Mindful Foraging
Co Hosted with:
Join us to remember ways of life that continually reinforce relationships and responsibilities between people and plants. As we visit with edible and medicinal plants and learn basic plant identification, foraging, and tending skills, we will also explore the landscape as a storied and diverse Indigenous homeland, ponder the plant relationships of our various ancestors, and discuss ways to build culturally rich, reciprocal relationships with this place that is now our common home.
IN THIS WORKSHOP:
Remember ancestral relationships to plants through story, culture, and language
Strengthen plant identification, harvesting, and tending skills
Learn about the ways that cultures shape food systems
Go beyond outdoor recreation - live well in your place
Details:
Date: July 11, 2026, 10:30AM to 3:00PM
Meet at Jack Creek Preserve’s Outdoor Education Center (OEC)
Cost: $40 per person
Bring your own field guides, notebook, etc.
There will be a brief indoor classroom part of the workshop and a field portion.
Bring your own lunch, water, snacks, and weather-appropriate gear.
We are capping the event at 20 people.
About the instructor: Ashley Martens
Ever since hand-feeding chickadees with her grandparents as a young child, Ashley has sought out intimate relationships with nature through both scientific inquiry and mindful nature-connection. After meandering her way through studying the life sciences in her young adulthood, she finally settled on a B.S. in Biology, an M.S. in Environmental Science, and certifications in teaching yoga, dance, and meditation. She has studied with leading researchers at various Universities and renowned teachers from the Wilderness Awareness School through the Art of Mentoring. Becoming a naturalist takes time and attention — from hunting for arrowheads in the gullys of high-desert Wyoming as a child, to surveying woodpeckers in the backwoods of north Idaho, to researching seabirds on a remote wildlife refuge island in the Straight of Juan de Fuca, to reintroducing Mountain Quail in eastern Washington, Ashley weaves all of her experiences into her work. She brings her values of lifelong-learning and community-building forward in her teaching and facilitation. Her approach is to empower your learning journey by guiding you to learn from nature, rather than simply about it.