Cottonwood Salve Making: An Outdoor Workshop on April 6

Our boreal forest contains many edible and medicinal plants. Did you know that willows contain salicin, nature's aspirin? Or that Devil's Club has medicinal properties?

While not intended as medical advice, this mellow activity provides insight into plant identification, methods and ethics of foraging, and a hands-on demonstration of making salve with items harvested from the boreal forest.

Part 1: Short walk and foraging lesson: We will take a short walk on the trail learning to distinguish a few plants commonly found in south-central Alaska. We'll also take a closer look at the cottonwood tree, spending time gathering a few buds for our salves. Our walk will take place over a well-maintained trail with some small, rolling hills.

Part 2: Salve making: Following our walk we will head to a local park pavilion where we will spend the majority of our class. Here, we will process pre-harvested items into salves. Each participant will take home a 2-oz container of salve, as well as knowledge and recipes for further explorations.

Total activity time is approximately 2 hours. This adventure is best suited for teenagers and adult learners.