United Plant Savers Converge To Champion Green Cause
“Planting The Future” Event to be held at Herb Pharm in Oregon
Williams, Oregon, May 7, 2007 /Natural Newswire/ –– The United Plant Savers (UpS), the non-profit organization dedicated to preserving native medicinal plants, will be hosting its 2007 conference “Planting The Future” at Herb Pharm’s farm in Williams, Oregon, on Saturday, July 14, 2007. Renowned herbalists from around the country will lead seminars on the cultivation and preservation of native medicinal plants and there will be herb walks around Herb Pharm’s 85 acre certified organic farm and educational garden.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a Threatened and Endangered Species System (TESS), updated daily. As of this writing, there were 747 North American recorded conifers, ferns and flowering plants on this list. Specific to Herbs only, there are now 19 plants on the “At-Risk” List in North America alone, including the now-common names of goldenseal, echinacea, American ginseng and wild yam. UpS includes an additional 22 medicinal herbal plants (including the Oregon grape and white sage) on the group’s “To-Watch” List.
United Plant Savers is comprised of several thousand concerned plant lovers, scientists, herbalists and activists whose mission is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitats. UpS’ team of knowledgeable plant professionals have joined together with herbal products manufacturers and government officials to design a newly updated and practically standardized scoring matrix to assess those plants at-risk.
As herbalism flourishes and becomes more mainstream, increased usage along with habitat destruction is causing an ever-increasing shortage of plant resources. The work of this group is to research, educate and protect the interests of plants and their habitats. The core of the UpS team is comprised of dedicated business owners and environmentally pro-active professionals who have been gathering together since the early 1990’s.
This is the third year the “Planting The Future” conference will take place at Herb Pharm. Sara Katz, co-founder of Herb Pharm sums up her desire to be involved by saying, “UpS conferences are a celebration of plants and the people who love them. The variety of presentations and the quality of the information is exceptional. Herb Pharm's 85-acre farm, which is a United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary, with its fields of medicinal herb crops, and landscape of herbal gardens and medicinal trees, is an optimum place for an herbal education gathering of this sort.”
Lynda LeMole, Executive Director of United Plant Savers, has been involved in the herbal community since the 1970’s. Says LeMole, "Our conferences educate both herbalists and consumers. This is a rare opportunity to get current with research and legislative concerns affecting our access to natural products and alternative healing. Planting the Future is an event designed to learn directly from a variety of stimulating teachers in a concentrated program with a true Northwest regional focus."
Presenters will include renowned herbalists from across the country, including Cascade Anderson-Geller, Ed Smith, author and photographer Steven Foster, Kathi Keville, Jonathon Treasure, Deborah Frances, ND, and many others. Activities will include Plant Walks, and multiple workshops on topics ranging from Cultivation of Medicinal Herbs, Women’s Health: What’s New in Botanical Research – to Herbs for Sexual Health, and Regulatory Actions Affecting Herbs. Organizers hope that the anticipated 300-400 participants will be filled with information and ideas of how each individual can help replenish vital American native plants.
Open to the public, the Conference goes from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and the cost for attendance is $70 per person. In addition, there will be a free Open House at Herb Pharm’s farm and Manufacturing Facility on Sunday, July 15, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
To register for “Planting The Future” or for further information, please contact either Herb Pharm at 1-800-348-4372 ext. 100, visit online at www.herb-pharm.com, or contact United Plant Savers directly at (802) 476-6467, www.unitedplantsavers.org.
CONTACT:
Peter Littell
(413) 665-3519
Email: peterlittell@comcast.net
