Happy 20th Anniversary AERA
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 Photo Documentary of our beloved mentors who inspired us in our youth to respect and honor nature and all living beings.  Their inspiration and wisdom lives on as it is passed from us to the next seven generations.

 

 

	Sam B. Boone Sr. and Mary Archie Boone at Hart Prairie, Flagstaff, Arizona. Photo by John Aber, 1983.
	Senora Marion Valencia, proprietrous of Casa Valencia, practiced the art of herbalism for 50 years in the Sonoran Desert.  She accumulated a vast comparative ethnobotanical repertoire of plants used by both Native American Indigenous cultures and Northern Mexican Curandaras.  Senora Valencia is pictured here in front of her herb store in Coolidge, AZ. Photo by Phyllis Hogan, 1974.
	Alfred Frank Whiting, renowned Southwest Ethnologist and author of Ethnobotany of the Hopi. Pictured: A.F. Whiting trading with Vivian Tiwangihoma at Mishongnovi.   Photo by Robert Fronske, 1938. Courtesy of the Museum of Northern Arizona The Trade- Whiting asks "Yucca is about your most useful plant?" Vivian replies "Yes, we get sugar and coffee from it."
	Dr. Walter B. McDougall, charter member of the ecological society of America and recipient of the 1977 eminent ecologist award.  Dr. McDougall is pictured in his office at the Museum of Northern Arizona Herbarium.   Photo by Marc Gaede, 1973. Courtesy of MNA color=#287d7d>
	Herbert Talahaftewa, a renowned Hopi bone doctor, herbalist and traditional practitioner fought for environmental justice and the protection of sacred traditional medicine gardens. His wife, Evangaline was an award winning basket weaver as well as head matriarch of the women's basket society in the village of Shongopovi.  The Talahaftewas are pictured here in front of their home in the village of Shongopovi, Second Mesa, AZ in 1973. Photo courtesy of MNA
	Phyllis Hogan and Sam Boone, Sr. at Buffalo Park, Flagstaff, AZ in the spring of 1982.   Photo by John Aber

 

The Plant Ambasador

Spring/Summer 2006

 

AERA Attends Grassroots Conference on Genetically Engineered Foods and Biopiracy

We are the sun that energizes us, the land that sustains us, the air that we breathe, and the food that we eat. In the latest abomination to Mother Earth and her children, there is a huge corporate and political push on the move to turn all American food crops into products never before found in nature, which are potentially dangerous to human bodies and ecosystems. These man-made creations are called genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Not only major crops such as soy, corn, and wheat are and will be targeted, but even indigenous local specialties such as the Havasupai sunflower, and the wild rice that has sustained the Anishinabe in Minnesota for millennia.

Activist and author Winona LaDuke, never one to take things sitting down, has been fighting against corporate and university patenting of native foods for several years now. On February 17-20, Winona, Sarah Alexander, and their organization, the White Earth Land Recovery Project (www.nativeharvest.com/)., presented a conference addressing the issues. Held at the Sandia Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the conference, entitled “Bio-piracy, Bio-colonialism and the Development of Strategies to Address these Issues Today” was a forum for Native and other concerned peoples to gather, discuss, and strategize on how to defend against this latest assault on indigenous ways.

Biopiracy is the seizing of indigenous botanical and medicinal knowledge by large corporations, universities, and governments. These foreign institutions then turn around and patent the genes from their new sources, making large profits, while rarely if ever compensating the people whose knowledge and life resources were stolen from them. Indigenous groups from all over the world have been victims of this newest form of immoral and avaricious corporate dominance.

Luckily, a highly skilled and dedicated delegation of diverse groups attended the conference, discussing how to take action against this serious threat. A project called GMO -Free Hawaii (www.higean.org) presented on the situation in Hawaii, including their campaign to stop the release of GMO taro root, a staple native food. They discussed the inherent dangers of plant made pharmaceuticals and showed a comprehensive power-point presentation covering their vision for sustainable agriculture in Hawaii.

Another presenter was Dr. Ignacio Chapela, Assistant Professor of Microbial Ecology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has been very outspoken on academic freedom and against corporate funding for biotechnological research. In his studies, he and his graduate student discovered that maize in the highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico is contaminated with GMO genes from the corporation Monsanto, a major producer of GMO seeds. In response to this, he founded The Mycological Facility, where native Oaxacans can work together to protect their natural resources and indigenous rights.

Miguel Santistevan, representing the Asacequia farmers of Northern New Mexico, presented the conference with a working draft declaration of seed sovereignty. Paul Schultz, a traditional healing practitioner, also spoke. He is a tribal elder from the Anishinabe/Ojibiway Mississippi Bear Clan, and is a board member for the White Earth Land Recovery Program. He has also been active as a lobbyist for federal government programs impacting oppressed people, and has worked with representatives for the United Nations in efforts to promote global justice.

Several of the 52 conference participants hailed from Northern Arizona. Bucky Preston from the Hopi tribe was an honored guest. Dr. Carol Thompson, a political economist from Northern Arizona University (NAU), does work in Southern Africa and Mexico helping non-governmental organizations oppose U.S. sanctioned agricultural trade agreements. Dr. Gary Nabhan, Director of the Center for Sustainable Environments program at NAU (www.environment.nau.edu) gave great insight into the development of GMO free zones, and presented the group with information from his new book and grassroots campaign, Renewing America's Food Traditions (RAFT).

The AERA were invited guests to the conference, joining Winona, and all of these other incredible people in this grassroots effort. Phyllis and Jonah gave a presentation on 15 plants used in Hopi and Navajo healing. The AERA plant exhibit was left up throughout the entire conference, a visual and tactile reminder of the sacred organisms that all these groups are fighting for. Hopefully with sustained efforts against this insidious corporate movement, these plants will be able to remain as nature intended them to be: wild, free, and used by humans in a respectful and sustainable way.

 

 

"One of our most precious resources is under attack by the forces of greed and indifference. Through the manipulation of the very essence of each plant, science has managed to mutate and distort our food and medicines in the name of convenience and profit.

Through the exchange of knowledge and information from the other participants [at the conference], I have learned more about how tremendous this industry has grown. We are in danger of losing the foods and medicine that have kept our peoples in existence for thousands of years. I believe that it is more important than ever for people to protect our traditional seeds and to learn as much as we can on how to combat this growing industry through the use of traditional farming and education.

I was very heartened to learn that there are a growing number of organizations and educators banding together to change laws and to implement local change in the way we eat and think about food. By organizing community and school garden projects in urban areas, and by encouraging traditional farmers to save and exchange our ancient strains of seed, and to know where your seed comes from, we ensure that we will not be contaminated by foods that are altered. Everyone can help in this battle by becoming involved in your community and by supporting local organic and non-GMO agriculture. We must pressure our local supermarkets to buy only from these growers and to teach our youth about what goes into their bodies. By seeing such programs being implemented in my own community, I am now filled with hope in the knowledge that we can win this fight against bio business and to make sure that we will never again have to worry whether or not the most basic and needed part of our world will disappear". Jonah Hill

 

 

Caption- Drawing by Buddy James

 

Jonah Hill (seated) explaining the uses of native Arizonan plants to two of Winona LaDuke’s 5 children, Ajaiawak Kapashesit (left) and Jon Martin at the Indigenous People’s Convening on Biopiracy, February 17-20 th. The AERA were invited guests at the conference.

 

 

Dr. Carol Thompson, Daresa Ryan and Jonah Hill enjoying a break at the conference.

 

 

Paul Schultz, Ashinabe traditional healing practitioner, and Dr. Ignacio Chapela, professor and indigenous people's advocator, with the Sandia Mountain range in the distance.

 

 

 AERA visits the SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF BOTANICAL MEDICINE

 

Phyllis spent 3 days in early March in Bisbee, AZ for a lecture presentation at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine (www.swsbm.com). Michael Moore is the Director and Donna Chesner is the Administrator for this esteemed, 19-week residency program, which is in its 27th and final season. Phyllis is an invited lecturer every year, educating the students on the mission and purpose of the AERA. Her important teachings this time around included a background on the many different Native tribes in Arizona, a basic land ethic taught to her by her elders, and instruction on where and how to collect plants properly. She gave a power-point presentation on the Little Colorado River Field Institute, the outdoor field school she co-taught with Jill Dedera in 2005. Interspersed throughout her presentations she reviewed around 20 of the most important medicinal plants of Arizona including creosotebush, juniper, yerba manzo, and maize.

 

 

 

Donna Chesner, Phyllis Hogan, and Michael Moore stand in front of an extensive collection of botanicals and tinctures at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine in Bisbee, AZ. Phyllis visited the school in early March, 2006.

 

 

AERA and Youth for the Peaks get radical medicinal!

 

 

On March 18 th, 2006, the AERA was asked to lead the first workshop as part of Native Movement’s Medicina Libre Health Practitioner Lecture Series. The monthly series takes place at the Hive Collective and is open to the public. It is a community based healing program aimed at empowering people to live healthy lives and help others within the community (www.nativemovement.org). After an introduction to the AERA and it’s mission, Phyllis led the workshop on the practice of using local medicinal herbs to keep the body’s immune system functioning at a high level during the transitional springtime months, when people are highly susceptible to colds and flues. She discussed the mind-body connection as it relates to physical and spiritual healing. She mentioned several important herbs, such as juniper and ephedra, explaining when it is appropriate to use them and discussing correct preparation techniques. Jonah and Raven also contributed expertise gained from their experience with the AERA and work at Winter Sun Trading Company, each speaking on three of their favorite medicinal herbs. Raven shared information on mullein (Verbascum thapsus), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and Oregon grape (Mahonia repens), while Jonah taught the listeners about osha (Ligusticum porteri), poliomintha (Poliomintha incana), and Hohosi (Thelosperma megapotomicum). The group came away with knowledge on how the proper use of diet, herbs, and a balanced way of living can ensure a happy and healthy mind and body from youth to maturity.

 

 

Native Movement brings together community members, Youth for the Peaks, Indigo Movement, and the AERA for a workshop entitled “Springtime Herbs to Keep you Healthy”.

 

 

Jonah Hill prepares a table displaying whole plants, medicinal preparations such as tinctures and salves, and herbarium sheets with pressed plants. Raven Brianne Commanda looks on while preparing to speak about three native medicinal plants: mullein, yarrow and Oregon grape.

 

 

Plant Walks in Paradise

 

In our book, spring and summer are synonymous with plant walks! What a great feeling, when those first warm days break, to dust off the walking sticks, hand lenses, and Super Salve Sun Cream in anticipation of getting the blood flowing and the senses stimulated. Greeting familiar plant friends in their newest stages of growth is like a wonderful reunion in celebration of a birth in the family. We were lucky this year to add some special 2-legged friends on our first few plant walks, as well.

The first walk was on April 2nd in conjunction with the Flagstaff Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society (ANPS; www.aznps.org). This 2 1/2 mile trek, lead by botanist and architect Max Licher, followed the Huckabee Trail in Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona. Phyllis Hogan, Jessa Fisher, and Jonah Hill attended the hike along with other ANPS members and a visiting herbalist from Portland, Oregon, Cascade Anderson Gellar. Cascade has enjoyed a lifelong career teaching others about healing plants, including 13 years at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, and came armed with esoteric and insightful tidbits about the plants we saw, many of which grow in the Pacific Northwest, as well. Max used his superb plant identification skills, even in the basal rosette stage, to introduce us (or re-introduce us, as the case may be) to over 100 plants! Phyllis and Cascade filled in the gaps with knowledge of medicinal uses of many of the herbs, shrubs, trees, and vines we saw that day. The hike concluded at Max’s house off Schnebly Hill Road where he demonstrated the workings of his copper plant distillation set-up, which he purchased and assembled after attending an inspiring field trip to the essential oil capital of the world in Provence, France. We sampled the aromatic oils he has created from plants harvested right in the area or from his flourishing garden, such as clary sage, juniper, and lavender. Max is very active in the botanical world in Northern Arizona, and has created a checklist to the plants of Huckabee Trail and other areas of Sedona, available for free at local Forest Service stations.

We were on such a roll with spring fever that we couldn’t resist another hike the very next day. Phyllis, Cascade, and Jessa traveled down the valley to Montezuma Well National Monument to meet a group of students on the last leg of their three-month Southwest tour. The group was from Earlham College, a small Quaker liberal arts school in Indiana. They had been traveling all over the area for a semester of out-of-classroom experiences. Before heading our way, they had spent 3 weeks in Mexico and Baja California learning about basketry and Sonoran Desert Plants with Dr. Gary Nabhan and the Seri Indians. After their day with us, they were off to learn about both sides of the issue involving fake snowmaking on the sacred San Francisco Peaks, and to the Hopi Reservation to help AERA intern Lillian Hill construct her cob house. The group consisted of 12 students, including 2 trip leaders, James Sterrett and Flagstaff resident Rosemary Logan, who has worked with the AERA in the past.

Phyllis began the day with a prayer and a serious discussion of the role that young students must play in healing our planet. She then taught the group some of the important plants in the area that are available for help in this sometimes overwhelming personal and societal endeavor. All of the plants growing at the Monument are very sacred, strong medicine and have been used by tribes for thousands of years. Phyllis had students pick and nibble on the berries of pink berry juniper (Juniperus coahuilensis) and discussed different uses for the plant, such as a tea of the boiled berries as a disinfectant for the urinary tract, and the ash of the leaves and wood as a nutritious additive to corn meal for the making of piki bread. We saw creosote bush, or “little stinker” because of its distinct smell (Larrea tridentata), a favorite of the Tohono O’odham tribe because of its uses as an anti-fungal, anti-microbial and as a topical rub to treat rheumatism and arthritis. When we stopped at an important Diné Lifeway Medicine, buffalo fir (Acourtia wrightii, ‘Lyani Ghaa’ in Diné), Phyllis discussed proper plant collection protocol in the way that she was taught by the Diné, Hopi, and Indigenous Mexican Elders who guided her training. Other important plants Phyllis and Cascade discussed were snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), barberry (Mahonia haematocarpa), tobacco (Nicotiana trigonophylla), ephedra (Ephedra viridis), globemallow (Sphaeralcea sp.), cliffrose (Purshia mexicana var. stansburyana), and bricklebush (Brickellia californica).

We made our way uphill and finally arrived at the Montezuma Well itself, and it was unusual and initially breathtaking for everyone to see such a large body of water in these dry parts. The Well was so special to the Yavapai that it is honored as their place of emergence onto this earth, and also has significance to the Hopi who migrated in and out of the area. It is a collapsed limestone cavern, 359 feet across and 55 feet deep, with pit houses around the rim. After marveling at the water and the new seasonal growth around it, the group made its way to the sacred spring, flowing out of the rock wall towards the bottom of the Well. There we all sat down and dipped our feet in the cool canal coming from the spring, under the shade of a magnificent, ancient sycamore. The students had a chance to ask Phyllis intimate questions about her career and how she came to be trusted by the Native communities she serves. It was a highly charged and meaningful day for all, including the spirits floating on the breeze, whose presence could be undeniably sensed.

The week of plant walks continued in conjunction with the 11 th annual Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine held at the Southwest College of Naturaopathic Medicine in Tempe, on April 7 th- 9 th. Phyllis, Cascade, and Jonah lead conference attendees on a trek through Usery Mountain Park on the first day of the conference. The untouched wilderness area comprises 3,648 acres of Sonoran Desert vegetation at the western end of the Goldfield Mountains, adjacent to the Tonto National Forest. The park features stunning individuals of saguaro cactus, ocotillo, barrel cactus, and an amazing array medicinal herbs and shrubs.

The next day, Phyllis led another walk at the Wallace Desert Gardens. The recently deceased Henry Browne (H.B.) Wallace was a philanthropist from a long family line of prominent scientists and agriculturalists. The Wallace Desert Gardens in Scottsdale, on the H.B. Wallace and Jocelyn M. Wallace estate, is the largest private collection of desert plants in the world. They houses 2,500 specimens, almost half of which are cacti. The original and still current purpose of the gardens Pam Slate, a master gardener, is the garden curator and was instrumental in helping Phyllis to organize the event.

A final walk on April 9th, to round out the week, was lead by Phyllis at the Desert Botanical Garden in Tempe. Conference attendees, including several esteemed herbalists, participated in the casual hike around the beautifully landscaped gardens. Rosemary Gladstar attended, an herbalist and author from Vermont, who is the founder of Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center, and President of United Plant Savers (UpS). A likeminded organization to the AERA, their mission is to “...protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come” (www.unitedplantsavers.org). Mimi Kamp is a botanical illustrator and flower essence fanatic living in Bisbee, AZ. Her partner, Francisco Ozuna, is of Apache and Yaqui heritage, with roots in the curandero tradition deep in Sonora, Mexico. All of the participants and Phyllis enjoyed a splendid day in the sun visiting with each other and the marvelous plant collection at the Desert Botanical Garden.

 

 

 

 

Max Licher waxing eloquently about his favorite Sedona spring bloomers

 

Earlham students sit with Jessa and Cascade Anderson-Gellar (bottom right) at Montezuma Well

 

Rosemary Logan (seated next to Phyllis) and other Earlham students soak their feet in the refreshing canal which channels the spring at the base of Montezuma Well.

 

 

Phyllis, Cascade-Anderson Gellar, and Jonah join a double-headed adolescent saguaro for a hike at the Usery Mountain Wilderness area in conjunction with the Southwest Botanical Medicine Conference on April 7 th.

 

A gorgeous pair, both in full bloom, on a perfect spring day at the Wallace Desert Gardens. Phyllis led a plant walk there on Saturday, April 8 th for attendees of the Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine.

 

Cascade Anderson-Gellar, Rosemary Gladstar, Mimi Kamp, and Francisco Ozuna enjoy the day at the Desert Botanical Garden on a plant walk led by Phyllis.

 

 

 

A Day of Sonoran Desert Ethnobotany with Muffin Burgess

 

The Sonoran Desert in the spring means a vibrant landscape of blooming palo verde, mesquite, creosote, and ocotillo. These plants and many more were traditionally harvested this time of year and used by the Tohono O'odham, who are from the southern Arizona and northern Mexico region. Muffin Burgess, a well seasoned ethnobotanist, artist, teacher, and entrepreneur, led a workshop on April 29 th at her Tucson homestead, passing on the wisdom she has gleaned on these sacred plants. Jessa and seven others attended the workshop and put their newfound skills to use as the day culminated with the preparation of a feast harvested from the desert.

One of Muffin's mentors while she was a docent at the Sonoran Desert Museum was Juanita Ahil, a Tohono O'odham elder well versed in the traditional ways. The first project of the day was to make Tohono O'odham style tongs, or "wow' wo'", used for collecting various cactus parts including cholla buds, prickly pear pads, and saguaro fruits. Next we put our wow' wo' to use in Muffins own backyard, which is a wild desert landscape. With each plant we visited, Muffin passed on information from Juanita on how to collect and harvest for food and medicinal uses. Plants discussed included cholla (Opuntia versicolor and O. acanthicarpa, "ciolim"- Tohono O'odham name), triangle bursage (Ambrosia deltoidea), foothills paloverde (Parkinsonia microphylla), desert vervain (Glandularia goodingii), pricklypear (Opuntia engelmanii), California trixis (Trixis californica), brittlebush (Encelia farinosa, "tohawes"), desert broom (Baccharis sarothroides), jumping cholla (Opuntia fulgida), jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis), and ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens, "melhog").

After collecting cholla flower buds, prickly pear pads, and ocotillo flowers, we returned to our staging area to prepare and cook our rewarding lunch. Desert grown tepary beans were slow cooked in a solar oven. Cholla buds were de-spined and boiled. Pricklypear pads were de-spined and cooked in a stir-fry. Mesquite flour and Hopi corn bread was baked and a leafy salad was tossed with a chia seed and pricklypear fruit dressing. To drink we had ocotillo tea, and for dessert was a mequite flour honey cake and strips of prickly pear fruit leather. With an ever-present smile and elegant demeanor, Muffin showed us all how a little enjoyable labor can provide a delicious, nutritious, and flavorful meal.

 

 

Martha (Muffin) Burgiss posing with jojoba, a plant widely used by the Tohono O'odham tribe in Southern Arizona

 

The class used traditional Tohono O'odham "waw'wo" tongs made of saguaro cactus skeletons, to harvest prickly pear pads and cholla buds

 

 

 

 

A Look at the Dandelion: A Dandy Spring Tonic

 

Its spring- at last! Yes, it’s really spring, the time when nature comes ALIVE. Hibernating animals torpidly look for food and the ubiquitous little dandelion makes her grand entrance in every lawn and sidewalk crack around the world, announcing the vibrancy of spring and beckoning a genial season.

 

To most folks, the dandelion represents a troublesome weed, unsightly and rather homely. Some expound a great deal of energy trying to rid their gardens and lawn from the cheerful little plant. So why then was the dandelion deliberately brought to Turtle Island by European settlers? Believe it or not that little yellow-headed pest is one of natures best and most respected natural medicines.

 

A member of the Composite or Sunflower family, dandelion is a small perennial with a stout taproot. Native to Europe and Asia, the plant thrives in nitrogen rich soil around the world. The scientific name for the widespread species we are familiar with is Taraxacum officinale. The common name dandelion comes from the French words “dent de lion”, meaning lion’s tooth. The smooth green leaves have deep side notches, which, if you stretch your imagination, resemble teeth. The smooth, straight, hollow stem, and actually the entire plant, contains a bitter white, milky latex-like juice.

 

Dandelion differs from most other plants in the way it reproduces. The golden-yellow head is really a cluster of flowers, whose ovaries form fertile seeds without having to be pollinated. At maturity, they become feathered, cottony seeds that the wind can blow into infinity. Folk lore says that if you can blow all the tufted fruits off in one breath, your wish will come true and your thoughts and dreams are carried off to your loved ones.

 

Nicholas Culpepper was a famous astrologer, physician, and humanitarian of the early 17 th century. He practiced medicine in central London, and left a vast collection of herbal remedies as his legacy to future generations of herbalists. Culpepper used dandelion in his practice as a treatment for “obstructions of the liver, gall, and the spleen and the diseases that arise from them”. He noted that the French and the Dutch often ate dandelion greens in the spring. Contemporary herbalists use dandelion in much the same way as Culpepper did over three hundred years ago. Dandelion is among one of the most widely prescribed plants in the world.

 

The leaves contain a rich source of vitamin A and C, and are still relished today steamed or in salad, which is my favorite way to eat them. The leaves and roots contain a high amount of iron and potassium, useful for those suffering from anemia. I pick the greens in early spring when they are still young and fresh. Never pick dandelions in a yard where chemicals have been sprayed or in a polluted area like a city park or by the side of the road.

 

The roots contain the bitter principles taraxacum and triterpine, and other phytochemicals including taraxol, taraxasterol sterols, inulin, sugars, pectin, glycosides, choline, phenolic acids, asparagines, vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, and especially potassium.

 

In Germany, according to the Commission E Monographs, a standard medicinal tea is prepared from the roots and the leaves to treat liver disorders, digestive and gastrointestinal complaints and as a mild diuretic. The Chinese use it for infections, inflammation, boils on the skin, swelling, and apply the milky juice to snake bites. It appears in Chinese medical texts as early as AD 659. Navajo herbalists apply the fresh leaves to ant and spider bites. The roots can be roasted and made into a strong tea, which Europeans call Dandelion Coffee. It is a little bitter (but then so is a cappuccino!)

 

Dandelion root cleanses the blood, and is a powerful but gentle spring tonic to the kidneys and liver after the stagnation of winter.

Fresh or dried preparations are used as a mild laxative, to treat gallstones, jaundice, and other liver problems. Dandelion is also used for chronic joint complaints, rheumatoid arthritis, and skin conditions such as eczema and acne. Prepared as a tea or a tincture this little plant has been an enormous medicine throughout history. Next time you walk past and nibble on this inconspicuous, sunny “weed”, remember that powerful magic sometimes comes in small, humble packages.

 

Dandelion References

 

Steven Foster and Rebecca L. Johnson Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine 2006

National Geographic

 

Mark Blumenthal Alicia Goldberg, Josef Brinckmann Herbal Medicine Expanded Commission E. Monographs 2000 American Botanical Council

 

 

 

 

Jessa Joins the AERA Family!

 

The AERA would like to welcome new blood! Jessa Faith Fisher is a native of Rochester, New York and received her bachelors in Environmental Studies from New College in Sarasota, Florida. Her undergraduate thesis was on a rare ethnobotanical plant growing on the barrier islands off the Florida coast, Cereus gracilis var. aboriginum, the yellow apple cactus. Last year she graduated from NAU with a masters in Environmental Sciences and Policy, studying a grazing history of Glen Canyon NRA using fossil plants found in packrat middens. Between schools she held several internships including with The Nature Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Herb Pharm. She is currently the president of the Flagstaff Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society, and has had many various plant field jobs in Arizona and the Colorado Plateau. Jessa has recently been helping out at Winter Sun Trading Company and with DeeAnn Tracy on her Sister Creations and Peak Scents line of all natural skin care. Together with Phyllis, she has been working on grant-writing to fund a project updating and databasing the extensive AERA herbarium, which is a repository of over 1000 bioregional ethnobotanically utilized plant specimens, the only plant collection of its kind. Jessa has had a deep connection to the plant world ever since she was a child. She is excited to have the opportunity to work with the AERA and continue her passion of expressing to people how important plants are to our very existence.

 

Jessa enjoying being with her Sonoran Desert Plant Friends

 

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