Green University® LLC Presents... A Botany and Foraging Extravaganza!
Botany and Foraging Intensive Co-led by Thomas Elpel and Sydnee Galstaun plus special guest instructors Oregon-Washington | June 29 - July 12, 2025
Would you like to polish your plant identification skills and feast on wild edibles? Join co-leaders Thomas J. Elpel and Sydnee Galstaun, plus special guest instructors for an intensive two weeks of botanizing, wild food foraging, camping, and adventure!
This year we travel an arc from the mid-Oregon Coast northward and inland into southern Washington, exploring ecosystems ranging from coastal wetlands to coniferous forests, alpine meadows, oak savannah, high grasslands, and the Mediterranean zone along the Columbia River. We will visit the traditional homeland of the indigenous Alsea, Kalapuya, Tillamook, Chinook, Wasco, and Wishram, and Klickitat peoples, whose connection to the landscape dates back thousands of years.
This intensive is geared toward developing proficiency in plant identification using the patterns method of plant identification outlined in Tom's book Botany in a Day. Related plants have similar characteristics for identification, and they often have similar uses. Learn these patterns in the class and apply them anywhere in the world. Learn how to instantly recognize thousands of plants according to the proper families.
In addition, learn to identify those plants to the correct species, and learn how to key out new and unfamiliar plants that don't match previously memorized patterns. Botany in a Day is a required text for this adventure. Tom will have all of his books available for sale during the class.
More than just a plant class, the Botany & Foraging Intensive is a traveling tribe where participants meet like-minded folks from all walks of life and forge common bonds and friendships that extend far beyond the class itself.
2025 Oregon-Washington Outline
First Camp: Seal Rock, Oregon
We will begin our journey by gathering together just north of Waldport, Oregon within the Beaver Creek watershed. We will set up camp in a lush meadow bordered by a gentle creek located right in the transition zone from coastal wetland to mature coniferous forest. Our first few days will be spent getting acquainted with each other, the unique habitats of this ecoregion, and the basics of botany. This will include exploring further upstream with a guided walk deep into a mature Sitka spruce forest that dominates the coastal fog zone. We will learn about the many different species of trees present, as well as the profusion of ferns, mosses, lichens, and other plants that cover their trunks and branches and form a dense and diverse understory.
Meandering the other direction, we will find ourselves downstream where marshlands abound. We will continue to practice our newly formed botany skills while learning about special water-adapted plants such as sedges, bulrushes, cattails, and the many herbaceous wildflowers that comprise these lands. We will be joined by the executive director of the Midcoast Watersheds Council, Evan Hayduk, who has worked for nearly a decade in environmental restoration of riparian, wetland, sub-alpine, prairie, forest and oak-savannah ecosystems. During our time with him, he will share his intimate knowledge about wetland ecosystems, informed by his extensive work in improving habitat in this basin. There will be opportunities for harvesting seasonally-available wild foods, such as green cattail 'cobs,' and the potential for taking kayaks out on the slow moving creek that runs through the marshlands.
Second Camp: Alsea, Oregon
From the coast, we will travel inland to visit a burgeoning homestead along the Alsea River where our hosts are working to restore the land with the help of their flock of icelandic sheep. This new site offers more opportunities to practice keying out different plant species using the patterns method as we will have moved out of the narrow fog and salt-influenced strip of Sitka Spruce forest and into the region dominated by Douglas-fir forest.
While at this site, students will have the unique opportunity to become intimately connected with their food source during an onsite sheep processing workshop. Several experienced people will guide students through the intimate process of killing and processing two of the sheep from the flock, including how to preserve, cook, and use the many different parts of the animal for food, clothing, tools, and materials. For anyone who might not want to participate in the animal processing, there will also be an acorn processing workshop happening simultaneously. There is also a chance for early season apples in the orchard to be pressed into cider. At the end of the day, we will all come together and share a special dinner consisting of the acorn and sheep processed earlier, accompanied by other wild and homegrown foods.
Before embarking further into our journey, we will receive a guest visit from a local who is well tied to the lands, anchoring us before continuing beyond the coast range and into the valley the following day. They will offer us unique place-based knowledge, informed by their own intimate experience and deep understanding of the specific landscapes, plants, animals, and local history that comprises these lands.
Third Camp: ZigZag Mountain Farm, Rhododendron, Oregon
As we continue to venture inland, we will visit the Medicine Garden, an independent micro nursery specializing in healing herbs and hard-to-find plants, before arriving at our higher-elevation destination in the cascade mountains, ZigZag Mountain Farm. This site is located at the base of Mount Hood with 50 acres of meadow and forest, bordered by thousands of acres of national forest. We will receive a tour from our farm hosts, showcasing their own efforts in creating and maintaining small, sustainable agricultural systems, including a visit to their large organic garden, and the intact wildlands beyond.
In addition to this, we will learn the medicinal properties of the plants at this range and practice our botany skills studying the abundance of alpine wildflowers on a plant walk led by Missy Rohs and Gradey Proctor. Missy Rohs is a community herbalist, dandelion lover, and co-founder of The Arctos School. She grows, scavenges, and wildcrafts her own herbs with a focus on sustainable herbal remedies: those that grow easily in populated habitats, and those that can be harvested in the wild with minimal impact or beneficial impact.
Gradey Proctor is a botanist with a relentless passion for the flora and fungi of Oregon's forests. He studied at the Columbines School of Botanical Studies honing his botanical skills, and has since worked for Bark, a nonprofit that advocates and protects Mount Hood. His love of plants spread to nurseries, CSA farms and his own yard where he raises medicinal plants starts. Now Gradey works and lives on 7 acres of Clackamas Land, continually exploring ways where ecology and gardening meet.
Fourth Camp: Atlan Center, White Salmon, Washington
Continuing on our journey, we will follow the Columbia River Gorge east, with opportunities to stop and visit the unique Mediterranean climate along its edges before arriving at our new destination, the Atlan Center. Atlan is an ecovillage focused on resilience at the community, bioregional, and global levels, stewarding 151 acres of land based on permaculture and regenerative principles. The land features a variety of terrain and microclimates, including oak savannah, riparian transition zones, mixed forest land, and a rich variety of flora and fauna. Community members will introduce us to the land, weaving stories of place as they guide us through the network of trails on site. We will have opportunities to learn about their integration of skills and strategies, such as food resilience, repair skills, biochar, and social forestry, aimed to move them toward a circular economy in support of long-term regeneration of their bioregion.
Fifth Camp: Windward Community, Wahkiacus, Washington
Our trip will conclude further east in the Columbia River Gorge, where we will set up our final camp at the Windward Community, a sustainability research and education center that is managed by the stewards of this intentional community of over 30 years. Located at higher elevation, we will be in the transition zone between the temperate rain forests of the western Cascades and the high grasslands of eastern Washington. This is also where the alpine ecosystems of Mount Adams and the Mediterranean climate along the Columbia River converge, providing us with a diversity of ecosystems and microclimates to explore and learn.
In addition to practicing plant identification among the new diversity of flora, we will also get the chance to hear the first-hand experiences and perspectives of a community attempting to live well with each other and the land, their unique history, and both the pitfalls and successes found in their attempts. We will have the opportunity to observe and learn about their sustainable food systems, sustainable forestry practices, natural construction, and earthworks. Most notably, Windward Community is leading the way in natural burial practices through their management of Herland Forest. This is a non-profit, natural burial cemetery that combines traditional practices with modern sustainability principles to honor the ancient cycles of life, death, and renewal.
The botany and foraging adventure will officially come to a close Saturday afternoon on July 12th, just outside of Klickitat, Washington. Afterwards, any and all participants are invited and encouraged to follow us into Hells Canyon on the Oregon-Idaho border for the informal and free Wild Fruits Rendezvous July 13 - 17, 2025.
CLASS DETAILS
Ongoing throughout the class, learn primary and secondary patterns for identifying plant families, and learn special skills that cannot be taught in a book, such as how to identify plants by smell or taste. We will forage for wild greens, harvest any seasonal wild fruits, and forage for edible wild mushrooms as we encounter them.
We will identify plants and forage for wild foods in diverse habitats ranging from valley bottoms to mountain passes. Along the way, we will explore basic geology, observing how the underlying strata affects soil quality and influences which plants grow there and how vigorously they develop.
Please come self-sufficient for breakfast and lunch each day. We will enjoy communal potluck meals each evening. Everyone may prepare dishes independently to bring to dinner, or at times we may inquire as to the available ingredients and collectively craft a meal based on what we have and what needs to be consumed right away. Please bring any garden veggies or wild game you can to contribute to the community pot. You will be able to purchase supplementary groceries as needed, and we may pick up and butcher a roadkill deer along the way.
Please come prepared to cover grocery and travel expenses with a little extra cash for contingencies.
COST: $1,100/person or $1,000/each for two people registering together. Special discount for repeat students: $950 (Save $150).
Whether you are a novice or experienced botanist and forager, this is a unique opportunity to spend one-on-one time with Tom Elpel and friends to improve your plant identification and wild food foraging skills! To register, please fill out and mail in the Medical History (PDF) and Liability Waiver and Release (PDF) forms, along with a check for $400 to reserve your spot ($800 for two people). The balance may be paid upon arrival. Or register online through the shopping cart system and send the paperwork separately.No Dogs, Please!
No Drugs, Alcohol, or Tobacco
Green University®: LLC is a drug, alcohol and tobacco-free learning establishment. Our staff maintains a sober environment for individuals who are excited about nurturing a deeper nature connection. Anyone distracted with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs is not focused on learning or optimizing their experience at Green University® LLC. Therefore, we have a zero tolerance policy for drugs, alcohol, and tobacco in any form. Anyone violating this rule will be asked to leave. This is not a joke. Please read this paragraph again before signing up. Thank you.
Thank you for an absolutely amazing trip! I catalogued 36 hours of botanizing, and I learned so much. I had no idea Clematis was in the Buttercup family or Borage was a family all on its own, let alone so many other things we picked up.
Between picking, canning, and baking all different kinds of wild berries, I am feeling more inspired than ever to go berry picking. There really isn't anything like a gooseberry pie!
You also changed my perspective on food, especially roadkill animal and dumpster diving. I overcame some psychological barriers in order to eat the meals, but once I was over it, I truly enjoyed and deeply appreciated the food.
I am so happy we visited the remote and mystical Pryor Mountains and saw all those green gentians and Big Ice Cave. It was almost incredulous if we hadn't been there ourselves. My sincerest thanks for bringing me on the adventure and deepening my connection to the natural world.
Boletes in the forest,
Dixie
Looking for life-changing resources? Check out these books by Thomas J. Elpel:
Green University® LLC Trademark
Meandering the other direction, we will find ourselves downstream where marshlands abound. We will continue to practice our newly formed botany skills while learning about special water-adapted plants such as sedges, bulrushes, cattails, and the many herbaceous wildflowers that comprise these lands. We will be joined by the executive director of the 
While at this site, students will have the unique opportunity to become intimately connected with their food source during an onsite sheep processing workshop. Several experienced people will guide students through the intimate process of killing and processing two of the sheep from the flock, including how to preserve, cook, and use the many different parts of the animal for food, clothing, tools, and materials. For anyone who might not want to participate in the animal processing, there will also be an acorn processing workshop happening simultaneously. There is also a chance for early season apples in the orchard to be pressed into cider. At the end of the day, we will all come together and share a special dinner consisting of the acorn and sheep processed earlier, accompanied by other wild and homegrown foods. 
Our trip will conclude further east in the Columbia River Gorge, where we will set up our final camp at the 
Please come prepared to cover grocery and travel expenses with a little extra cash for contingencies. 
