Rich Mandelbaum, RH
July 12th – will be leading a trip with Carolyn Jones of Herbalists Without Borders to visit the James Still Education Center in Medford NJ. Time permitting, we may take advantage of being in the area and do some herb walks after the visit to the Center. Any questions or for further information, please contact Rich at nyherbalist@gmail.com
Dr. Wendy Warner, MD, ABIHM, IFMCP
April 20th live, also recorded: Management of Continued Vasomotor Symptoms in Late Life: Its Not About Estrogen
Institute for Functional Medicine – July 14-16 Hormone Advanced Practice Module www.ifm.org
Rich Mandelbaum, RH
Any questions or for further information, please contact Rich at nyherbalist@gmail.com
Field Botany and Plant Identification, Spring and Summer 2023
Small group classes, meeting on separate full days this spring and summer in a wild or semi-wild location such as a state or local park, with a focus on botany, ecology, and field identification skills.
- Dates and Locations
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Sat May 20 Bowman Hill Wildflower Preserve near New Hope PA; focus: botany and ecology– a wonderful native plant preserve with lots to see; (additional $12 entrance fee). 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM.
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Wed May 31 Alley Pond Park, Queens – this park has a diverse forest ecology, including some massive, ancient trees. During the day we’ll visit the Queens Giant, NYC’s oldest and largest tree. (Note that while most of the day is easy walking, there is some off-trail walking over uneven ground, dodging some poison ivy patches, to visit the tree. But oh it is worth it!). 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
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Mon June 19 Stokes State Forest NJ; focus: medicinal uses of local and native plants – we’ll spend the day in this botanically rich forest, one of my favorite places to go. If it is a hot day, a bonus will be to visit a local swimming hole in a hemlock ravine. To honor Juneteenth we will also visit the nearby Walpack slave cemetery, which is on an unmarked woodland trail on Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area land. 15% of registration fees from this day will be donated to the James Still Education Center in Medford NJ. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
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Wednesday June 21 evening paddle at the Basha Kill, Wurtsboro NY – celebrate the solstice on the water of this local treasure of protected wetlands, getting to know our local aquatic plants. This is a public event, hosted by the Mamakating Environmental Education Center and will be free with a small donation to MEEC. BYOB: bring your own boat! Registration info to follow.
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Monday July 10 Forestburgh NY; focus: spore-bearing plants / ferns and mosses! – this will take place at my home so we can make use of microscopes for part of the day. The unofficial goal for the day will be for everyone to learn ten or so fern species, and a dozen or so common mosses. And if you’re lucky, you might learn a liverwort or two as well! Time permitting we’ll travel to a nearby wilderness area to learn more ferns and clubmosses (Lycopods). 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
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Wednesday July 19 Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx NY – I love this park; so much to see! Tentative; save the date.
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Sunday July 30 walk and lecture, Sullivan County NY – Morning plant walk for The Outside Institute near Narrowsburg NY, and an afternoon lecture on 18th century herbalism in colonial America at historic Fort Delaware, Narrowsburg. Registration for the walk will be through TOI, which I will share as the date approaches, and the lecture is either low-cost or free.
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Sunday August 6 Basha Kill, Wurtsboro NY; focus on trees and shrubs and using field guides – we won’t exactly ignore the herbaceous plants, but we’ll focus a bit more on our woody plant friends. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
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Wednesday August 30 East Mongaup River Park, outside of Monticello NY – a lovely county park that takes us along this small tributary of the Delaware, with a nice mix of wetland and dry forest. 9:30 – 5:00 PM
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- We limit the number of people to keep these classes small; they usually fill up.
- This course presumes some experience at field identification of plants, but that said, beginners and more advanced students are both very welcome.
- We’ll practice skills at field identification including species identification and familiarization with common plant families, amid discussion of plant physiology, plant intelligence, taxonomy, and ecology.
- We’ll weave in information about harvesting, wild food and medicinal uses as a bonus. (In general we will not be foraging as we’ll be in parks.)
- This class will meet rain or shine. No rain dates! “There is no bad weather; only bad clothing.”
- People are responsible for their own transportation to the class locations. (I will try to help with carpooling as I can if you let me know, but can’t promise anything.
More information will be sent to all participants, including: list of what to bring and what to expect, handouts, and detailed directions / google map links to meeting locations.
Time: Everyone is expected to arrive 10-15 minutes early; once we are walking off down a trail you may not find us.
Class fee: The fee is kept low to be as accessible as possible, and is discounted when you sign up for multiple classes. If you are able to pay a higher amount, I will reserve 100% of it for scholarships for people who need it!
- If you sign up for one all-day class: $75
- If you sign up for two all-day classes: $70 each class ($140 total)
- If you sign up for three or more all-day classes: $60 each class.
Payment can be made by paypal, venmo, check, or cash. Contact me to register and to arrange payment. Your place in the course is secured when payment is received.
- Paypal: send payment to nyherbalist@gmail.com
- Venmo: send payment to @Richard-Mandelbaum-1