Wild Connections: Women Wildcrafters, and Artisans

Whether it be the springtime gathering of ramps in Appalachia, summertime
gathering of berries in the West, or the fall mushroom harvests throughout the Pacific Northwest, wild plant gathering is valued by many people in the United States. Yet these gathering traditions hold a marginal place within forest management decisions, which can have serious environmental and social repercussions. In this presentation, we will explore why. Lynch will take you “on the road” as she shares the stories of women harvesters from around the country. These stories of wild foragers, wildcrafters, and artisans were collected during a one-year, cross-country trek designed to document the perspectives of contemporary gatherers. Drawing heavily from interviews, this presentation will examine opportunities to promote economic diversification and biodiversity conservation through active management of wild foods, medicines, and other culturally important species. We’ll explore how such integration can enhance public forest management and stewardship as well as increase community representation in forest management. And we’ll look at how economically and politically marginalized people can organize to have a voice in public lands management. We will conclude by examining some of the challenges of working with diverse populations of harvesters and integrating local and traditional ecological knowledge into forest management.

Presenter Profile: Kathryn Lynch, Codirector, Environmental Leadership Program

Kathryn Lynch is an environmental anthropologist who has a strong commitment to participatory, collaborative, and interdisciplinary approaches in both her research and teaching. She has worked in Peru, Ecuador, Indonesia, and the United States, examining issues of community-based natural resource management. As a fellow of the Tropical Conservation and Development Program, she explored the linkages between gender, medicinal plants, and conservation. She lived with midwives and healers in the northern Peruvian Amazon who illustrated the critical need for women and intact forest ecosystems to meet local health care needs in remote rural communities. She has also researched the potential for engaged environmental education to promote conservation and, before joining the UO in fall 2005, she was based at the Institute for Culture and Ecology, where her research focused on the relationships between forest policy and management, conservation of biodiversity, and cultural gathering traditions in the United States. In addition to her research, she also has facilitated various courses and workshops that examine the nexus between environmental and cultural issues, with a particular focus on gender issues and participatory approaches to conservation. Beyond these academic pursuits, Lynch loves the passionate poetry of Joy Harjo and finds great peace in yoga and great joy in her garden.