Green University® LLC Presents... A Multi-Sensory Experience!
Foraging Montana with Thomas Elpel Dillon, Montana | June 21 - 22, 2025
Would you like to forage as easily as a deer?
Join Thomas J. Elpel, author of Foraging the Mountain West and Botany in a Day, for a fun-filled weekend of plant identification, foraging, and feasting. This year camp will be based out of Magpie Springs Permaculture Center near Dillon, Montana where we will forage like antelope and jack rabbits in the dry sagebrush grasslands. Prepare to awaken your taste buds with new sensations as we engage in a multi-sensory exploration of wild plants and their edible and medicinal properties in the area.
Learn to identify essential plant family patterns through botany card games with the Shanleya's Quest Patterns in Plants Card Game, then practice identifying those patterns on foraging walks. Learn how to recognize the edible and medicinal properties of a plant, even before knowing its name. Learn how to forage like a deer and nurture a deeper nature connection, while staying within essential safety guidelines.
Class will include harvesting tips and techniques and ethical guidelines for sustainable use. Expect to walk up sagebrush grassland slopes and walk in wet meadows both on and off trail. We will harvest wild greens and prepare communal dinners both evenings.
More than just a class, this foraging experience is an opportunity to live and forage as a tribe, bringing our harvest back to camp to share and celebrate the bounty of nature. The wild world of plants will never look the same again!
Whether you are a novice or experienced botanist and forager, this is a unique opportunity to spend one-on-one time with Tom Elpel to improve your plant identification and wild food foraging skills!
Class Cost
One Participant: $150
Couple's Discount ($125/person): $250
Family of Three ($116/person): $350
Family of Four ($100/person): $400
Family of Five ($90/person): $450
Class is limited to 20 students.
No Dogs, Please!
Please register online through the shopping cart system. All participants are required to fill out, sign, and bring the Medical History (PDF) and Liability Waiver and Release (PDF) forms. We will also have additional copies available upon arrival.
Scroll down for additional class details.
CLASS DETAILS
Directions from the Interstate (I-15): Turn west on Hwy 278 towards Wisdom/Jackson. Just before mile marker 7, turn left on Adams Lane. Bounce along Adams for 1.5 miles and then turn right on Chreston Lane. Magpie Springs is a half mile down Chreston. You will see the yurts and know that you are at the right place. Google Maps should get you here as well. Look for 850 Chreston Lane, Dillon, MT 59725.
Check-in: Please arrive by 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Participants are also welcome to arrive the evening before. We may do a natural dye workshop Friday evening if enough folks are interested.
Camping: We have some camping spots and RV spots for weekend camping. We also have a yurt or two that may be available, preferably to a family as they both sleep 4. We also have a 13' Scamp trailer if anyone would like to stay in that for the weekend. We have a couple outdoor potties, water spigots, campfire ring, and 1.5-mile hiking trail through the cactus grassland and sagebrush.
Class Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m to 12 p.m. on Sunday, followed by meal-prep and a potluck meal each day. Expect dinner around 6 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Meals: Please come self-sufficient for breakfast and lunch. We will have some propane stoves and cooking gear/utensils set up for outdoor cooking. We will forage greens for our potluck dinners. You are also welcome and encouraged to bring wild game from home, along with your favorite wild edible greens and weeds.
Alcohol: Please do not bring any alcohol, unless you brewed it yourself and have enough to share with everyone.
Weather: Please check the weather forecast for Dillon, Montana prior to the class and pack appropriately for whatever June has in store for us. Magpie Springs is a mile high in elevation and we may travel further up into the mountains.
Suggested Gear:
- tent, camper, bedding
- water bottle
- clothing for sun, wind, rain, or (unlikely) snow
- camp chair
- notebook, writing implements, digging tool or knife
Tom will have his full selection of books and games available for sale during the class.
Green University® LLC Trademark
Class will include harvesting tips and techniques and ethical guidelines for sustainable use. Expect to walk up sagebrush grassland slopes and walk in wet meadows both on and off trail. We will harvest wild greens and prepare communal dinners both evenings.
Camping: We have some camping spots and RV spots for weekend camping. We also have a yurt or two that may be available, preferably to a family as they both sleep 4. We also have a 13' Scamp trailer if anyone would like to stay in that for the weekend. We have a couple outdoor potties, water spigots, campfire ring, and 1.5-mile hiking trail through the cactus grassland and sagebrush. 
