Category: Introductions

Hello all,

My name is Chelsie, and I live year round in Talkeetna. I’m originally from Buffalo New York, but I’ve been up here year round for 4 years now. I work for Denali National Park, as a seasonal ranger here at the Walter Harper Ranger Station. I also work part time for Alaska Nature Guides as a hiking/naturalist guide. During my off season I travel, work part time, visit family and friends. I spent a lot of time outside as a kid, and my love for the outdoors and the natural world has only increased as I’ve gotten older. My father always had a small garden, in which he would have me and my two younger sisters help him from start to finish. From turning the dirt, planting the seeds, waking up early before school to water, to harvesting. I enjoy plant identification, and being enrolled in the EBOT program I’ve loved learning about the uses. I have done some harvesting, but would like to work more on becoming more comfortable with forging plants.

Some of my favorite plants are:

Hi Everyone,

My name is Treena Ivie. BIOL F190 is my second botanical course. I stumbled across the Introduction to Ethnobotany course as my first course back to school in 10 years. It seemed like a wonderful fit, as I have spent the last 6 years doing my own research on the flora around my home in Wasilla, Alaska. It also made sense to me to learn more about this field, as a Sugpiaq, aka Alutiiq, from Kodiak Island. After receiving some additional information from staff in the Ethnobotany program, I decided to go ahead and enroll into it. These courses will eventually fulfill undergraduate requirements for the Occupational Therapy Graduate program I am planning on taking in the future. I occasionally forage but mostly appreciate nature’s plants. As I learn more of the ins and outs of the plants, I plan to start harvesting them with my kids. I am not good at gardening, so most of our property is wildly nature filled because I am not terribly good at landscape either. I am an artist that uses watercolor, leather, beads and fiber to create with. My favorite plant is the Silverberry Bush, I have included in a photo below- on the right hand side. On the left side of the photo is my microscope set up. I look forward to this course and learning all that is offered.

Hello All!

I’m Iris Harritt and I grew up in Southeast Texas right on the Gulf of Mexico. I graduated with a BS in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University and moved to Alaska 6 years ago! I recently finished an MS in Biological Sciences from UAF! I am taking this class as a refresher and as a way to rekindle my love for Botany! I am looking forward to learning more about Alaska’s Flora! I will be taking a 5 day backpacking trip in Denali during this course, and can’t wait to fully immerse myself in the field and identify as many species as I can while I am there!

Hi my name is Nancy and I have lived in Anchorage for the last 4 years. I currently work on JBER as an ecology technician and have been doing bird, small mammal, and vegetation surveys around the base. I love to hike and berry pick in the summers to make jellies and jams, which has helped me learn some of the edible and poisonous plants in Southcentral Alaska. I am taking this course because I would like to not only be able to identify what a species is in general, but also understand the different parts and to be able to distinguish family characteristics between plants. My current favorite plant that I see on trails is Yarrow, since it can be used as a bug repellent and always seems to be around when I really need it. I also have made tea with the flowers in the past and really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to learn from this course and improve on my plant identifications!

My name is Dorene and I live just north of Fairbanks, AK. I have lived most all of my life in a few different regions of Alaska, calling the interior my home for the last 3. I am a non traditional student. Professionally, I work in an emotionally demanding field. I have used nature as a healer, many years ago I started looking at ways to bring plants and nature to my clients as a way to heal trauma. I have been foraging for food and medicine for most of my life here in Alaska and I love discovering new plants and new places around my home. In every new region, the first thing I do is get to know the plants around me and then I can feel at home.

If I had to choose a favorite plant I would have to say right now it is Arnica angustifolia. I always look forward to finding it at the beginning of summer. It is one of the first flowers that I gather in great abundance.

Hi All,

My name is Aurora, I’m a senior here at UAF and I’ll be officially graduated after this summer! I’m graduating with a BA in Communications with a minor in Psychology. I just moved back to AK after a year in Los Angeles. I’m originally from a town in Northern California called Santa Rosa, but moved up here to attend UAF in 2019. I’m all about critters and nature. I have a fat black cat, I live with a huge Karelian Bear dog, i co-own ferrets, just raised butterflies, and I love riding horses. I like to try and stay grounded and to find ways to incorporate nature or it’s inspirations in all that I do. I’m excited to take this class and better identified with the native flora and fauna around me.

I’m not great at it, but I enjoy gardening and tending to my houseplants and want to get better versed with knowing what plants to forage. Typing this is currently making me crave shortbread cookies with lavender and flowers baked in.

I’m taking a few summer courses just for credit completion. My course load is metal smithing, intermediate drawing, advanced photography portfolio, and this class! I’ve been really interested in genetically modified plants, I like when florists dye plants and I know of scientists artificially combining plants with bacteria to make them bioluminescent. Beyond this I love moss, willow trees, and birds of paradise have a special place in my heart.

Excited to get to know you all and see all the pretty plant observations!

x,

Aurora Barnes

Hi everyone! I use to be a huge forager about 1-2 years ago. I was a very avid berry picker and loved to forage everything I could. I learned how to find all the berries local to Alaska here in the Anchorage/Wasilla region and then learned about mushrooms and other local edibles. Call is stress from work or my hobbies changing as I age but I no longer forage. I have a lot of things dried and saved from last summer and I no longer eat fish. I was also a very big fisher-lady. Now day I’m just focused on finishing my degree, taking much needed time to myself and working to pay for PA school down the road. I am also a mom to a teenager and 3 dogs. I am using my phone for my plant pictures, an iPhone 11 Pro Max. My favorite wildflower/plant is the wild Iris here in Alaska.

Hi everyone!

My name is Katie, I am from North Carolina and Ive lived in Alaska for 2 years. I spent 6 years on the road hitch hiking and hopping freight trains, and while I was doing that I would carry a book with me about local flora based on the region of the country I was in. When I had free time I would pick out 3 plants and try to identify them, memorize their medicinal uses and if they were edible or not. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. My favorite plant is Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium). I have always made salves or sprays out of yarrow and use it on wounds! It always works really well in fast healing and preventing infection. But I also really love Azaleas so I decided to upload a beautiful photo of some in North Carolina.

I look forward to learning with you all and thank you for reading!

Hello Class,

My name is Jasmine Chavez. I am a second semester Junior at UAA. My degree is a BS in Aviation Technology emphasis in Professional Piloting. I will hopefully be graduating next May. I am taking this class as an elective. I chose it because it seemed very interesting, and a great way to have an excuse to get outside and go hiking (not that you need an excuse). I haven’t had much botanical experience or journey, but have always felt it would be a great skill to have an idea of the plants that surround us. I have not had much experience in foraging, gardening, or hunting, but I am definitely interested in all of those. I really want to get out and do some berry picking this year! I have never been a big “flower girl” but I think they’re gorgeous. My favorite tree is the Weeping Willow. I have always thought it was so beautiful and awesome how the leaves fall the way they do. Since moving to Alaska, I love the Fireweed. I think it is so cool especially when flying and there is a ton of it and it actually looks like the land is on fire from them.

I look forward to learning more about Alaska Flora in this class!

Thanks,

Jasmine