My name is Katey Patterson, and I am the Office and Programs Manager for United Plant Savers. I have been working in this role since the Summer of 2020 and have yet to share any of my experiences in the Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation. I wanted to make it a point this year to share my perspective from behind the desk of the daily operations at the United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary in Rutland, Ohio.
I grew up in this area of Ohio, near the UpS Botanical Sanctuary, in rural Meigs County. This area borders the mighty Ohio River and the state of West Virginia. We are nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, so the area consists of rolling, lush hills and valleys that create a perfect climate for biodiversity of medicinal plants.
2022 was a year full of events and visitors at United Plant Savers. We welcomed roughly 1,500 visitors to the Sanctuary this year. These visitors came from all walks of life and visited for a multiple of reasons. Several of our visitors come to hike our trails and visit the plants. Others attended events, classes, and community gatherings. We have staff on site Monday through Friday 9am-5pm, and folks are always welcome to stop by and see us! We have an office located at the sanctuary in the Center for Medicinal Plant Conservation. This serves as our “Welcome Center”, and we have many resources to hand out such as trail maps, stickers, and educational resources. These resources can also be found at our new informational kiosk, for after-hours visitors. The Center is also home to the Duke Ethnobotanical Archives- the donated library of the late herbalist, James Duke.
As part of my role at United Plant Savers I oversee daily operations on site at the Botanical Sanctuary. I also have the responsibility of managing the programs at United Plant Savers. Our programs include: The Botanical Sanctuary Network Program, the Medicinal Plant Conservation Certificate Program, the Deep Ecology Artist Residency Program, and The Community Grants Program. We could not host these programs without the support of our members and donors, so
(thank you for your contributions and support). Below is some data of what your funding helped us accomplish in 2022:
Botanical Sanctuary Network Program
We welcomed 33 new Botanical Sanctuaries across the US and Canada.
Medicinal Plant Conservation Certificate Program
We hosted 5 MPCCP interns for 4 weeks in the summer. This totaled 600 hours of work the interns put into projects at the Botanical Sanctuary and medicinal plant classes.
Deep Ecology Artist Fellowship Program
We hosted 13 artist residents on site at the Botanical Sanctuary in 2022. These artists stayed for up to 2 weeks in the yurt and created artwork inspired by the land. You can fi nd some of the artwork in this publication and some in person at our Center for Medicinal Plant Conservation.
The Community Grants Program
In 2022 we awarded three community grants:
- Hatch Farms Herbal Sanctuary (Stone Mountain, GA) – They used their grant to purchase resources for their Community Youth Herbal Education Program.
- Peterborough Community Medicine Garden (Peterborough, ON) – They used their funding to purchase and plant at-risk medicinal plants such as ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), trillium (Trillium spp.), and bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis).
- Quetzalcoatal Temple (Silver City, NM) – A recipient used their grant to purchase an oil press to make seed oils to share with their community.
Education Program.
Other Endeavors
- In addition to our formal programs, we also participated in many other endeavors at the Sanctuary and beyond. Here is a list of some of our other exciting projects from 2022:
- Hosted the Magnolia Home School class weekly; workshops on ramps, ginseng, and
goldenseal cultivation; and Ohio State University Ohio Field School. - Hosted the Maryland University of Integrative Health for an immersive herbal class,
Southern Ohio Forest Farming Conference, and the Beltane: Medicine of Place event. - Participated in an Environmental Education program for local school students.
- Hosted several local garden clubs and other groups for guided tours of the Sanctuary.
- Attended and tabled at events such as the AHG Symposium, Yew Mountain Center,
Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference, PawPaw Festival, etc.
