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 2 | 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, 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 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.
Approximate Outline (More details to come!)
We will begin our journey by gathering together on the Oregon coast, where we will set up camp at the convergence of coniferous forests and coastal wetlands. Activities will include kayaking through the wetlands, harvesting local plant foods, taking a guided plant walk through a thriving second generation forest with a focus on ferns, lichens, and mosses, and touring a local restoration project working with rescued burros and mustangs to heal the land and the community.
From the coast, we will travel inland through the Coast Range to visit a burgeoning homestead along the Alsea River. Opportunities to learn new plants will continue to abound. There will be a possibility to experience an intimate connection to our food source through the butchering and processing of a sheep from this homestead. This portion of our journey will conclude with a wild foods dinner before continuing beyond the coast range and into the valley the following day.
While traveling through the valley we will visit a medicine garden before arriving at our new, higher-elevation destination in the Cascade Range. We will learn the medicinal properties of plants at this range and practice our botany skills studying the abundance of alpine wildflowers. Continuing on, we will begin following the Columbia River east, introducing us to the Mediterranean climate found at this low elevation. Our destination features a variety of terrain and microclimates with mixed forest land and oak savannah.
As we make our journey across these many different lands, we will tour homesteads practicing permaculture, regenerative farming, and sustainable living principles. We will also meet with locals along the way who are well-versed in the flora and fauna specific to their place to share their own knowledge and experiences with us.
Our trip concludes further east at a higher elevation 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 converge with the Mediterranean climate along the Columbia River, providing us with a diversity of ecosystems and microclimates to explore and learn.
The botany and foraging adventure will officially come to a close Saturday afternoon on July 12th. Afterwards, any and all participants are invited 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 late-season wild fruits, and forage for edible wild mushrooms as we encounter them. We'll bring equipment for field canning to preserve surplus food for winter.
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:
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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.
While traveling through the valley we will visit a medicine garden before arriving at our new, higher-elevation destination in the Cascade Range. We will learn the medicinal properties of plants at this range and practice our botany skills studying the abundance of alpine wildflowers. Continuing on, we will begin following the Columbia River east, introducing us to the Mediterranean climate found at this low elevation. Our destination features a variety of terrain and microclimates with mixed forest land and oak savannah. 
Please come prepared to cover grocery and travel expenses with a little extra cash for contingencies. 
