Dear Friends of Plants in the Pacific Northwest,
 
Lost Valley Nature Center (www.lostvalley.org/nature [0]), a project of Lost Valley Educational Center in Dexter, Oregon, is planning a gathering focusing on Native Plants and Permaculture to be held May 11-13, 2007. We are seeking co-sponsors to help make this event happen. Co-sponsors will receive recognition in our outreach and publicity materials, will be able to distribute their own materials and have a representative at the gathering for free, and hopefully will become involved as well in the planning, publicizing, and production of the gathering, to whatever extent they wish and are able. We are hoping to raise several thousand dollars from co-sponsors and donors (a range of $100-$2000 per co-sponsor has been suggested), so that we can offer attendance to participants for a sliding-scale donation and still cover our basic overhead costs. We also hope to recruit worktraders to help with site preparation, post-event cleanup, and other aspects of holding this gathering. Individuals and organizations may choose to underwrite a specific portion of the event, and with adequate support, a publication might be produced (perhaps a special issue of Talking Leaves) that would reflect the richness of content and discussion at the gathering.
 
Here’s a synopsis of what we are envisioning:
 
NATIVE PLANTS AND PERMACULTURE:
A Gathering of Plant Enthusiasts
May 11-13, 2007 (Friday afternoon-Sunday)

We will be seeking common ground between the Native Plant and Permaculture communities in developing ecologically-integrated self-sustenance and native habitat preservation in the Pacific Northwest.

• Presentations about various perspectives on indigenous and exotic plants, including human uses and ecological relationships
• Facilitated panel discussions and discussion circles
• Guided plant walks
• Garden and Permaculture tours
• Resource tables and networking opportunities
• Music, games, and community-building
• Hands-on projects
• Meals made from organic, homegrown, and wildcrafted food
• Overnight lodging and camping available

Schedule overview:
Friday afternoon and evening, 3 pm on: informal tours, socializing, discussion circles, and activities.
Saturday and Sunday, 9 am-6 pm: scheduled walks, talks, discussions and activities related to the roles of native and nonnative plants in our cultivated and noncultivated landscapes.
Saturday evening, 8 pm: concert with Laura Kemp [0] (by donation).

Topics:
• Native Plant-Animal Interactions and Relationships
• Indigenous Land Management
• Bringing Back Native Food Crops
• The Challenges of Native Habitat Conservation and Restoration
• What Is the Role of Nonnatives?
• Wildflower, Tree, and Shrub Walks
• Substituting Natives for Nonnatives in Home Landscapes
• Responsible Control of Exotics
• Economic Uses of Native Plants
• Ecologically Sustainable Foodsheds
• Invasion Biology: A Closer Look
• Preserving Diversity in Times of Environmental Change
• Evolving a Bioregional Permaculture
• and more.

Presenters:
• Ed Alverson (The Nature Conservancy)
• Rhoda Love (Native Plant Society of Oregon)
• David Theodoropoulos (author, Invasion Biology)
• Michael Pilarski (Friends of the Trees Society)
• Stephanie Schroeder (Walama Restoration Project)
• Toby Hemenway (author, Gaia’s Garden)
• Jude Hobbs (Agroecology Northwest)
• Rick Valley (Lost Valley Educational Center)
• Marcia Cutler (Native Plant Society of Oregon)
• Bill Burwell (Kalapuya researcher)
• Jerry Hall (ethnobotanist, Lane Community College)
• Jason Blazar (Camas Educational Network)
• Heiko Koester (Eugene Permaculture Guild)
• Sharon Blick (School Garden Project)
• Dave Bontrager (Lane County Audubon Society)
• Joshua Smith (Ecoscape Environmental Design)
• Nick Routledge (Seed Ambassadors Project)
• Tobias Policha (Institute of Contemporary Ethnobotany)
• and more.

The potential for media coverage, both before and after the weekend, is high, especially if a number of groups get involved. I believe this gathering could be a seminal event in moving us beyond the obstacles (especially misunderstanding and lack of cross-pollination) that thus far have prevented a broader synthesis among various ecological perspectives (especially those of native plant people and Permaculturalists). It could get us much further toward discovering and evolving appropriate, integrated, ecologically-sensitive, humanly-sustainable ways of relating to the land here in the Pacific Northwest .
 
I see it as not only educational and growthful but also as a celebration and building of community.
 
Feel free to contact me for more details and with any questions. We are excited to involve as many people and groups in this event as possible—all of us whose work concerns plants, ecology, habitat restoration and preservation, sustainable food production, or any related field. Please let me know if, and how, you can see yourself or your group participating.
 
Thank you for considering this invitation!
 
Chris
 
Chris Roth
Coordinator, Lost Valley Nature Center
81868 Lost Valley Lane
Dexter, OR 97431
chris AT (replace with @) talkingleaves.org
(541) 937-2567 ext. 116