with an option in Plant Systematics and Ecology from Oregon State University and has worked in the forests and prairies of the Pacific Northwest surveying, studying, and restoring native vascular plants, lichens, and bryophytes. In addition to studying their relationships with each other, she loves to grow, gather, and process flowers, food, and medicinals and explore the relationships between plants and people. Currently she is a student of Chinese medicine at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.
Dr. Deborah Frances R.N., N.D., began her career in health care as a registered nurse, where she gathered extensive experience in a wide range of fields, including psychiatry, women's health, family practice and intensive and coronary care. In 1993, she graduated from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Frances currently runs a full family practice in the Portland, Oregon area, utilizing natural therapies such as homeopathy, herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, physical medicine, and nutrition. In addition Dr. Frances uses hands on energy therapies to help resolve blocked mental, emotional or spiritual patterns.
Dr. Frances lectures at herbal and naturopathic conferences across the country. She also teaches classes in plant spirit medicine, shamanic journeying, dream work, animal communication, herbal and homeopathic therapies, and naturopathic therapies for horses. www.dancingcrow.net
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).
Flower alchemist Camilla Blossom entered a profound rebirthing process in 1994 after the homebirth of her son. Flower essences became her primary medicine to heal, reclaim, and awaken her divine feminine and mothering nature.
Since 2000, Camilla has been creating flower essences with the Devas of the Columbia River Gorge (Washington, Oregon) and Hawaii. Her flower essences and aromatherapy products, 3 Flowers Healing (since 1997), enjoy an international following.
Camilla is an Intuitive, Empath, Flower Essence Practitioner/Educator, Reiki Master, Vibrational Healer & Certified Aromatherapist. She is author of "Listening to the Wildflowers: A Flower Whisperer's Guide to the Columbia River Gorge Flower Essences" and has taught at Birthingway College of Midwifery, New Renaissance (Portland, Oregon), East West (Seattle) and many other venues.
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.