INTRODUCTION
BIOCULTURAL 
HEALING
Relational Methods for Extending 
Public Health Sovereignty in
Eugene, Oregon
Jenna Witzleben
1
Table of 
Contents
Introduction 04 Letter to Future LA Students  86
Subproject Overview  18
Conclusion 110
Research Findings Overview  28
References 114
Letter to HWB Eugene  42 Acknowledgments	 	 118
Carta a Huerto de la Familia   58
Letter to Solidarity Garden  68
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
4
INTRODUCTION
01
Introduction
5
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Me working at the Solidarity Garden (Photo by Ignacio López Búson)
Introduction Overview serve	as	a	summary	of	the	project	for	a	“general	
This	project	was	completed	as	a	master’s	project	 audience.”
within	the	Landscape	Architecture	department	
at	the	University	of	Oregon	from	January	 Positionality
2022 to June 2023. In this section, I present the I	want	to	be	explicit	about	my	identity	and	
relational	methodology,	topic	focus	on	culturally- positionality,	especially	as	I	am	applying	lessons	
relevant	medicinal	landscapes,	and	the	key	 learned within the context of Indigenous 
research questions of this project, followed by a Research	Methods.	I	am	a	white	queer	person	
short	summary	of	some	of	the	research	findings.	 of	primarily	Euro-American	descent,	and	
though	my	grandmother	has	Mi’kmaq	First	
As will be described in this section, the body 
Nation	ancestry,	we	have	not	maintained	those	
of	this	project	“report”	is	comprised	of	letters	
relationships	and	I	do	not	currently	claim	
written to particular audiences, including 
indigeneity.	The	authors	I	mentioned	before	
my	community	collaborators	and	mentors.	
make	it	abundantly	clear	that	any	research	
The purpose of this introduction section is to 
using	Indigenous	methodologies	needs	to	
provide an orientation before reading any of 
benefit	Indigenous	people.	It	was	a	deep	wish	
the personalized letters. It is also intended to 
6
INTRODUCTION
Project principle icons, from left to right: emergence, reciprocity, open-endedness, flexibility
and	desire	of	mine	to	get	to	work	with	tribal	 methods	are	being	used	to	benefit	other	groups	
communities	on	my	project,	but	I	did	not	 who	have	experienced	the	harms	of	colonization	
receive	ongoing	follow-up	from	my	outreach.	 and	white	supremacy.	I	really	hope	that	my	
And	so	I	took	the	decision	of	respecting	those	 having these conversations in the landscape 
boundaries, applying the relational respect that architecture	department	makes	it	easier	for	
I learned in Indigenous Research Methods, and Indigenous students to do research in the way 
not pressuring people to respond. This leaves they	want	to	in	the	future.	And	I	am	sitting	with	
me	in	a	slightly	precarious	position	where	I	am	 the	discomfort	of	not	knowing	if	this	is	enough	
applying	lessons	from	Indigenous	Research	 for now.
Methods	but	not	working	directly	with	tribal	
communities.	The	folks	I	have	had	the	incredible	 Relational Methodology
opportunity	to	work	with	and	focus	on	so	far	 The	research	methodologies	of	landscape	
are	primarily	unhoused,	Latine,	Tibetan,	and	 architects have typically followed suit with white 
Vietnamese	people.	Some	of	these	people	likely	 Western	scientific	methods,	ignoring,	if	not	
have Indigenous ancestry but that has not been outright	devaluing,	valid	research	methods	in	
explicitly	discussed.	I	hope	it	is	okay	that	these	 BIPOC	communities.	Chilisa	(2019)	writes	about	
7
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
“
This respect is much more than an attitude; it requires 
real commitments and real sacrifices on the part of 
those who practice it... the scholar should be willing to 
accept a considerably diminished measure of authority, 
compared with what most scholars are accustomed to.
Eva Marie Garroutte
how	most	research	has	been	created	by	white	 Indigenous	Research	Methods.	In	Dr.	O’Neal’s	
men	to	study	white	men	and	are	often	irrelevant	 class,	we	discussed	at	length	the	importance	
to	the	needs	of	people	(p.	41).	Research	methods	 of relationship building and relational 
created	within	BIPOC	communities	often	center	 accountability in research, especially when 
relationship-building	as	research	and	actively	 addressing topics of cultural identity and 
work	to	push	back	against	the	characteristics	 power.	Shawn	Wilson’s	‘Research	is	Ceremony:	
of	white	supremacy	culture	including	 Indigenous	Research	Methods’,	has	been	
perfectionism,	individualism,	objectivity,	and	 fundamental	in	my	work.	Wilson	describes	
worshiping	the	written	word.	For	my	master’s	 the	importance	of	relationality	and	relational	
project,	I	wanted	to	step	away	from	the	dominant	 accountability. He also describes how, given that 
and extractive research approaches and focus our	reality	is	relationships,	a	valid	methodology	
instead	on	emergent,	respectful,	relational,	and	 is	“simply	the	building	of	more	relations”	(p.	
service-based	methods,	which	are	frequently	 79).	Building	off	of	this,	he	recommends	that	
slower	and	more	fluid. researchers	shift	their	focus	from	“discovering	
something	new”	to	building	more	relationships	
This	approach	was	directly	informed	by	
(p.	114).	Similarly,	Eva	Marie	Garroutte	(2003)	
coursework	with	Dr.	Jennifer	O’Neal	on	
8
INTRODUCTION
MFA Thesis Design Strategy at Arup
Landscape Architecture Studios MLA Project Goal
Sketch diagrams representing relationships (or lack thereof) in my prior work
describes	how	these	types	of	methodologies	 knowledge	transfer	in	academia.	A	conversation	
often	require	sacrifice	and	a	reduced	level	of	 with	PhD	student	Megan	Hayes	contributed	to	
control on the part of the researcher. Margaret the	synthesis	of	these	ideas	for	me	personally.	
Kovach	(2009)	advocates,	as	part	of	relational	 She	helped	to	validate	how	work	parties	at	
accountability, for researchers to ground their garden	sites	are	a	valid	form	of	research	and	
work	in	“community	needs	as	opposed	to	the	 dissemination,	as,	even	without	written	or	photo	
needs	of	the	academy,”	(p.	149).	 documentation,	the	information	and	knowledge	
of	the	work	party	is	shared	and	encoded	in	each	
I	was	also	inspired	by	emergent	social	research	
of our bodies.
methods	in	my	project.	Tami	Spry	calls	on	
“the body as a site of scholarly awareness These approaches are not new; they have been 
and	corporeal	literacy,”	and	problematizes	 developed and practiced in Indigenous and 
the	erasure	of	the	body	in	the	process(ing)	of	 Ethnic Studies and parts of Sociology and 
scholarship	(Hesse-Biber	and	Leavy,	2006,	p.	 Anthropology.	However,	they	are	new	for	me	
183).	When	the	body	is	excluded	from	research,	 personally	and	I	think	still	fairly	uncommon	
so	too	is	the	knowledge	that	is	stored	there,	thus	 within	design	and	architecture	spaces.	In	my	
limiting	the	depth,	quality,	and	holisticness	of	 MFA	project,	I	interviewed	52	different	people,	
9
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
ornamental and chemical heavy non-fruiting plants
ecological only maintenance regimes
Sketch diagrams of common anti-foraging Landscape Architecture practices
but	then	I	just	used	what	they	shared	with	me	 a	relationship-centered	and	service-based	
to	create	design	ideas	in	my	own	individual	 approach.
bubble.	In	my	work	as	a	design	strategist	at	
My	process	principles	have	included	emergence,	
Arup,	a	global	engineering	and	architecture	firm,	
open-endedness,	flexibility,	and	reciprocity.	
we	led	community	engagement	projects,	but	it	
In practice, this has involved being willing to 
was a purely consultative approach; they were 
have	patience	and	wait	and	see	what	emerges	
not	co-directors	in	the	project	direction	overall	
from	the	relationships	I	am	building.	If	people	
and	their	involvement	was	discrete	rather	
get	busy	or	connections	fade,	that’s	okay,	I	do	
than	continuous.	Even	here	in	my	landscape	
not	have	entitlement	to	their	time	just	because	I	
architecture studios, I have struggled with the 
am	supposed	to	be	operating	on	a	timeline.	And,	
feeling	of	doing	design	work	about	a	community	
inspired	by	the	writing	of	Robin	Wall	Kimmerer,	
with very little, if any, actual understanding 
Margaret Kovach, and Shawn Wilson, I have 
of	what	community	members	are	interested	
been	working	to	reflect	throughout	this	project	
in.		With	my	master’s	project,	I	instead	wanted	
on	what	I	am	offering	to	the	people	I	am	working	
to	intentionally	invite	in	the	complexity,	
with in reciprocity.
slowness,	and	non-linearity	that	comes	with	
10
INTRODUCTION
Tenzin Y. Tenzin T.
TIBETAN STUDENT TIBETAN STUDENT Irlanda AlexUNION UNION
HUERTO DE HEALTHY 
Noel LA FAMILIA DEMOCRACY Jared
Tenzin S. HUERTO DE MT PISGAH / HBRA
TIBETAN STUDENT LA FAMILIA Julia
UNION HUERTO EN
AND CENTRO AR
D
 G
ORDE
RS K.
OUT
 B
H A SOLIDARITY IT ID
Minh TS
 W
S Jet Esme O
L GARDEN
LI Jessicka HERBALISTS WITHOUT HUERTO DE 
VIETNAMESE STUDENT A HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS EUGENE LA FAMILIA J.
UNION BORDERS EUGENE SOLIDARITY 
Gatlin GARDEN K.
HUERTO DE SOLIDARITY 
Anne LA FAMILIA GARDEN
HERBALISTS WITHOUT 
BORDERS EUGENE J.
N
RBA  FARM Christa Elva SOLIDARITY Becca  U M.Tree HERBALISTS HUERTO DE GARDEN SOLIDARITY 
CITY OF HERBALISTS WITHOUT WITHOUT BORDERS LA FAMILIA GARDEN
EUGENE Grace Madison BORDERS EUGENE EUGENE
UNDERGRADUATE UNDERGRADUATE 
STUDENT STUDENT Kaussandra Anon
Tim Sabina FOUNDER, ROOTED A.
Leilani BLACK THISTLE OREGON FOLKLIFE Kaleb GRADUATE REMEDIES SOLIDARITY STREET AID
INDIGENOUS EDUCATION NETWORK GRADUATE STUDENT GARDEN
PROFESSOR STUDENT Sophie Anya
GRADUATE STOP THE SWEEPS
STUDENT AND TOOLBOX PROJECT L.
Jen Jenna SOLIDARITY 
FOUNDER, QUEEN Harper GRADUATE Katie R. GARDEN
OF SWORDS FACULTY ADVISOR RESEARCHER COMMITTEE MEMBER SOLIDARITY A. J.R. GARDEN BLACK THISTLE SOLIDARITY 
SOLIDARITY STREET AID GARDEN
GARDEN
Passionflower Oats Reishi
SLEEP SUPPORT ANXIETY SOOTHER IMMUNE SUPPORT Plantain
FIRST AID
Garlic
IMMUNE SUPPORT
Diagram of project relationships as of May 2023
Medicinal Landscapes and their Benefits communities	actually	relate	to	plants,	including	
I	am	exploring	this	process	through	a	specific	 the	medicinal	uses	of	plants.	Our	planting	
topic	lens,	which	is	culturally-relevant	medicinal	 schemes	in	public	areas	have	prioritized	non-
landscapes.	This	topic	focus	emerged	from	 fruiting	plants	and	engaged	in	chemical-heavy	
the	Plants	and	People	class	with	Dr.	Katie	 maintenance	regimes	which	add	further	barriers	
Lynch, in particular our reading of an article on to harvest. 
urban forest justice. The authors describe the 
Paul	Gobster	refers	to	this	as	the	
importance	of	considering	culturally	appropriate	
museumification	of	cities	(McLain	et.	al.,	2014).	
medicine	in	urban	forest	planning	and	the	fact	
If we, as a profession and as public servants, 
that,	for	many	people,	the	opportunity	to	harvest	
truly	want	to	advance	environmental	justice	
is	a	critical	part	of	the	medicine	(Poe	et.	al.,	2013).	
with	BIPOC,	low-income,	and	unhoused	
Within	the	field	of	landscape	architecture,	 communities,	we	must	look	for	ways	to	
mainstream	practice	has	historically	focused	on	 transform	our	planting	and	maintenance	
ornamental	and	ecological	planting	strategies.	 approaches to center biocultural diversity. 
While	these	can	be	beneficial,	they	frequently	 Bioculturally	diverse	and	medicinal	landscapes	
exclude the culturally diverse ways in which our have	many	benefits	they	can	offer	for	the	
11
SAVE THE
HERB
S
RITY
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Weeding and harvesting plantain at the Urban Farm Riverside
humans	in	relation	with	them.	 how plant gatherers are shifting views on 
underappreciated	plants:	“To	this	end,	common	
In an article for the Ecological Landscape 
plantain, purslane, and dandelions represent 
Alliance,	Lewis	(2014)	argues	for	not	only	the	
species that should be valued, not sprayed out 
economic	and	social	benefits	of	working	with	
of existence.” In their podcast episode on urban 
native	medicinal	plants	in	landscape	designs,	
wildcrafting,	Commonwealth	Herbs	goes	one	
but	also	the	ecological	benefits	at	a	systems	
step	further	to	imagine	a	future	where	cities	and	
level.	They	describe	how	medicinal	plants	do	
towns	could	actually	be	generating	wealth	(in	
not	contribute	to	chemical	pollution	in	our	
the	form	of	community	wellness	and/or	direct	
waterways	the	way	that	pharmaceuticals	do.	
revenue)	by	harvesting	“weedy”	medicinal	plants	
Another	major	chemical	reduction	benefit	
and	processing	them	into	medicine,	rather	than	
medicinal	landscapes	can	engender	is	the	
spraying	them	with	chemicals	(Commonwealth	
reduction of pesticide use. If we view landscapes 
Holistic	Herbalism,	2019).	
as places for harvesting and gathering, this 
would	change	the	way	we	manage	them,	 The	act	of	foraging	for	medicinal	plants	can	offer	
prioritizing	mechanical	removal	rather	 subsistence resources and a safety net during 
than	chemical.	Hurley	et.	al.	(2015)	describes	 times	of	hardship,	both	in	directly	offsetting	
12
INTRODUCTION
Making a first aid salve using plantain oil at the Free Herbalism Project (photo by Tree Knowlton)
monetary	costs	as	well	as	providing	a	sense	of	 how	this	intimacy	with	plants	and	place	often	
sovereignty in being able to avoid capitalistic results	in	many	gatherers	having	substantial	
exchange	(Shackleton	et.	al.,	2017;	Clouse,	2022).	 amounts	of	knowledge	about	the	plants	and	
Through foraging and wildcrafting, people their	ecosystems,	and	that	instead	of	restricting	
are able to “assert their rights to subsistence these	relationships,	our	policymakers	should	
and	informal	economies,”	while	also	reducing	 be	incorporating	that	knowledge	into	forest	and	
transportation	(and	thus	carbon	footprint)	 natural	resource	management.	
and waste associated with neoliberal food 
Foraging	and	gathering	for	medicinal	plants	
and	medicine	economies	(Poe	et	al,	2013).	
can also cultivate a stronger sense of cultural 
Foraging	for	food	and	medicine	can	establish	
identity	and	tradition.	(Shackleton	et.	al.,	2017).	
a	strengthened	connection	to	nature;	some	of	
As	Clouse	(2022)	notes,	foraging	involves	cross-
the	foragers	interviewed	by	McLain	et.	al.	(2014)	
generational	knowledge	sharing	about	plants	
discussed	how	they	appreciated	the	intimate	
and recipes and thus “supports the transference 
relationship	developed	from	foraging,	how	
of	social,	cultural	or	religious	values.”	Some	
the	place	they	live	in	becomes	“part	of	you	and	
plants	are	not	readily	available	commercially,	
you’re	part	of	it.”	McLain	(2002)	describes	
and can only be accessed through foraging; so if 
13
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Subsistence Connection to 
Harvesting as resources
cultural identity
medicine
Connection to 
nature
Offsetting	
monetary	costs Reduction of 
chemical	use
Benefits of Health 
Sovereignty
Sketch diagram of the benefits of Health Sovereignty
these	plants	are	needed	medicine	and/or	central	 provide psychological support. 
to	the	continuance	of	cultural	knowledge,	then	
The	cultural	and	psychological	benefits	of	
foraging	for	them	becomes	even	more	critical	
gathering,	particularly	gathering	culturally-
(Poe	et.	al.,	2013).	Both	Buhner	(2004)	and	Poe	
relevant	plants,	can	be	especially	beneficial	
et.	al.	(2013)	describe	how	harvesting	is	more	
to	people	who	have	experienced	forms	of	
than	a	means	to	an	end,	but	it	part	of	the	healing	
displacement	or	diaspora.	Aktürk	and	Lerski	
process itself and is part of spiritual wellness for 
(2021)	describe	how	climate	change	is	increasing	
many	people.	Clarke	describes	the	psychological	
the	amount	of	climate-displaced	people,	
benefits	generated	through	gathering	food	and	
threatening their connections with land and 
medicine,	particularly	culturally-relevant	plants	
plant based cultural practices. They share 
(Mihesuah	and	Hoover,	2019).	In	Eugene	and	
how	intangible	cultural	heritage	(ICH),	which	
elsewhere,	unstable	access	to	food/medicine	and	
includes social practices, rituals, and traditional 
mental	health	struggles	are	often	co-occurring.	
crafts,	is	often	under-considered	in	climate	
Establishing	public	medicinal	landscapes	can	
resiliency and relocation planning. When people 
not only contribute to the nutrition and wellness 
are	displaced	from	their	cultural	landscapes,	
of	unhoused	and	low-income	folks,	but	also	
there	is	a	risk	for	losing	the	medicines	and	
14
INTRODUCTION
food	and	other	related	customs	based	in	those	 to	urban	and	peri-urban	environments.	Kassam	
landscapes	and	ecosystems.		Aktürk	and	Lerski	 et.	al.	(2010)	describes	how	in	rural	communities	
discuss	how	ICH	elements	like	traditional	 in	the	Pamir	mountains,	people	would	have	to	
foods and healthcare practices can help people travel	multiple	days	by	foot	to	get	to	the	nearest	
in	the	deep	emotional	processing	that	typically	 hospital.	Having	the	knowledge,	agency,	and	
accompanies	displacement	and	the	process	of	 plant	allies	available	within	their	communities	
“emotional	integration”.	Additionally,	when	 reduces their reliance on these long journeys.  
host	communities	offer	ways	for	climate	
migrants	to	reconnect	with	intangible	heritage,	
such as through places for gardening and 
tending to traditional plants, this can facilitate 
intergenerational	storytelling	and	help	migrant	
communities	in	generating	a	sense	of	economic	
resiliency	in	their	host	community	(Aktürk	and	
Lerski,	2021).
The	benefits	of	medicinal	plants	are	not	exclusive	
15
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Definitions of Key Terms Plant Medicine / Herbal Medicine / Herbal 
Health Sovereignty Remedy
Health sovereignty refers to the ability of a I	often	use	these	terms	interchangeably,	all	
community	to	define,	access,	and	distribute	 referring	to	the	process	of	working	with	a	plant	
culturally-	and	ecologically-appropriate	food	 for	its	benefits	to	one’s	physical,	emotional,	
and	medicine.	Many	definitions	emphasize	 mental,	and/or	spiritual	wellness.	Technically,	
choice	and	self-governance	as	the	distinguishing	 this	does	include	the	kinds	of	things	you	can	buy	
features	of	health	sovereignty	in	comparison	to	 in the holistic health aisle of the grocery store. 
health	security.	Work	that	contributes	to	health	 However,	for	the	purposes	of	my	project	I	am	
sovereignty recognizes the connection between more	interested	in	what	people	are	making	in	
cultural, spiritual, and physical wellness. their	kitchens:	salves,	tinctures,	teas,	powdered	
Culturally-relevant	food	and	medicine	not	only	 herb	blends,	fire	cider,	etc.	
directly aid the physical health of individuals, 
Culturally-relevant Plants
but they also strengthen cultural connections 
which	in	turn	strengthen	physical,	emotional,	 By	this	I	am	referring	to	the	group	of	plants	that	
and spiritual wellbeing. hold	particular	significance,	tradition,	recipes,	
and	rituals	in	a	given	culture.	My	definition	
Medicinal Landscape
of	‘culture’	is	fairly	broad	in	this	project;	while	
Medicinal	landscapes	can	have	many	 largely	I	am	referring	to	culture	as	it	pertains	to	
definitions.	Landscapes	in	and	of	themselves	can	 racial	and	ethnic	backgrounds,	there	are	other	
be	medicinal	and	therapeutic	in	many	cultures.	 groups	that	might	have	specific	needs	related	
The	types	of	medicinal	landscapes	I	am	referring	 to	medicinal	plants	based	on	their	shared	
to, however, are landscapes where there are experiences.
plants that are being tended and harvested by 
humans	for	their	medicinal	gifts.	This	definition	
of	course	includes	the	stewardship	of	common	
herbal	remedies	like	comfrey	and	calendula,	but	
also	includes	foods	as	medicine	and	the	roles	
that	plants	like	garlic	play	in	human	wellbeing.	
16
INTRODUCTION
Process Questions Topic Questions
What	are	successful	practices	in	
relationship	building	and	service-based	 What	are	different	scales	and	modes	of	
research between landscape architecture supporting	health	sovereignty?
students	and	community	groups?
 
What	are	relational	methods	of	
documenting	research	that	are	in	service	 What are the barriers and challenges to 
to	my	community	partners? health	sovereignty	in	Eugene?
Questions, Methods, and Mission log	of	how	I	contributed	with	the	different	
Bringing	together	my	process	and	topic	interests	 groups I have been collaborating with, as will 
led	me	to	four	primary	research	questions,	as	 be introduced in the following section. These 
shown in the table above. In order to approach primary	methods	informed	and	were	informed	
my	questions	in	a	way	that	harmonizes	with	my	 by reading, autoethnography, research by 
process	principles	of	emergence	and	flexibility,	 design, and interviews. Throughout the project 
I	defined	a	mission	statement	for	myself	for	the	 I	relied	on	books,	articles,	videos,	and	podcasts	
year,	which	allowed	me	to	retain	a	focus	while	 to	enrich	my	understanding	of	plant	medicine.	
adapting	to	the	daily	and	weekly	needs	of	my	 I	maintained	written,	sketch,	and	audio	journal	
collaborators:	 entries	to	reflect	on	the	processes	of	relationship	
building. I conducted research by design through 
To support access to and maintenance of 
culturally relevant medicinal plants through the	creation	of	garden	plans,	pamphlets,	and	
decolonial lenses and methods. workshop	materials.	And	I	had	five	semi-
structured interviews with practicing herbalists, 
The	methods	that	I	have	prioritized	are	
a	community	garden	manager,	and	a	former	
volunteering and relationship building. In order 
Urban	Farm	instructor.
to	track	my	progress,	I	maintained	a	volunteer	
17
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Subproject 
Overviews
18
INTRODUCTION
Herbalists without Borders Eugene at Free Herbalism Project, from left to right: me, Anne, Olivia, Tree (Photo by Jet Eccleston)
Herbalists without Borders Eugene and	more.	In	May,	as	part	of	the	Free	Herbalism	
Herbalists without Borders Eugene is a Project,	we	held	a	first	aid	salve	making	class	
local	chapter	of	an	international	non-profit	 and gave out over 100 salve tins that we had 
organization focused on health sovereignty. made.	The	HWB	chapter	also	frequently	joins	in	
Each	chapter	works	largely	at	the	local	level	 for	the	local	Solidarity	Share	Fair,	where	different	
offering	herbal	medicine	making,	distribution,	 groups	offer	free	services	and	material	goods	to	
education,	clinics,	and	more,	depending	on	 folks	in	need.	We	set	up	a	booth	offering	syrups,	
the	interests	and	skills	of	the	members.	The	 salves, and other herbal goodies to support with 
chapters are also frequently invited to contribute immune	system	strength	during	flu	season.	
to	a	national	or	international	efforts,	usually	in	
The	Skinner	City	plot	was	offered	to	us	by	Huerto	
response	to	some	form	of	crisis,	whether	that	is	
de	la	Familia	as	we	had	been	working	with	them	
climate-induced	disaster,	gun	violence,	or	war.	
to	distribute	COVID	care	boxes	to	their	members	
This	past	year	as	part	of	my	work	with	Herbalists	 during	the	earlier	days	of	the	pandemic.	The	
without	Borders	(HWB),	I	contributed	to	free	 intention of this plot is to be a place where we 
workshops	at	Mountain	Rose	Herbs	on	making	 can	host	bilingual	workshops,	given	the	lack	of	
fire	cider,	elderberry	syrup,	wild	spring	greens,	 Spanish-language	herbal	workshops	in	Eugene.	
19
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Work party to winterize the Herbalists without Borders garden plot
This	year	we	added	more	plants	to	the	perennial	 and	culantro	(different	than	cilantro)	–	all	of	
bed	and	kid’s	patch	to	get	it	closer	to	the	original	 which	are	culturally	significant	in	the	cuisine	
design intentions. In the southeast perennial and	folk	medicine	of	central	and	south	America.	
bed,	we	introduced	plants	specifically	that	can	
support	with	wildfire	and	smoke	related	health	 Huerto de la Familia
issues,	such	as	marshmallow	and	anise	hyssop,	 Huerto	de	la	Familia	is	a	local	non-profit	
given that this has been a growing challenge organization that supports Latine people in 
here in Eugene. And because it is best practice Lane County with initiatives related to organic 
to	rotate	out	annual	crops,	especially	ones	like	 agriculture and food production. They oversee 
tomatoes,	we	rotated	out	what	was	formerly	 several	local	community	gardens,	including	co-
a	salsa	bed,	but	kept	the	focus	on	culturally- managing	the	Skinner	City	Garden	with	the	city	
specific	plants	and	food	as	medicine.	This	year	 of Eugene. The Mujeres del Huerto is a support 
it	is	a	three	sisters	or	milpa	garden	with	corn,	 group	for	Latina	women,	particularly	those	who	
squash,	and	beans	that	are	all	heirlooms	from	 have	experienced	domestic	violence.	The	Mujeres	
central	America.	Around	the	border	of	this	bed,	 were	going	to	take	on	a	garden	bed	focusing	
we	have	added	epazote,	cempasuchil,	pericón,	 on	growing	healing	herbs.	A	large	focus	of	my	
20
INTRODUCTION
Grass removal at the Mujeres del Huerto plot (unweeded on left, weeded on the right)
contributions with Huerto this year has been garden	and	ordered	some	seeds	and	starts.	
helping	to	remove	the	grass	from	the	Mujeres	 However,	I	recently	learned	that	one	of	my	
garden bed to prepare it for planting. I also main	collaborators	is	dealing	with	a	medical	
attended	a	gathering	with	some	of	the	Mujeres	 emergency	and	so	the	Mujeres	garden	is	on	hold	
to discuss their goals for the plot. Here we until	her	return.	For	now,	Gatlin	has	generously	
talked	about	some	plants	that	they	had	wanted	 offered	to	support	me	in	shifting	my	project	to	
to see in the garden, as well as their interest take	the	seeds	and	starts	I	had	acquired	for	the	
in	having	workshops	on	garden	design	and	 Mujeres	garden	and	grow	them	out	in	Huerto’s	
organic	maintenance.	I	started	to	prep	some	of	 greenhouse. These plants and their seeds will 
those	workshop	materials	and	I	also	researched	 then be able to be distributed to the Mujeres or 
curanderismo,	which	is	an	umbrella	term	for	 other	members	of	Huerto.	
folk	healing	practices	in	Latin	America.	
Solidarity Garden
Based	on	my	conversation	with	the	Mujeres,	
The	Solidarity	Garden	in	Jefferson	Westside	is	a	
conversations	with	Gatlin,	and	my	research	
collaboration	between	myself,	my	partner,	Stop	
on	curanderismo,	I	started	identifying	some	
the	Sweeps,	Black	Thistle	Street	Aid,	Near-west	
plants	that	we	might	be	able	to	add	to	the	
21
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Solidarity Garden before grass removal and planting work
Eugene	Social	Trust	(NEST),	and	the	UO	Urban	 The garden is located on land that is currently 
Farm.	MLA	graduate,	Anya	Dobrowolski,	had	a	 “owned” by either the City of Eugene, EWEB, 
vision	for	a	community	garden	space	that	could	 or	Lane	County.	Anya	called	all	three	of	them	
offer	shade,	food,	and	medicine	to	our	unhoused	 and	asked	if	they	would	remove	anything	if	she	
neighbors,	and	she	invited	my	partner	and	I	to	 planted there and they said no. The focus of our 
be collaborators. The garden will connect into work	this	year	has	been	on	planning	the	garden	
work	that	Stop	the	Sweeps	is	doing	to	support	the	 and plant acquisition. We also conducted soil 
rights	and	livelihoods	of	un-housed	folks,	and	 tests to understand what was safe to grow and 
Black	Thistle’s	work	in	offering	street	herbalism	 what	level	of	remediation	we	needed.	
to unhoused people. Further, in response to 
From	there	we	selected	plants	within	three	
the	lack	of	diversity	and	representation	in	the	
categories:	food,	medicine,	and	remediation.	We	
Jefferson	Westside	Neighborhood	Association	
focused on food plants that are “ready to eat” 
board,	a	new	group	called	NEST	is	forming	to	
and/or	nutritionally	dense.	Our	medicinal	plants	
take	on	projects	within	the	neighborhood.	The	
list	was	informed	by	plants	requested	by	Black	
Solidarity	Garden	will	be	one	of	the	first	of	these	
Thistle Street Aid, alongside research I did on 
projects. 
herbs	to	support	immune	system,	stress,	and	
22
INTRODUCTION
Initial work party at the Solidarity Garden (photo by Ignacio López Búson)
first	aid	issues,	as	those	were	common	requests	 Cultural Diversity at the Urban Farm
that Herbalists without Borders received at the As	I	was	working	on	my	master’s	project	and	
Solidarity Share Fair. We created a planting plan also	taking	the	Urban	Farm	class	last	fall,	the	
for	the	whole	site,	but	quickly	realized	that	this	 Director	of	the	UO	Urban	Farm,	Harper	Keeler,	
was	too	ambitious	for	this	season,	given	lack	 and I got into a few conversations about how we 
of	water	access,	amount	of	grass	removal,	and	 could	make	room	for	more	medicinal	plants	and	
costs	of	compost.	We	got	extremely	lucky	the	day	 culturally-relevant	plants	at	the	Urban	Farm.	
before	our	work	party,	that	one	of	the	neighbors	 In	order	to	move	this	idea	forward,	I	started	
had an excavator we could use. So we were able reaching	out	to	different	cultural	groups	on	
to actually dig up the whole site and 15 people campus	to	see	if	any	of	them	were	interested.	
showed up to help us. It was a wild experience of Several replied sharing that they were at capacity 
unexpected abundance, where people brought and	could	not	take	on	another	project.	However,	
food, tools, and plants to share. KVAL even the	Tibetan	Student	Association	(TSA)	and	the	
showed up and wrote an article about the garden. Vietnamese	Student	Association	(VSA)	wanted	
We	will	be	building	on	this	momentum	with	 to	be	involved.	I	started	with	a	one-on-one	
weekly	work	parties	on	Friday	nights.	 conversation	with	Tenzin	Shepherd,	a	member	
23
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Tibetan Student Association planting Tibetan Barley seeds in trays (photo by Tenzin Yangchen)
of the TSA and she shared a list of plants with Save the Urban Farm
me	that	she	and	other	members	had	compiled.	 My	work	with	Save	the	Urban	Farm	looked	
Similarly,	I	started	with	a	one-on-one	chat	with	 quite	distinct	from	these	other	subprojects	and	
Minh	of	the	VSA	and	she	connected	me	with	her	 collaborations.	The	Urban	Farm	is	a	beloved	site	
mom	to	create	a	plant	list	together.	 on	campus	that	was	the	product	of	grassroots	
planting	and	stewardship	efforts	of	students	and	
With the Tibetan Student Association, we were 
faculty in the 70s. Since then, it has grown to host 
able	to	source	Prickly	Ash,	Szechuan	Pepper,	and	
several	classes	each	year	that	fill	up	within	the	
Tibetan	Barley.	Three	of	the	members	worked	
first	minutes	of	registration.	Here	students	get	
with Harper and I to sow barley in trays, pot up a 
to	learn	about	growing	food,	making	compost,	
Szechuan Pepper plant, and start cold stratifying 
alongside	wider	social	and	environmental	issues	
other	Szechuan	Pepper	and	Prickly	Ash	seeds.	
relating	to	food	systems.	
At	the	time	of	this	writing,	I	am	currently	in	the	
process of sourcing the plants requested by Minh The	newest	building	of	the	Knight	Campus	is	
and	her	mom. currently under construction on the eastern 
border	of	the	Urban	Farm.	While	the	footprint	
for the building did not infringe on the Urban 
24
INTRODUCTION
Save the Urban Farm march (photo by Gavin Gemez) Art installation on threatened trees at Urban Farm
Farm,	the	building	has	had	a	severe	impact.	 gatherings,	creating	Slack	and	Instagram	
Their plan has included a pedestrian area that channels, raising concerns and questions in 
extended	into	the	Urban	Farm	along	the	full	 faculty	meetings	and	administrative	town	halls,	
eastern border, a plaza area in the southeast working	on	an	ASUO	resolution,	engaging	
corner	of	the	farm,	a	utilities	corridor	being	 with	local	media	outlets,	planning	and	hosting	
constructed	through	the	middle	of	the	farm,	and	 the	Urban	Farm	Spring	Fest,	attending	
using	the	Back	40	(which	is	about	one-third	of	 CPC	meetings	and	City	of	Eugene	hearings,	
the	Urban	Farm)	for	construction	staging.	Given	 drafting Public Records Requests, hosting a 
that	the	farm	has	medicinal	plants	growing	 march	and	rally,	creating	informational	social	
throughout its garden beds, and that food is media	graphics,	and	launching	a	letter	writing	
medicine	is	most	cultures,	I	decided	to	fold	this	 campaign	to	University	admin	and	the	Board	
into	my	master’s	project.	I	strongly	believe	that	 of	Trustees.	Sadly,	despite	the	immense	efforts	
we	as	landscape	architects	need	to	be	skilled	 of our group, the plans have proceeded, the trees 
not only in creating new landscapes but also have	been	removed,	and	the	Back	40	is	buried	in	
protecting existing ones. gravel	and	machinery.	
This process has involved hosting student However,	our	work	continues.	Last	summer,	
25
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Urban Farm Back 40 in October 2022
as a result of our organizing, the University the	riverside	site	is	within	the	programming	and	
designated	$1	million	to	the	expansion	of	the	 culture	of	the	existing	Urban	Farm	and	pushing	
Urban	Farm,	as	a	replacement	for	the	loss	of	 back	on	the	dean’s	monopoly	over	Urban	Farm	
current spaces. And in the fall of 2022, they Riverside,	and	we	need	student,	faculty,	staff,	and	
approved the selection of a riverside site to the community	to	help	us	do	so.
northeast	of	the	Urban	Farm.	
Another	key	part	of	this	subproject	has	been	
Dean	Adrien	Parr,	however,	has	put	the	project	 to stay with the grieving of what we have lost. 
development	on	hold	and	has	indicated	that	she	 Working	with	plant	medicine	this	year	helped	
intends	to	assign	the	project	to	an	un-named	 open	my	eyes	to	the	ways	in	which	having	
tenure-track	faculty	who	will	be	hired	to	direct	 fragments	of	the	farm,	like	plant	material	and	
this	space.	We	take	strong	offense	to	the	Dean’s	 soil, to continue interacting with softened the 
narrative that the process was “consensus sharpness	of	the	loss.	When	I	returned	from	
based”	and	feel	that	her	plan	for	the	Urban	Farm	 winter	break	to	see	the	farm	for	the	first	time	
Riverside is not only in opposition to student after	the	razing,	there	was	not	much	left	that	had	
requests	but	also	the	campus	planning	process	 not already been turned into wood chips. But a 
itself.	We	are	currently	working	to	ensure	that	 couple cedar and bay branches fell to our side of 
26
INTRODUCTION
Urban Farm Back 40 in March 2023
the	fences.	These	were	from	the	row	of	cedars	
that	used	to	make	me	feel	so	protected	and	I	
miss	them	dearly.	It	turns	out	that	cedar	and	bay	
leaves	are	both	anti-inflammatory	and	can	be	
supportive in topically addressing pain relief, 
so	I	have	worked	with	these	plants	to	create	an	
infused	lotion	to	share	with	fellow	members	of	
Save	the	Urban	Farm.
27
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Research Findings 
Overview
28
INTRODUCTION
Relationships with Relationships with Relationships with 
Community Collaborators Academic Institution Plant Collaborators
Immersion Navigating Institutional One	Plant	at	a	Time
Tension
Grout	Work Reciprocal	Gathering	
Working	with	Mentors Practices
Multidirectional 
Learning Collaboration over 
Competition
Deep	Caring
Synthesizing Messy 
Rolling	with	the	“No’s” Processes
Table summarizing my main lessons on relationships building
What are successful practices in What are different scales and modes of 
relationship building and service- supporting health sovereignty?
based research between landscape This	project	helped	me	to	understand	both	
architecture students and community conceptually how health sovereignty can be 
groups? supported	at	different	scales	from	public	to	
I was initially focused on learning about private landscapes, and also tangibly how the 
relationship	building	with	community	partners	 different	groups	I	have	been	working	with	
and	this	has	been	the	main	focus	of	my	project,	 model	different	approaches	to	supporting	health	
but	it	also	has	been	important	to	reflect	on	how	 sovereignty. 
to	navigate	my	relationship	with	this	institution	
When I started this project, I was probably 
and,	just	like	with	humans,	how	to	build	slow,	
most	interested	in	the	fully	public	commons	
respectful,	and	mutually	beneficial	relationships	
model.	These	are	places,	often	overseen	by	
with	medicinal	plants.	Thus,	I	have	had	insights	
a	city	government,	from	which	anyone	can	
and lessons about relationship building across 
harvest.	Thus,	they	also	tend	to	benefit	the	most	
these three categories, as shown in the table 
economically	disadvantaged	folks,	as	people	
above.
who	do	not	own	land	or	a	plot	in	a	community	
29
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
“The Commons” “Community Garden” “Sanctuary Garden”
Fully public space for Semi-public	space	that	 Private garden where access 
harvesting, often overseen by requires having a plot to gain is only allowed to a select 
city	government.	 access. group.
Example:	Bronx	River	Foodway	 Example:	Eugene	Community	 Example:	Wapato	Island	Farm
and Beacon Food Forest Garden	Program
Diagram of scales of health sovereignty from public to private
garden	can	still	access	the	plants.	Examples	 Langwick	(2018)	describes	how	members	
of this include the Bronx River Foodway and of	different	TRMEGA	gardens	in	Tanzania	
the Beacon Food Forest. Through reading share	cuttings,	seeds,	transplants,	medicinal	
and volunteering, however, I also learned of information,	and	stewardship	knowledge	
the	importance	of	semi-public	and	private	 with each other. They argue that this leads 
landscapes for supporting health sovereignty. to each garden being “an actual extension of 
other gardens, an extension of their social 
I	would	classify	a	community	garden	as	a	
relations,	physical	matter,	and	storied	histories,”	
semi-public	space,	as	they	are	often	fenced	and	
thus challenging the notions of borders and 
locked,	only	accessible	to	those	who	have	a	plot,	
ownership.	I	experienced	this	concept	in	my	
but within the garden there can be sharing of 
work	with	Huerto	de	la	Familia	and	the	Mujeres	
knowledge,	labor,	and	resources.	My	bias	at	the	
del Huerto garden plot. They are viewing their 
start of this project was that this setup is less 
plot	as	a	place	for	them	to	share	knowledge	
than	ideal	in	comparison	to	fully	public	swaths	
about plants and gardening, and to be able to 
of	urban	commons.	However,	I	have	learned	that	
have cuttings and transplants that they can 
they	act	as	powerful	hubs	and	protected	spaces.
bring	into	their	home	gardens.	Additionally,	it	
30
PUBLIC
PRIVATE
INTRODUCTION
RALLY APPROP RALLY
 APPROP RALLY
 APPRO
TU RI TU RI TU PRI TUR
ALLY APPROP
UL A
R
T L AT L AT IC E CU E CU E CU
L ATE
SOLIDARITY URBAN FARM
GARDEN
HERBALISTS MUJERES 
WITHOUT DEL
BORDERS HUERTO
SAVE THE URBAN 
CO TE CO E C E C ELO IA L FARM AT O OI L IAT L IATGICA PR
OG PR OG PR OG PR
LLY APPRO ICALLY APPRO ICALLY APPRO ICALLY APPRO
Diagram of how subprojects fit on health sovereignty scale
does	seem	beneficial	to	have	a	level	of	privacy	 and building power within underprivileged 
and	protection	for	groups	that	are	more	 communities,	and	there	are	times	where	this	is	
marginalized.	For	example,	Huerto	de	la	Familia	 not only appropriate, but required for the safety 
has	a	plot	for	people	who	are	recovering	from	 and	success	of	the	initiative.	One	example	is	
substance use and the Mujeres del Huerto plot Wapato	Island	Farm	in	Portland.	They	aim	
was	intended	to	be	a	place	for	women	healing	 to	protect	the	BIPOC	community	they	are	
from	the	trauma	of	domestic	violence.	The	partial	 comprised	of	by	restricting	access.	They	require	
exclusivity of this space can create a sense of all	of	their	volunteers	to	submit	an	application	
safety	amongst	these	groups.	 and read their resources list on topics of white 
supremacy	and	trauma	before	attending	any	
Given	my	prior	assumptions,	I	had	a	similar	
volunteer events. 
shift	in	perspective	around	private	medicinal	
landscapes. At the start of this project, I would With	this	in	mind,	it	has	become	clear	that	there	
have	assumed	that	these	were	situations	of	 is not one scale of enacting health sovereignty 
power-hoarding	owned	by	wealthy	(and	usually	 that is universally better than others. Instead, 
white)	people.	However,	private	medicinal	 it	is	about	working	with	appropriate	levels	of	
landscapes can be created as a way of shifting access, depending on the group of people who 
31
PUBLIC
PRIVATE
E
E
E
E
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Signage at Solidarity Garden 
are	going	to	do	the	tending	and	harvesting	work.	 it to the Little Free Pantry nearby. We plan to 
With	these	different	scales	in	mind,	I	want	to	 host	gatherings	and	workshops	to	connect	with	
describe	the	ways	the	different	subprojects	and	 both our housed and unhoused neighbors, and 
collaborations	I	have	worked	on	support	health	 invite	people	in	for	knowledge	exchange	and	
sovereignty in Eugene. stewarding.
Solidarity Garden Cultural Diversity at the Urban Farm
The	Solidarity	Garden	is	the	closest	to	a	public	 The	work	I	have	been	doing	with	the	Tibetan	
commons	model	of	health	sovereignty.	The	 Student	Association	and	the	Vietnamese	
intention	is	for	anyone	to	be	able	to	harvest	from	 Student	Association	at	the	Urban	Farm	is	
the	food	and	medicine	in	the	garden.	We	are	also	 intended	to	address	one	of	the	key	parts	of	
intending	for	this	to	tie	into	existing	programs	 health	sovereignty,	which	is	the	ability	to	work	
of	free	medicine	distribution.	We	can	donate	the	 with	culturally-relevant	plants.	Not	only	are	
materials	to	Black	Thistle	Street	Aid	to	process	 we	hoping	to	offer	the	plants	to	the	Tibetan	and	
and	distribute,	and/or	work	with	others	in	our	 Vietnamese	students	on	campus,	but	also	we	
neighborhood	to	process	the	medicine	and	bring	 hope	to	have	opportunities	for	them	to	tend	and	
32
INTRODUCTION
Tibetan Barley sprouting at the Urban Farm (photo by Harper Keeler)
harvest the plants, if they want to, as harvesting class	is	their	first	experience	of	harvesting	their	
is	a	part	of	the	medicine. own	food,	and	for	some	it’s	their	first	experience	
of getting their hands in the soil at all. The class 
It also is intended to create a precedent for other 
literally teaches students how to have food and 
culture-centered	student	groups	to	do	projects	
health sovereignty by growing and preparing 
like	this	at	the	Urban	Farm	in	the	future.	While	
their own plants. Fighting to protect this space 
many	other	groups	were	at	capacity	and	unable	
that	has	already	been	working	towards	health	
to	be	involved	within	the	timeline	that	I	am	
sovereignty,	as	well	as	pushing	back	against	
starting	work	on	this,	I	hope	that	if	in	the	future	
competing	visions	for	the	Riverside	site,	seem	to	
they	are	interested,	they	can	reach	back	out	to	
be	a	no	brainer	given	the	mission	of	my	project.	
me	and/or	Harper	to	move	through	a	similar	
process. Even	the	work	of	grieving	the	losses	we	have	
had, I believe, is a part of health sovereignty. 
Save the Urban Farm
Grieving	helps	us	to	not	forget;	to	not	bypass	
Perhaps	it	is	less	immediately	clear	how	the	 the	emotions	associated	with	losing	such	a	
work	of	Save	the	Urban	Farm	feeds	into	health	 special	place;	to	not	paint	it	over	with	thick	silver	
sovereignty.	For	many	students,	the	Urban	Farm	 linings; but to recognize that this was wrong and 
33
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Me at Solidarity Share Fair event with Herbalists without Borders (photo by Jet Eccleston)
did	not	have	to	happen;	and	to	remember	that	 to	grow	and	make	medicine.	Further,	HWB	
we	have	every	right	and	responsibility	to	keep	 Eugene tries when possible to create spaces for 
fighting	for	threatened	medicinal	landscapes	in	 knowledge	exchange	rather	than	unidirectional	
the	future. teaching,	often	asking	our	workshop	attendees	
to	share	their	experiences	and	knowledge	about	
Herbalists without Borders Eugene
a given topic or plant. This helps us steer our 
I	think	Herbalists	without	Borders	Eugene	 work	towards	a	direction	of	mutual	aid,	rather	
supports local health sovereignty through their than philanthropy. Herbalists without Borders 
combination	of	education	and	distribution.	 is also dedicated to centering cultural relevancy 
They	are	striking	the	balance	between	offering	 in	their	medicinal	offerings	through	both	the	
immediate	aid	and	sharing	knowledge	to	help	 ongoing	partnership	with	Huerto	de	la	Familia,	
with	community	capacity	building,	so	people	 as well as in other past projects such as sending 
do not have to rely on us if they do not want to. herbal	aid	in	response	to	a	request	from	the	
Bringing in opportunities for education allows Navajo	nation	during	COVID.
us	to	increase	the	number	of	people	within	our	
community	who	have	the	skills	and	ability	
34
INTRODUCTION
Fire Cider Workshop with Huerto de la Familia
Huerto de la Familia with	each	other.	Some	of	the	women	in	the	
Mujeres	del	Huerto	group	already	know	a	
There are an abundance of ways in which Huerto 
lot about gardening and organic practices, 
de	la	Familia	is	support	health	sovereignty.	For	
but	others	do	not.	This	is	why	they	asked	for	
the	purpose	of	this	presentation	I	am	going	to	
workshop	support.	Not	only	can	I	share	what	I	
focus on the Mujeres del Huerto plot. One of the 
know	and/or	research,	but	more	importantly	it	
ways this plot supports health sovereignty is by 
creates	space	for	them	to	share	what	they	know	
establishing a place where this group can have 
with each other.
reliable access to cultural plants. As previously 
stated,	community	gardens	may	not	be	as	open	
What are the barriers and challenges to 
and	public	as	a	commons	but	the	soil	quality	is	
health sovereignty in Eugene?
known,	the	maintenance	practices	are	known	
Health Sovereignty within Eugene is not 
(and	organic),	and	they	get	to	have	full	autonomy	
without	challenge.	One	of	the	main	barriers	
over what is planted. 
to	health	sovereignty	in	the	public	realm	has	
Additionally, these collaborations are slowly to	do	with	anti-foraging	policies	and	the	fears	
creating	places	for	people	to	share	knowledge	 and	biases	that	lie	underneath	them,	such	as	
35
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
DISPLACEMENT AND
LAND THEFT
POLICIES AGAINST 
GATHERING AND 
TENDING
GARDEN
PLOT 
AVAILABILITY
Barriers in Barriers in Barriers in 
Public Spaces Semi-Public Private Spaces
Spaces
PERMITTING
PROCESS
VAGUE 
PUBLIC 
POLICY CULTURAL 
LANGUAGE OPPRESSION
ACCESS TO SEEDS 
AND STARTS
Sketch diagram of barriers to health sovereignty at different scales
fear	of	damage	to	ecosystems,	biodiversity	loss,	 In	the	meantime,	these	laws	about	harvesting	
and overharvesting. These fears, however, are in	public	parks	can	act	as	barriers	to	tending	
often	misheld.	For	example,	Rebecca	McLain	 and	gathering.	As	part	of	our	work	around	the	
and	her	co-authors	describe	how	foragers	are	 Solidarity	Garden,	my	collaborators	and	I	were	
usually responsive to how the plants change pruning an apple tree adjacent to the plot. Within 
over	time,	harvest	only	a	portion	of	what’s	 thirty	minutes,	however,	the	city	Park	Watch	
available,	remove	invasive	plants,	and	tend	plant	 showed up. They were not there to help or guide 
populations. or	offer	to	take	care	of	the	tree	themselves,	merely	
just	to	tell	us	not	to	or	else	risk	being	banned	
Even	if	community	members	could	benefit	from	
from	the	park.	One	of	my	collaborators,	who	is	
additional training in order to harvest ethically, 
also a professional landscape contractor, had 
this should not be used as an excuse to retain 
received	permission	to	do	this	landscape	work	
the status quo. Current holders of power need 
from	the	city,	but	there	was	no	record	of	this	
to	trust	that	other	members	in	their	community	
and	Park	Watch	would	not	take	our	word	for	
are	fully	capable	of	tending	to	a	public	commons	
it.	It	is	highly	ironic,	as	most	cities	struggle	to	
and	can	learn	what	they	do	not	know	to	become	
fund	enough	staff	to	take	care	of	all	of	the	park	
“responsible	sovereigns,”	(Waldstein,	2016).
36
INTRODUCTION
Apple tree pruned by Solidarity Garden
spaces.	The	Park	Watch	staff	we	interacted	with	 like	teasel	at	Buford	Park,	she	had	to	go	through	
even	acknowledged	that	they	are	short-staffed.	 a	permitting	process.	
So	why	not	be	more	receptive	to	people	who	are	
Within	the	semi-public	realm,	one	of	the	main	
volunteering	their	time	to	harvest	and	tend	to	
barriers	in	Eugene	is	the	limited	number	of	
public	park	spaces?	
spaces	at	community	gardens	and	the	limited	
If	policies	do	not	make	it	clear	that	foraging	is	 distribution	of	them.	I	spoke	with	a	staff	member	
not allowed, usually their vagueness is enough of	the	city’s	community	garden	program	who	
of	a	deterrent	for	folks.	One	of	my	interviewees	 shared	with	me	that	this	past	year	they	had	
shared	how	this	is	one	of	the	main	reasons	she	 about 60 spaces available and received 200 
goes	outside	city	limits	to	harvest	medicine.	 applications. The city has wanted to expand 
the	garden	program	into	River	Road	and	West	
And	when	there	is	foraging	allowed,	often	times	
Eugene	but	has	not	yet	dedicated	funding	or	
it	requires	a	permit	and	the	complex	process	
committed	to	a	timeline.	
associated	with	acquiring	one.	The	same	
interviewee	shared	with	me	how	complex	this	 Other barriers across scales include challenges 
process is. Even to harvest an undesired plant in	sourcing	the	plants.	I	was	only	able	to	find	half	
37
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Pamphlet for Herbalists without Borders garden plot
of the plants requested by the Tibetan Student on.	Native	ecologies	and	their	medicines	in	
Association, despite a long search process. The many	places	have	been	displaced	by	industry	
seeds	I	did	acquire	required	many	different	 and	settlement.	In	addition	to	this,	cultural	
orders	from	different	sources	ranging	from	local	 oppression	has	created	a	sense	of	shame	
nurseries	to	niche	suppliers	of	medicinal	plants	 around	traditional	foods	and	medicines	both	for	
to Etsy sellers. Indigenous people and for people of color who 
migrate	to	the	United	States.
Another	major	barrier,	though	it	did	not	
necessarily	come	up	directly	in	my	project,	is	the	
What are relational methods of 
inequitable distribution of land access, especially 
documenting research that are in service 
for Indigenous people and people who have 
to my community partners?
experienced	diaspora.	For	tribal	communities,	
In	alignment	with	the	desire	to	correct	
only	some	of	their	rights	to	gathering	traditional	
historic	power	imbalances,	I	have	been	
medicines	have	been	honored	despite	treaty	
working	to	identify	ways	in	which	my	project	
agreements,	and	the	U.S.	government	forcibly	
documentation	can	be	intentionally	designed	
displaced	tribes	to	reservations	that	are	a	small	
around the relationships I have been building. 
fraction of the original lands they used to rely 
38
INTRODUCTION
Making fire cider with friends (photo by Ignacio López Búson)
This	is	inspired	by	scholars	like	Margaret	 The	next	two	forms	of	relational	documentation	
Kovach,	who	describes	the	importance	of	 that	I	have	been	experimenting	with	
research	and	its	forms	of	dissemination	being	 are	medicine	making	and	garden	work	
grounded	in	community	needs,	rather	than	 parties.	These	are	both	forms	of	corporeal	
those	of	the	academy.	There	are	five	main	types	 documentation,	where	the	spirit	and	emerging	
of	relational	documentation	that	I	have	been	 nature	of	plants	and	place	is	being	documented	
thinking	about.	 into	our	minds	and	bodies.	People	learn	about	
the	plants,	the	garden,	the	medicine,	and	their	
First	is	the	creation	of	context-specific	
roles	in	those	relationships	through	embodied	
educational	materials	like	pamphlets	and	
practice	that	they	can	physically	remember	and	
workshop	outlines	with	Herbalists	without	
share with others. The fact that visitors to the 
Borders and Mujeres del Huerto. These are 
Urban	Farm	Fest	made	plantain	tea	bags	with	
materials	that	they	have	directly	asked	me	for,	
me	using	plantain	harvested	from	transplanted	
and	I	have	used	my	time	and	graphic	training	
Back	40	soil	at	the	riverside,	establishes	a	unique	
to	produce.	These	will	help	to	disseminate	
connection	and	understanding	between	them,	
information	about	our	garden	plots	in	the	spirit	
my	project,	the	plants,	and	the	landscapes	where	
of free public herbal education.
39
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Work party at Solidarity Garden (photo by Ignacio López Búson)
the	plants	are	from.	 Wilson	and	how	he	framed	his	book.	To	embed	
relationality in his writing, he structures several 
The	fourth	type	of	relational	documentation	
of his chapters as letters to his sons. I wanted 
is	grant	writing.	Early	on	in	my	project,	when	
to	humbly	learn	from	his	practice	and	offer	my	
trying	to	identify	ways	I	might	document	
written	project	documentation	as	a	series	of	
the	project	that	could	tangibly	benefit	the	
letters	directed	to	the	many	people	that	have	
people	I	was	working	on,	I	thought	about	how	
been	in	relationship	with	me	and	this	project.	
grant	writing	often	requires	similar	types	of	
As	a	result,	the	majority	of	my	written	report	
writing	to	master’s	projects.	For	example,	both	
is dedicated to these letters. Following these, I 
often	include	some	at	least	quasi-academic	
conclude	with	some	closing	thoughts	and	ideas	
documentation	of	the	impact	and	benefits	of	the	
for	future	work.
work	you	are	doing.	I	unfortunately	ran	out	of	
time	to	see	this	through.	However,	I	hope	to	re- Please note that several of the letters contain 
use	my	writing	and	research	for	this	purpose	as	I	 intentional redactions. This is to both protect the 
continue	to	work	with	each	of	these	groups.	 identities	of	some	of	my	collaborators	as	well	as	
to	protect	cultural	wisdom	that	is	not	mine	to	
The	fifth	form	was	strongly	inspired	by	Shawn	
share publicly.
40
INTRODUCTION
MEDICINE
MAKING
CORPOREAL DO
LETTER CUM WORK
WRITING PARTIES
PAMPHLETS GRANT
 WRITINGEDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
WORKSHOP
MATERIALS
Diagram of different forms of relationship documentation tested in this project
41
IONT
TA
EN
FICI
PE
C
-S
NTE
XT
CO
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
42
LETTER TO HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS
02
A Letter to 
Herbalists without 
Borders Eugene
43
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Dear	Tree,	Jet,	and	Anne,
It	has	been	a	tremendous	pleasure	and	honor	to	get	to	work	with	you	all	
over	this	last	year.	As	some	of	you	may	know,	I	have	been	working	on	
my	master’s	project	in	the	department	of	landscape	architecture	at	the	
University	of	Oregon.	My	project	has	been	focused	on	culturally-relevant	
medicinal	landscapes	but	specifically	approaching	that	topic	through	
a	relationship-centered	and	service-oriented	approach.	So,	rather	than	
be	off	in	an	ivory	tower	theorizing	about	medicinal	landscapes,	I	wanted	
to	learn	by	openly	volunteering	with	folks	in	our	community	who	are	
already	engaged	in	this	work	–	you	all!	This	approach	was	inspired	
by	an	Indigenous	Research	Methods	class	that	I	took	with	Professor	
Jennifer	O’Neal	here	at	the	University	of	Oregon,	along	with	readings	
from	Indigenous	scholars	like	Shawn	Wilson	and	Margaret	Kovach.	(If	
you	are	interested,	I	would	definitely	recommend	reading	‘Research	is	
Ceremony’	by	Shawn	Wilson	as	a	starting	point!)	These	people	taught	
me	the	importance	of	focusing	on	relationship-building	rather	than	
some	objective	product	(i.e.	a	specific	design,	output,	etc.)	in	my	work,	
especially	when	working	with	folks	who	have	been	negatively	impacted	
by	colonialism	and	white	supremacy.	
A	large	part	of	my	project	has	also	been	to	think	about	ways	in	which	
my	research	could	more	directly	benefit	the	people	that	I	am	working	
with.	Too	many	master’s	projects	sit	on	dusty	shelves	after	having	
been	designed	by	and	for	the	academy,	rather	than	community.	Again,	
I	was	inspired	by	people	like	Shawn	Wilson;	in	his	book,	several	of	the	
chapters	are	written	as	letters	to	his	sons	to	embed	relationships	in	the	
44
LETTER TO HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS
sharing	of	the	information.	Building	off	of	this,	I	wanted	to	write	letters	to	
different	individuals	and	groups	that	have	been	involved	in	my	project	to	
customize	my	sharing	and	messages	to	you.	
It has been incredibly enriching to get to be a part of the MRH Annex 
workshops,	Share	Fair,	care	package	creation,	and	Skinner	Garden	
plot	tending	with	you	all.	In	addition	to	working	with	HWB	Eugene,	I	
have	also	been	collaborating	with	someone	who	is	connected	to	Stop	
the	Sweeps	and	Black	Thistle	Street	Aid	on	a	guerrilla	garden	plot	in	our	
neighborhood	that	we	hope	can	support	herbal	street	aid	work.	My	work	
in	our	Skinner	Garden	plot	also	led	me	to	begin	additional	relationships	
with	Huerto	de	la	Familia	and	I	have	had	the	opportunity	to	work	with	a	
women’s	group	there	on	tending	their	garden	plot.	At	the	Urban	Farm	I	
have	been	working	on	both	protecting	existing	food	and	medicinal	plots	
from	the	impacts	of	the	Knight	Campus	development,	as	well	as	looking	
for	ways	to	make	the	plants	at	the	farm	more	reflective	of	the	cultural	
diversity of the UO student body. 
In	the	rest	of	this	letter,	I’ve	summarized	some	of	the	things	I	have	been	
learning	about	that	seem	most	relevant	to	you	all	and	Herbalists	without	
Borders	generally.	That	being	said,	I	hope	you	know	that	this	can	be	an	
ongoing	conversation	and	I	would	love	to	hear	any	questions	you	might	
have	for	me!	
The workshops at Mountain Rose Annex were an incredible learning 
experience	for	me.	They	taught	me	about	researching	herbalism,	ways	to	
make	medicine,	and	ways	to	share	plant	medicine	with	others.	At	first	I	
was	intimidated	to	jump	into	contributing	to	these	workshops	because,	
45
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
well,	what	do	I	know	about	plant	medicine?	Not	nearly	as	much	as	you	all.		
But	you	all	were	so	supportive	in	inviting	me	to	research	and	contribute	
the	knowledge	I	do	have,	like	evergreen	identification.	One	thing	I	really	
appreciated	learning	from	all	of	you	in	these	workshops	was	how	to	
facilitate	multi-directional	learning.	You	all	are	so	talented	at	inviting	
others	to	share	their	experiences	and	knowledge	about	different	plants,	
making	the	workshops	feel	more	community-driven	rather	than	didactic.	
This	felt	especially	powerful	for	me	as	a	beginner	in	the	herbalism	world,	
demonstrating	how	I	might	still	help	engage	in	workshops	when	I	am	
certainly	not	an	expert.	This	seem	really	strongly	aligned	with	some	of	the	
wisdom	of	herbalists	recognizing	that	there	are	many	types	of	expertise	
within	herbalism	and	it	is	important	to	have	receptivity	and	openness	to	
the	many	types	of	teachers	you	might	have:	from	kitchen	witches	to	book	
authors	to	the	plants	themselves.	
It	seemed	like	we	all	have	been	learning	together	about	different	parts	of	
the	workshop:	how	we	want	to	prepare,	how	we	want	to	advertise,	etc.	It	
seems	like	the	google	agenda	template	has	been	working	really	well,	as	
has	the	times	when	we	have	been	able	to	have	a	meeting	or	two	ahead	
of	the	workshop	to	discuss.	I	wonder	with	the	workshops	and	with	the	
garden	if	there	are	more	things	we	can	play	with	around	outreach	and	
social	media.	I	feel	like	there	are	lots	of	other	organizations	in	Eugene	that	
would	be	interested	in	what	we	are	up	to	and	maybe	they	just	do	not	know	
about	us	yet?	I	would	be	happy	to	help	out	with	some	strategizing	around	
outreach	and	communications	if	that	is	of	interest!
The garden and	research	related	to	it	also	provided	many	learning	
46
LETTER TO HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS
opportunities	for	me.	One	thing	I	talked	about	in	my	project	presentation	
is	the	different	scales	of	enacting	health	sovereignty.	These	include	
fully-public	commons,	community	gardens,	and	some	forms	of	private	
garden	spaces.	I	think	at	the	start	of	this	project,	I	may	have	had	a	bias	
towards	fully-public	commons.	They	just	seemed	so	much	more	ideal	
than anything behind a fence. That being said, I have learned over the 
course	of	my	time	working	in	both	the	Herbalists	without	Borders	plot	
and	the	Mujeres	del	Huerto	plot	that	community	gardens	often	act	as	
powerful	hubs	of	sharing	resources	and	protected	spaces	for	marginalized	
communities.	One	of	the	articles	I	read	in	parallel	helped	to	frame	what	
I	was	experiencing	in	the	gardens.	In	‘A	Politics	of	Habitability:	Plants,	
Healing,	and	Sovereignty	in	a	Toxic	World,’	Stacy	Ann	Langwick	writes	
about	a	garden	network	in	Tanzania	dedicated	to	supporting	people	living	
with	AIDS.	She	describes	how	members	of	the	different	gardens	share	
cuttings,	seeds,	transplants,	medicinal	information,	and	stewardship	
knowledge	with	each	other,	leading	to	each	garden	being	“an	actual	
extension of other gardens” thus challenging the notions of borders 
and	ownership.	This,	in	combination	with	seeing	how	our	garden	and	
the	Mujeres	del	Huerto	garden	actually	do	this,	helped	me	understand	
community	gardens	as	more	porous	and	less	bordered	than	I	previously	
thought. 
It was an incredible opportunity to get to help with the garden design 
planning	process.	I	really	enjoyed	getting	to	learn	from	and	build	off	of	
your	existing	ideas	as	well	as	contribute	some	of	my	own.	I	know	Tree	
has	been	closely	involved	in	this,	but	just	to	summarize	for	Jet	and	
Anne,	we	added	more	plants	to	the	perennial	bed	and	kid’s	patch.	In	the	
47
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
southeastern	bed,	we	introduced	plants	specifically	that	can	support	with	
wildfire	and	smoke	related	health	issues.	And	because	it	is	best	practice	
to	rotate	out	annual	crops,	especially	ones	like	tomatoes,	we	rotated	the	
southwestern	salsa	bed	out	but	kept	the	focus	on	culturally-specific	plants	
and	food	as	medicine.	This	year	it	is	a	three	sisters	or	milpa	garden.
One	of	my	favorite	parts	was	researching	and	finding	the	plants	to	
include. The perennial bed plants were the easiest to source, as they are 
fairly standard herbs to purchase. Many of the plants we already had in 
the garden or at TreeStead; while the oregano and echinacea were easy to 
source	from	Michaela	at	Humming	Bee	Nursery.	In	the	kid’s	patch,	the	
new	plants	can	be	found	at	Humming	Bee	or	Strictly	Medicinals.	These	
included	lavender,	german	chamomile,	roman	chamomile,	calendula,	
strawberry,	and	violets.		These	plants	are	all	gentle	enough	that	kids	can	
interact	with	them	without	concerns	about	side	effects.	
The	plants	we	included	in	the	smoke	and	wildfire	patch	were	largely	
informed	by	a	combination	of	an	HWB	members	resource	on	herbs	for	
wildfire	support	as	well	as	a	Bay	Area	Herbal	Response	Team’s	‘Herbs	for	
Fire	Season’	YouTube	video.	I	tried	to	select	a	mix	of	plants	that	address	
different	fire-related	issues.	Marshmallow	root	helps	to	hydrate	and	sooth	
sore	throats.	Similarly,	Self-heal	is	also	mucilaginous	and	cooling.	Thyme	
is	a	great	lung	opener	and	can	be	great	in	teas	and	steams.	Anise	hyssop	
and	Mullein	can	be	helpful	in	treating	coughs.	Mexican	Lobelia	can	be	
supportive	as	an	anti-asthmatic	and	anti-inflammatory.	Purslane	is	a	
great	source	of	Omega-3	which	helps	to	reduce	inflammation	in	the	body.	
These	were	all	sourced	from	either	Humming	Bee	or	Strictly	Medicinals.
48
LETTER TO HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS
The central plants of the three sisters bed were, of course, corn, squash, 
and	beans.	It	felt	important	to	source	specific	varieties	that	were	linked	
to	Mexico	or	other	parts	of	Central	America.	Native	Seeds	Search	was	
an	incredible	resource	for	finding	such	plants.	We	also	needed	to	find	
plants	that	were	appropriate	sizes	for	our	small	bed.	Sakwapu	is	a	Hopi	
Blue	corn	that	tends	to	be	shorter	than	5	feet.		Cunti	Muni	de	los	Yaquis	
is	a	bushy-pole	bean.	Both	of	these	are	heirlooms	to	the	southwest	US	
and	northern	and	central	Mexico.	Grey	Zucchini	and	Chilacayote	are	
common	squashes	used	in	Mexican	cooking.	These	seeds	I	had	to	get	from	
Etsy	sellers.	We	also	included	several	other	culturally-relevant	herbs	in	
that	bed,	including	Epazote,	Mexican	Tarragon/Pericón,	Culantro,	Aztec	
Marigold/Cempasúchil,	and	Mexican	Arnica.	All	of	these	came	from	
Strictly	Medicinals,	except	the	Culantro	which	I	sourced	from	Seed	Needs,	
Hello	May	Garden	(Etsy),	and	Tomorrow	Seeds	(Etsy).	I	was	inspired	to	
find	Pericón	and	Cempasúchil	after	watching	HerbRally’s	session	with	
Atava	Garcia	Swiecicki	on	Medicinal	Plants	of	Mexico.	She	describes	how	
Cempasúchil	(Tagetes	erecta)	is	a	traditional	plant	for	Día	del	los	Muertos	
and	is	associated	with	treatment	for	grief,	sadness,	PTSD,	and	digestion.	
Pericón	(Tagetes	lucida)	has	similar	gifts	with	digestion	and	grief	support,	
but	also	is	worked	with	for	dream	work	and	connecting	to	ancestors.
It	is	exciting	to	reflect	on	how	moving	through	a	full	year	cycle	with	the	
garden can inspire seasonal gatherings and activities for our hub and 
community.	I	have	started	to	imagine	annual	end-of-season	gathering	
and	turnover	work	parties,	during	which	we	can	dream	together	about	
the	year	to	come.	We	can	have	cozy	winter	gatherings	where	we	put	these	
ideas	on	paper	over	cups	of	tea	or	cocoa	and	start	looking	for	any	plants	
49
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
we need. Then we can be ready a little earlier in the spring for weeding, bed 
preparation,	and	planting.	I	am	also	looking	forward	to	building	off	of	our	
pamphlet	to	create	a	maintenance	and	harvesting	guide	for	each	of	our	
plants.	That	way	we	know	when	we	need	to	go	out	and	gather	from	each	
plant	at	the	optimal	time.	This,	of	course,	is	likely	embodied	knowledge	
that	you	each	have.	So	it	may	be	more	of	a	self-serving	tool.	But	I	would	be	
happy	to	share	if	any	of	you	would	like	to	see	it	(if/when	I	make	it)!
Speaking	of	maintenance,	it	feels	helpful	to	me	–	and	maybe	to	you	–	to	
synthesize	what	kinds	of	maintenance	we	have	found	to	be	helpful	
together,	so	I	will	share	that	here:	At	the	end	of	fall,	we	removed	the	
annuals, grass, and any unwanted volunteer plants, paying special 
attention to the good neighbor bed. Then at the start of winter, we covered 
our	dormant	beds	with	a	healthy	heapful	of	leaves.	At	the	start	of	spring,	
we	want	to	get	right	on	grass	removal	before	it	becomes	overgrown	and	do	
any relocations and new plantings early so they are not trying to establish 
in	the	heat	of	summer.	In	spring	we	can	water	a	couple	times	a	week,	
ramping	up	closer	to	everyday	during	the	heat	of	the	summer.	
Partnering with Huerto de la Familia has been an incredible opportunity. 
It was one of the parts of Herbalists without Borders Eugene that 
really	appealed	to	me	from	the	beginning.	I	think	this	interest	is	largely	
informed	by	an	article	I	read	a	while	ago	about	climate	migration	
and	intangible	cultural	heritage.	In	‘Intangible	cultural	heritage:	a	
benefit	to	climate-displaced	and	host	communities,’	Gül	Aktürk	and	
Martha	Lerski	describe	how	climate	change	is	increasing	the	amount	
of	climate-displaced	people,	threatening	their	connections	with	land	
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LETTER TO HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS
and plant based cultural practices. They share how intangible cultural 
heritage	(ICH),	which	includes	social	practices,	rituals,	and	traditional	
crafts,	is	often	under-considered	in	climate	resiliency	and	relocation	
planning.	Aktürk	and	Lerski	discuss	how	ICH	elements	like	traditional	
foods	and	healthcare	practices	can	help	people	in	the	deep	emotional	
processing	that	typically	accompanies	displacement	and	the	process	
of	“emotional	integration.”	Additionally,	when	host	communities	offer	
ways	for	climate	migrants	to	reconnect	with	intangible	heritage,	such	as	
through places for gardening and tending to traditional plants, this can 
facilitate	intergenerational	storytelling	and	help	migrant	communities	in	
generating	a	sense	of	economic	resiliency	in	their	host	community.
To	prepare	myself	to	work	with	Huerto	de	la	Familia,	I	have	been	reading	
a	lot	of	books	about	curanderismo.	Some	of	my	favorite	books	have	
included	‘Curanderismo:	The	Art	of	Traditional	Medicine	without	
Borders’	by	Eliseo	“Cheo”	Torres,	‘Healing	with	Herbs	and	Rituals:	A	
Mexican	Tradition’	by	Eliseo	“Cheo”	Torres,	‘Living	Well	in	Los	Duplex’	
by	Anna	Waldstein,	and	‘Voices	from	the	Ancestors’	by	Lara	Medina	
and	Martha	R.	Gonzales.	These	authors	describe	the	healing	practices	of	
temazcal,	baños,	and	sweats.	A	temazcal	is	sweat	ceremony	that	also	often	
incorporates	healing	plants	such	as	basil,	romero,	cacao,	blue	corn,	roses,	
copal,	estafiate,	toronjil,	albahacar,	and	manzanilla.	According	to	Medina	
and	Gonzales,	it	is	“regarded	by	many	Indigenous	cultures	as	the	best	
remedy	for	almost	every	ill,”	but	was	banned	by	Catholic	missionaries.	
During	the	ceremony,	palm	leaves	are	often	used	to	help	move	steam,	
and	at	the	end	of	the	ceremony	participants	use	a	cold	water	bucket	to	
close	pores	and	a	tea	of	muicle	to	restore	minerals	to	the	body.	Baños	de	
51
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
limpieza	spiritual	are	also	powerful	treatments	for	cleansing	oneself,	
physically,	mentally,	and	spiritually.	These	rituals	can	rely	on	manzanilla,	
pasiflora,	lemon	balm,	basil,	sage,	rue,	pericon,	roses,	calendula,	and/or	
romero.
Other	plants	that	were	included	in	some	of	these	sources	about	Central	
and	South	American	herbalism	are:	cola	de	caballo,	diente	de	lion,	yerba	
buena,	lavanda,	osha,	sabila,	tagetes	erecta,	estafiate,	yerba	mansa,	
gordolobo,	anis,	garlic,	epazote,	tomillo,	and	hinojo.	One	of	the	first	
plants	I	heard	about	from	Gatlin	was	ruda	(or	rue).	This	plant	can	help	
treat	anxiety,	physical	pain,	headaches,	insomnia,	and	is	used	in	many	
of the spiritual cleansing rituals. Waldstein also noted her observations 
of	people	working	with	gordolobo	for	colds,	chamomile	and	mint	for	
stomach	issues,	and	chamomile	tea	for	menstrual	cramps	and	sinuses.	
Herb	Rally’s	interview	with	Atava	Garcia	Swiecicki	covered	several	
important	medicinal	plants	in	Mexico,	including	chocolate,	corn,	vanilla,	
chili,	chip,	napal,	avocado,	yarrow,	salvia,	elderberry,	peyote,	and	more.	I	
have	more	extended	notes	from	these	readings	and	videos	that	I	would	be	
happy	to	share	anytime.	
I	have	been	trying	to	pay	special	attention	to	what	forms	of	support	and	
collaboration	that	Huerto	de	la	Familia	seem	to	be	wanting.	When	I	
asked	Gatlin	this	earlier	in	the	year,	she	plugged	me	into	helping	weed	
grass	from	the	Mujeres	del	Huerto	garden	and	invited	me	to	share	any	
transplants	we	might	have.	Continuing	to	help	weed	and	offer	seeds	and	
starts	can	be	something	we	consider	doing	with	Huerto.	Gatlin	and	I	have	
also	continued	to	talk	about	signage	and	educational	information	both	at	
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LETTER TO HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS
Skinner	and	Churchill	gardens.	Any	graphic	material	we	develop,	I	think	
we	should	be	sure	to	share	with	them	too!
Researching Herbalists without Borders and other hubs	has	been	a	helpful	
supplement	to	my	experiences	within	the	Eugene	chapter.		Some	of	
the	things	I	learned	about	the	broader	organization	that	most	excited	
me	included	medicinal	seed	saving	and	trauma	training.	I	would	love	
to	support	seed	saving	and	seed	distribution	efforts	at	our	garden,	
especially	with	some	of	the	culturally-significant	plants	as	then	we	can	
share	the	seeds	with	Huerto.	I	think	trauma	training	also	seems	really	
important	to	support	our	ongoing	collaboration	with	Huerto.	I	do	not	
know	if	this	is	something	that	you	all	were	able	to	do	as	part	of	Occupy	
or	herbalism	training	courses	already,	but	it	is	not	something	that	I	
have	had	structured	learning	about.	Given	that	there	are	many	folks	
within	Huerto’s	network	that	are	dealing	with	trauma	related	to	race,	
immigration,	domestic	violence,	poverty,and	other	issues,	it	could	be	
really	helpful	for	us	to	practice	in	a	trauma-informed	way.	I	could	not	find	
any	information	online	for	when/if	these	trainings	will	be	available	again	
through	HWB.	If	any	of	you	know	or	see	anything	about	this,	I	would	love	
to	hear	more.	
Tree	and	Jet,	you	were	not	kidding	when	you	talked	about	the	extensive	
resources	available	through	the	HWB	member	portal!	I	found	resources	
on	community	gardening,	queering	herbalism,	plant	monographs,	and	
more.	They	even	had	very	specific	files	and	folders,	for	example	on	forest	
fire	and	smoke	support.	This	is	what	inspired	the	idea	to	bring	fire	and	
smoke	supportive	plants	into	our	garden	this	year.	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Reflecting	on	our	chapter	in	the	context	of	the	international	network	
also	helped	me	to	understand	how	we	are	fitting	into	the	work	of	health	
sovereignty,	and	where	we	could	continue	to	grow.	One	of	the	main	
ways I see HWB Eugene supporting health sovereignty is through our 
combination	of	education	and	medicine	donation.	Donation-only	models	
can	risk	falling	into	the	category	of	health	security,	where	a	community	
stays	dependent	on	the	provision	of	food/medicine	from	others.	Bringing	
in	opportunities	for	education	also	allows	us	to	increase	the	number	
of	people	within	our	community	who	have	the	skills	and	ability	to	
grow	and	make	medicine.	Further,	as	I	mentioned	earlier,	I	have	really	
appreciated	how	you	all	make	space	for	knowledge	exchange	rather	than	
unidirectional	teaching,	especially	through	our	workshops	where	you	all	
invite	our	participants	to	share	what	they	know.	
The	one	challenge	I	have	started	to	notice	is	that,	though	we	combine	
education and donation, we are not always doing those two things with 
the	same	groups.	Many	of	our	donations	go	towards	unhoused,	low-
income,	and	Latine	members	of	our	community,	while	the	people	who	
attend	our	Mountain	Rose	Herbs	workshops	seem	to	be	more	financially	
secure,	white,	older	women.	Has	this	always	been	the	case?	Have	you	
found	ways	to	engage	a	more	diverse	group	of	workshop	participants	in	
the	past?	I	imagine	this	is	why	it	is	so	important	to	be	intentional	about	
creating	space	and	capacity	for	bilingual	workshops.	It	would	be	great	if	
we	could	offer	more	workshops	in	collaboration	with	Huerto,	and/or	if	we	
could	increase	the	accessibility	of	our	monthly	workshops	somehow.	I	
would	love	to	hear	any	thoughts	any	of	you	have	on	this!
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LETTER TO HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS
I	also	wonder	if	this	might	be	reason	to	circle	back	to	some	other	possible	
collaborations that arose throughout this past year. Jet and I had a 
conversation	about	working	with	Sponsors	to	grow	and	make	medicine	
with	folks	who	are	transitioning	from	incarceration.	And	I	believe	the	
founder	of	Eagletree	Herbs,	who	is	a	Dakota	woman,	expressed	interest	in	
working	with	us	at	the	Free	Herbalism	Project.	It	would	be	great	to	follow-
up	with	you	all	on	some	of	these	ideas!	I	know	we	are	a	small	group	right	
now, but it could be exciting to discuss our interest and capacity for these 
other partnerships.
My project emphasized not only learning about medicinal landscapes, but 
also about relationships.	All	of	my	significant	lessons	about	relationship	
building	were	informed	by	my	work	with	Herbalists	without	Borders,	
including learning about deep caring. I grew up in a culture where it 
was	not	the	norm	to	deeply	engage	with	other	people’s	problems	and	
challenges.	Maybe	you	offered	your	condolences,	but	otherwise	went	
about	the	interaction	as	if	everything	was	normal.	So	it	has	been	a	lot	
of	very	personal	work	for	me	to	shift	those	behaviors	and	conditioning	
during this journey of relationship building, to slow down, and actually 
engage	with	other	people	as	humans.	
During	one	of	our	early	work	parties,	Tree	sent	me	home	with	Tulsi	and	
Yarrow	hydrosols	and	a	lavender	oil	roller	to	support	my	school	stress.	
Later,	at	a	garden	work	party	in	early	winter,	she	brought	a	pot	of	hot	chai	
tea	and	calendula	balms	for	all	of	the	volunteers.	Similarly,	Jet	shared	
some	of	her	beet	fire	cider	with	me,	knowing	how	much	I	enjoyed	it.	I	
started	to	understand	these	as	the	“tools	of	a	community	herbalist,”	and	
55
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
to	build	out	my	own,	investing	in	an	airpot	and	finding	opportunities	to	
make	and	share	medicine	with	others.
Beyond	these	tangible	offerings,	however,	the	work	of	deep	caring	can	
be	a	lot	more	vague	and	nonlinear.	One	of	the	most	potent	examples	of	
this learning has been in responding to two cancer diagnoses within 
our	communities	this	year	–	first	Tree,	then	Julia	from	Huerto.	I	have	felt	
confused	and	conflicted	about	what	to	offer,	especially	not	knowing	much	
about	cancer	treatment	and	what	people	might	want	or	need.	I	hope	to	
continue	to	learn	with	and	from	you	all,	so	that	I	can	offer	care	when	you	
need it. 
I want to close this letter with a lot of gratitude.	I	do	not	think	that	I	can	
capture	it	all	on	paper,	but	I	want	to	explicitly	acknowledge	some	of	the	
many	kindnesses	you	have	all	shared	with	me	and	express	how	thankful	
I	am	for	them.	You	have	invited	me	into	your	group	and	connected	with	
me	about	medicine,	plants,	and	beyond.	You	have	made	space	for	me	
to	learn	and	have	offered	your	knowledge	and	guidance	with	me	on	
countless	occasions,	teaching	me	to	make	my	very	first	salves,	fire	ciders,	
and	more.	The	medicine	you	shared	with	me	offered	me	not	only	bodily	
support	but	also	a	sense	of	belonging.	As	someone	who	is	still	very	new	to	
this	coast	and	this	town,	with	all	of	my	family	back	east,	this	has	started	
to	help	me	feel	grounded	in	community.	Our	one-on-one	conversations	
have	been	rich	with	inspiration	and	delight	over	common	interests.	
You	have	trusted	me	with	testing	out	my	different	ideas	in	workshops	
and	in	the	garden	(which	is	very	generous	considering	the	different	
levels	of	experience	we	have!).	And	when	I	have	gotten	busy	or	sick	or	
56
LETTER TO HERBALISTS WITHOUT BORDERS
overwhelmed,	you	have	always	offered	me	a	lot	of	grace	and	compassion	
in	needing	to	change	my	plans.	Thank	you	all	so	very	much	for	all	that	you	
have	shared	with	me	in	the	past	year.	It	is	so	wonderful	to	know	you	and	
continue	getting	to	know	you!
In gratitude and solidarity,
Jenna
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
58
CARTA A HUERTO DE LA FAMILIA
03
Una Carta a Huerto 
de la Familia
59
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Queridos	Gatlin,	Elva,	Julia,	y	Esme,
It	has	been	such	an	honor	to	get	to	know	you	and	work	with	you	over	this	
last	year.	As	you	know,	he	estado	trabajando	en	mi	proyecta	de	master	
in	the	department	of	landscape	architecture	at	the	University	of	Oregon.	
My	project	has	been	focused	on	culturally-relevant	medicinal	landscapes	
but	specifically	approaching	that	topic	through	a	relationship-centered	
and	service-oriented	approach.	So,	rather	than	be	off	in	an	ivory	tower	
theorizing	about	medicinal	landscapes,	yo	quería	aprender	by	openly	
volunteering	with	folks	in	our	community	who	are	already	engaged	
in	this	work.	This	approach	was	inspired	by	an	Indigenous	Research	
Methods	class	that	I	took	with	Professor	Jennifer	O’Neal	here	at	the	
University	of	Oregon,	along	with	readings	from	Indigenous	scholars	
like	Shawn	Wilson	and	Margaret	Kovach.	(Si	están	interesados,	yo	
recomendaría	leer	‘Research	is	Ceremony’	de	Shawn	Wilson	as	a	starting	
point!)	Estos	escolares	me	enseñaron	la	importancia	de	focusing	on	
relationship-building	rather	than	some	objective	product	(i.e.	a	specific	
design,	output,	etc.)	en	mi	trabajo,	especialmente	cuando	trabajando	
con	gente	who	have	been	negatively	impacted	by	colonialism	and	white	
supremacy.	
Un	gran	parte	de	mi	proyecta	fue	pensando	sobre	ways	in	which	my	
research	could	more	directly	benefit	the	people	that	I	am	working	with.	
Too	many	master’s	projects	sit	on	dusty	shelves	after	having	been	
designed	by	and	for	the	academy,	rather	than	community.	Otra	vez,	yo	
estaba	inspirado	de	gente	como	Shawn	Wilson;	en	su	libro,	several	of	the	
chapters	son	escritos	como	cartas	a	sus	niños	para	embed	relationships	
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CARTA A HUERTO DE LA FAMILIA
in	the	sharing	of	the	information.	Building	off	of	this,	yo	quería	escribir	
cartas	a	personas	y	grupos	que	han	participados	en	mi	proyecta	para	
customize	my	sharing	and	messages	to	you.	
It	has	been	energizing	and	meaningful	to	get	to	work	with	Huerto	de	
la	Familia	and	las	Mujeres	del	Huerto	este	año.	In	addition	to	working	
with	you,	también	yo	he	colaborado	con	Herbolarios	sin	Fronteras,	the	
UO	Urban	Farm,	the	Tibetan	Student	Association,	Vietnamese	Student	
Association,	Save	the	Urban	Farm,	and	a	guerilla	garden	space	in	
Jefferson	Westside	in	collaboration	with	members	of	Stop	the	Sweeps,	
NEST,	and	Black	Thistle	Street	Aid.	
In	the	rest	of	this	letter,	I	have	summarized	some	of	the	things	I	have	
learning	about	that	may	be	most	relevant	to	you.	That	being	said,	I	hope	
you	know	that	this	can	be	an	ongoing	conversation	y	me	gustaría	recebir	
algos	preguntas	que	tienen	para	mí!	
Yo quería compartir algos de the readings that	have	inspired	me	in	this	
project.	‘Real	Indians’	by	Eva	Marie	Garroutte,	‘Research	is	Ceremony’	
by	Shawn	Wilson,	and	‘Indigenous	Methodologies’	by	Margaret	Kovach	
established	a	foundation	for	my	relationship-centered	approach.	‘Urban	
Forest Justice and the Rights to Wild Foods, Medicines, and Materials in 
the	City’	by	Poe	et.	al.	and	‘Gathering	“wild”	food	in	the	city”	by	McLain	et.	
al.	set	a	foundation	for	why	I	wanted	to	study	medicinal	landscapes.	
An	article	by	Aktürk	and	Lerski	titled	‘Intangible	Cultural	Heritage:	
A	Benefit	to	Climate-displaced	and	Host	Communities’	describes	
how	climate	displacement	(as	well	as	other	forms	of	displacement)	is	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
threatening	peoples	connections	with	land-	and	plant-based	cultural	
practices.	When	host	communities	can	work	with	displaced	people	
to	create	ways	for	them	to	reconnect	with	cultural	plants	and	related	
heritage,	this	can	facilitate	intergenerational	storytelling,	economic	
resiliency,	and	emotional	processing.	
He completado otras lecturas sobre curanderismo que	quería	compartir	
con	todos.	Mis	libros	favorites	son	‘Curanderismo:	The	Art	of	Traditional	
Medicine	without	Borders’	de	Eliseo	“Cheo”	Torres,	‘Healing	with	Herbs	
and	Rituals:	A	Mexican	Tradition’	de	Eliseo	“Cheo”	Torres,	‘Living	Well	
in	Los	Duplex’	de	Anna	Waldstein,	y	‘Voices	from	the	Ancestors’	de	Lara	
Medina	y	Martha	R.	Gonzales.	Herb	Rally	interviewed	Atava	Garcia	
Swiecicki	sobre	las	plantas	medicinales	mexicanas	which	can	be	viewed	
on	YouTube.
Con	estas	lecturas,	yo	aprendí	más	sobre	la	importancia	de	medicinas	
verdes	y	remedios	caseros	en	tradiciones	mexicanas.	Torres	esribe	como	
curanderismo	includes	material,	spiritual,	and	mental	health	and	that	
common	preparations	include	tés,	herbal	smokes,	tinturas,	microdoses,	
macerations,	poultices,	and	washes.	Other	authors	describe	practices	
como	temazcal	y	baños.	Aprendí	que	un	temazcal	is	a	sweat	ceremony	
that	also	often	incorporates	healing	plants	such	as	albahaca,	romero,	
cacao,	maiz	azul,	rosa,	copal,	estafiate,	toronjil,	and	manzanilla.	Medina	
y	Gonzales	comparten	que	el	temazcal	es	“regarded	by	many	Indigenous	
cultures	as	the	best	remedy	for	almost	every	ill,”	but	was	banned	by	
Catholic	missionaries.	During	the	ceremony,	palm	leaves	are	often	
used	to	help	move	steam,	and	at	the	end	of	the	ceremony	participants	
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CARTA A HUERTO DE LA FAMILIA
use	a	cold	water	bucket	to	close	pores	and	un	té	de	muicle	para	restaurar	
los	minerals	en	el	cuerpo.	Baños	de	limpieza	spiritual	también	son	
tratamientos	fuertes	para	limpiarse,	physically,	mentally,	and	spiritually.	
Las	plantas	quienes	pueden	ayudar	con	estos	rituales	son	manzanilla,	
pasiflora,	toronjil,	albahaca,	salvia,	ruda,	pericón,	calendula,	romero,	y	
rosa. 
Otras	plants	que	fueron	incluidos	en	algunas	de	las	lecturas	sobre	
curanderismo	en	Centroamérica	y	Sudamérica	son	cola	de	caballo,	diente	
de	lión,	yerba	buena,	lavanda,	osha,	sabila,	cempasúchil,	estafiate,	yerba	
mansa,	gordolobo,	anis,	ajo,	epazote,	tomillo,	y	hinojo.	Unas	de	las	plantas	
que	me	habló	Gatlin	es	ruda.	Esta	planta	puede	ayudar	con	anxiety,	
physical	pain,	headaches,	insomnia,	and	spiritual	cleansing.	Anna	
Waldstein	noted	that	Latine	people	living	in	the	Los	Duplex,	Georgia	
worked	with	gorbolobo	for	colds,	manzanilla	y	yerba	buena	para	dolores	
del	estomago,	y	té	de	manzanilla	for	menstrual	cramps	and	sinus	issues.	
One	of	my	favorite	things	to	learn	about	was	the	benefits	of	two	tagetes	
species:	Tagetes	erecta	o	cempasúchil	y	Tagetes	lucida	o	pericón.	
Cempasúchil	es	una	amiga	importante	durante	tiempos	de	duelo	y	
pérdida	and	can	be	supportive	for	anxiety,	PTSD,	and	digestive	support.	
It	is	also	commonly	seen	on	Día	de	los	Muertos	altars.	Pericón	has	
similar	properties	to	cempasúchil,	but	is	also	used	in	dream	healing	and	
connecting to ancestors.
A proxima, yo quiero compartir con todos sobre las plantas que buscaría 
para	el	huerto	de	las	mujeres.	Muchos	de	las	plantas	son	de	la	lista	de	las	
Mujeres	del	Huerto.	Ellas	querían	chipilín,	epazote,	chiltepe,	yerba	buena,	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
culantro,	y	suculentas.	Algunas	de	las	plantas	son	de	una	lista	de	Gatlin	y	
son	otras	plantas	que	son	importantes	a	la	communidad	de	Huerto	como	
ruda,	calendula,	estafiate,	y	manzanilla.	La	lecturas	sobre	curanderismo	
me	inspiraron	a	buscar	por	cempasúchil	y	pericón.	Porque	nuestra	taller	
de	cidra	del	fuego	fue	muy	popular,	quería	plantar	una	cama	de	cidra	del	
fuego	con	cebolla,	ajo,	habanero,	y	tomillo.	I	also	made	a	deck	of	cards	of	
many	of	these	plants	with	their	medicinal	benefits	on	the	back.	Podemos	
usarlas	en	conversaciones	sobre	plantando	en	la	futura.
Para	preparar	por	plantando,	quité	el	pasto	en	el	lote	y	he	buscado	por	
las	plantas	en	la	lista.	Mis	fuentes	pricipales	fueron	Strictly	Medicinals,	
Humming	Bee	Nursery,	Seed	Needs,	Native	Seed	Search,	and	various	
sellers	on	Etsy.	Since	learning	of	Julia’s	medical	emergency,	we	had	
shifted	gears	to	growing	out	the	plants	in	the	Churchill	Community	
Garden	for	redistribution	to	the	mujeres	o	otros	miembros	del	Huerto	de	la	
Familia.
In my meeting with the mujeres, I heard about their interest in talleres de 
disegno	y	organicos	por	el	jardín.	Muchos	de	estas	temas	están	cubiertas	
en	el	taller	“Siembra	a	Cena”	de	Huerto	de	la	Familia.	Quería	enseñarme	
sobre	las	temas,	pues	yo	puedo	compartir	más	día-a-día	con	las	mujeres,	
además	de	“Siembra	a	Cena.”	Yo	buscaría	por	libros	sobre	estas	temas	y	
he	encontrado	muchos.	Mis	favoritos	hasta	ahora	son	‘Herbal	Remedy	
Gardens’	by	Dorie	Byers,	‘Herb	Garden	Design’	by	Ethne	Clarke,	Using	
Herbs	in	the	Landscape	by	Debra	Kirkpatrick,	and	Groundbreaking	Food	
Gardens	by	Niki	Jabbour.	
One of my favorite lessons from working with Huerto de la Familia is about the 
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CARTA A HUERTO DE LA FAMILIA
power of community gardens.	I	had	been	reading	about	a	garden	network	
in	Tanzania	which	is	focused	on	supporting	people	livings	with	AIDS.	
The	author,	Stacy	Ann	Langwick,	describes	how	members	of	different	
gardens	share	cuttings,	seeds,	transplants,	medicinal	information,	and	
stewardship	information	with	each	other.	She	describes	that	this	leads	
to each garden being “ an actual extension of other gardens, an extension 
of	their	social	relations,	physical	matter,	and	storied	histories,”	thus	
challenging the notions of ownership and borders. Ha side potente verlo 
en	realidad	con	Huerto	de	la	Familia	y	las	Mujeres	del	Huerto.	Las	mujeres	
están	viendo	su	lote	como	un	lugar	para	compartir	información	sobre	
plants	y	jardinería,	y	un	lugar	para	tener	cuttings	and	transplants	que	
pueden	llevar	a	sus	jardines	domésticos.	
En	esta	carta,	yo	quiero	compartir	las	plantas	que	están	en	el	lote	de	
Herbolarios sin Fronteras este verano en caso de que quieren cosechar 
allí.	Tenemos	cuatro	camas	en	el	lote.	En	el	noroeste	es	perennial	herbs	
como	romero,	oregano,	echinacea,	milenrama,	y	arnica.	En	el	noreste	es	
una	cama	por	niños	con	manzanilla,	lavanda,	calendula,	violeta,	y	hierba	
gatera.	En	el	sureste	es	una	cama	por	hierbas	quienes	pueden	ayudar	con	
health	issues	related	to	smoke	and	wildfire.	Estas	plantas	son	tomillo,	
verdolagas,	malvavisco,	anís	hisopo,	y	self-heal.	Estoy	muy	emocionada	
sobre	la	cama	al	suroeste.	Esta	es	una	milpa	o	jardín	de	tres	hermanas.	
He	encontrado	maíz,	frijoles,	y	calabaza	que	son	reliquias	de	México	
de	Native	Seed	Search.	A	presente,	el	maíz	está	un	pie	de	alto.	Estamos	
planeando	a	cosechar	y	compartir	estas	plantas	y	sus	sembrillos	con	
Huerto	de	la	Familia.	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Hay muchas lecciones de diseño de jardines que aprendí en este proyecto, 
y	muchas	son	de	ustedes.	Pues	son	lecciones	que	ya	saben.	Pero	quería	
compartirlas	como	un	agradecimiento	y	una	referencia	por	nosotros.	
Uno: Aim	for	as	universal	accessibility	as	possible,	including	people	of	all	
ages	and	abilities.	This	looks	like	including	spaces	for	kids	having	ADA	
pathways, and harvestable areas accessible to people in wheelchairs.
Dos: Make	the	space	feel	welcoming	with	entrances	that	invite	people	into	
the garden.
Tres: Understand	both	cultural	and	ecological/biodynamic	skills	of	
different	plants.	For	example,	knowing	how	nettle	and	yarrow	are	
medicine	for	people	as	well	as	for	the	soil.
Cuatro: Don’t	be	too	precious	about	the	design	plan.	Each	season	is	an	
opportunity	to	learn	and	iterate	and	invite	others’	ideas	into	the	mix.	
Cinco: Spread	the	word	in	many	formats,	for	example,	signage,	interpretive	
pamphlets,	and	educational	events.	This	should	also	help	to	increase	
legibility	of	the	garden	so	anyone	who	is	visiting	can	know	which	plants	
are which.
Estoy muy emociada que puedo continuar este colaboración con Huerto de 
la	Familia	y	también	ayudar	con	y	enseñar	sobre	más	de	sus	programas.	
Gatlin	y	yo	hablamos	de	un	plan	que	yo	vengo	al	huerto	cada	Viernes	para	
regar	y	desherbar	en	las	camas	medicinales.	También	voy	a	asistir	con	la	
programa	de	cempasúchil	y	planeando	para	el	huerto	en	Cottage	Grove.	
Cuando	Julia	está	lista,	podemos	hablar	sobre	si	quieren	que	voy	a	ayudar	
con plantando y desherbando otra vez.  
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CARTA A HUERTO DE LA FAMILIA
Finalmente, yo quiero compartir mi gran agradecimiento a Huerto de la 
Familia	y	las	Mujeres	del	Huerto.	Yo	sé	que	soy	una	extrajera	en	su	
comunidad	y	quiero	apreciar	que	me	dieron	tiempo,	confianza,	y	gentileza.	
Gatlin,	gracias	por	viendo	the	approach	I	was	trying	to	take	and	inviting	
me	in	to	meet	with	others	and	help	with	garden	projects.	Gracias	a	Julia	
por	reuniendo	conmigo,	me	invitando	a	talleres	y	a	reunir	con	las	mujeres.	
Gracias	a	Gatlin	y	Elva	por	me	compartiendo	recursos	del	jardín	y	de	la	
idioma	Español.		Y	también	gracias	a	Gatlin	y	Elva	por	volver	a	conectar	
conmigo	y	me	ayudando	al	huerto	Churchill.	Muchas	gracias	a	Gatlin	por	
me	apoyando	en	el	transición	fuera	de	Universidad,	trabajando	conmigo	
en	the	internship	plan	y	me	enviando	trabajos	posibles.	A	Julia,	deseo	que	
puedes	relajar	y	curar	y	que	recibes	todo	el	cariño	y	apoyo	que	necesitas.	Si	
hay	algo	que	yo	puedo	hacer	para	ayudar,	por	favor	get	in	touch	with	me.	
Estoy	muy	contenta	que	yo	conozco	a	ustedes!
Muchas gracias a todos,
Jenna
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
68
LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
04
A Letter to the 
Solidarity Garden
69
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Dear	Garden	Co-conspirators,
Thank	you	SO	much	for	all	that	you	have	given	and	all	that	you	are	hoping	
to give to this project. I have been absolutely astounded by the abundance, 
organizing, and generosity of this group. It is an honor to be involved. 
For	those	of	you	whom	I	have	not	yet	met,	my	name	is	Jenna	Witzleben	
and	I	recently	completed	my	master’s	degree	in	Landscape	Architecture	
at	the	University	of	Oregon.	The	Solidarity	Garden	has	been	a	part	of	my	
master’s	project	on	culturally-relevant	medicinal	landscapes.
I	specifically	wanted		to	approach	my	master’s	project	through	a	
relationship-centered	and	service-oriented	approach.	So	rather	than	be	off	
in	an	ivory	tower	theorizing	about	medicinal	landscapes,	I	wanted	to	learn	
by	openly	volunteering	with	folks	in	our	community	who	are	already	
engaged	in	this	work.	This	approach	was	inspired	by	an	Indigenous	
Research	Methods	class	that	I	took	with	Professor	Jennifer	O’Neal	here	at	
the	University	of	Oregon,	along	with	readings	from	Indigenous	scholars	
like	Shawn	Wilson	and	Margaret	Kovach.	(If	you	are	interested,	I	would	
definitely	recommend	reading	‘Research	is	Ceremony’	by	Shawn	Wilson	
as	a	starting	point!)	These	people	taught	me	the	importance	of	focusing	on	
relationship-building	rather	than	some	objective	product	(i.e.	a	specific	
design,	output,	etc.)	in	my	work,	especially	when	working	with	folks	who	
have	been	negatively	impacted	by	colonialism	and	white	supremacy.	
A	large	part	of	my	project	has	also	been	to	think	about	ways	in	which	
my	research	could	more	directly	benefit	the	people	that	I	am	working	
with.	Too	many	master’s	projects	sit	on	dusty	shelves	after	having	
been	designed	by	and	for	the	academy,	rather	than	community.	Again,	
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LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
I	was	inspired	by	people	like	Shawn	Wilson;	in	his	book,	several	of	the	
chapters	are	written	as	letters	to	his	sons	to	embed	relationships	in	the	
sharing	of	the	information.	Building	off	of	this,	I	wanted	to	write	letters	to	
different	individuals	and	groups	that	have	been	involved	in	my	project	to	
customize	my	sharing	and	messages	to	you.	
It	has	been	incredible	to	work	closely	with	Anya	on	the	planning	for	this	
garden	and	get	to	meet	and	collaborate	with	so	many	of	you	over	the	last	
few	weeks	at	the	work	parties.	In	the	rest	of	this	letter,	I	have	summarized	
some	of	the	things	I	have	been	learning	about	that	seem	most	relevant	
to	folks	involved	with	the	Solidarity	Garden.	That	being	said,	I	hope	you	
know	that	this	can	be	an	ongoing	conversation	and	I	would	love	to	hear	
any	questions	you	might	have	for	me!	
My interests in projects like the Solidarity Garden emerged from learning 
about the many benefits of public medicinal landscapes.	You	may	already	
know	many	of	these	things,	but	just	in	case	it	creates	additional	meaning	
for	you	around	the	Solidarity	Garden,	I	figured	I	would	share.	The	act	of	
foraging	for	medicinal	plants	can	offer	subsistence	resources	and	a	safety	
net	during	times	of	hardship,	both	in	directly	offsetting	monetary	costs	as	
well as providing a sense of sovereignty in being able to avoid capitalistic 
exchange	(Shackleton	et.	al,		2017;	Clouse,	2022).	Through	foraging	and	
wildcrafting, people are able to “assert their rights to subsistence and 
informal	economies,”	while	also	reducing	transportation	(and	thus	
carbon	footprint)	and	waste	associated	with	neoliberal	food	and	medicine	
economies	(Poe	et.	al.,	2013).	Foraging	for	food	and	medicine	can	establish	
a	strengthened	connection	to	nature;	some	of	the	foragers	interviewed	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
by	McLain	et.	al.	(2014)	discussed	how	they	appreciated	the	intimate	
relationship	developed	from	foraging,	how	the	place	they	live	in	becomes	
“part	of	you	and	you’re	part	of	it.”	
Foraging	and	gathering	for	medicinal	plants	can	also	cultivate	a	stronger	
sense	of	cultural	identity	and	tradition.	(Shackleton	et.	al.,	2017).	As	
Clouse	(2022)	notes,	foraging	involves	cross-generational	knowledge	
sharing about plants and recipes and thus “supports the transference of 
social,	cultural	or	religious	values.”	Some	plants	are	not	readily	available	
commercially,	and	can	only	be	accessed	through	foraging;	so	if	these	
plants	are	needed	medicine	and/or	central	to	the	continuance	of	cultural	
knowledge,	then	foraging	for	them	becomes	even	more	critical	(Poe	et.	
al.,	2013).	Clarke	describes	the	psychological	benefits	generated	through	
gathering	food	and	medicine,	particularly	culturally-relevant	plants	
(Mihesuah	and	Hoover,	2019).	In	Eugene	and	elsewhere,	unstable	access	
to	food/medicine	and	mental	health	struggles	are	often	co-occurring.	
Establishing	public	medicinal	landscapes	can	not	only	contribute	to	
the	nutrition	and	wellness	of	unhoused	and	low-income	folks,	but	also	
provide psychological support. 
The	cultural	and	psychological	benefits	of	gathering,	particularly	
gathering	culturally-relevant	plants,	can	be	especially	beneficial	to	people	
who	have	experienced	forms	of	displacement	or	diaspora.	Aktürk	and	
Lerski	(2021)	describe	how	climate	change	is	increasing	the	amount	of	
climate-displaced	people,	threatening	their	connections	with	land	and	
plant based cultural practices. They share how intangible cultural heritage 
(ICH),	which	includes	social	practices,	rituals,	and	traditional	crafts,	is	
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LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
often	under-considered	in	climate	resiliency	and	relocation	planning.	
When	people	are	displaced	from	their	cultural	landscapes,	there	is	a	risk	
for	losing	the	medicines	and	food	and	other	related	customs	based	in	
those	landscapes	and	ecosystems.		Aktürk	and	Lerski	discuss	how	ICH	
elements	like	traditional	foods	and	healthcare	practices	can	help	people	in	
the	deep	emotional	processing	that	typically	accompanies	displacement	
and	the	process	of	“emotional	integration”.	Additionally,	when	host	
communities	offer	ways	for	climate	migrants	to	reconnect	with	intangible	
heritage, such as through places for gardening and tending to traditional 
plants,	this	can	facilitate	intergenerational	storytelling	and	help	migrant	
communities	in	generating	a	sense	of	economic	resiliency	in	their	host	
community	(Aktürk	and	Lerski,	2021).
Many barriers exist to creating these landscapes, however,	despite	the	many	
benefits.	Many	of	the	barriers	to	health	sovereignty,	particularly	when	
enacted	in	a	public	commons,	have	to	do	with	anti-foraging	legislation	
and	the	fears	and	biases	that	lie	underneath	them.	Several	studies	
have	described	how	in	many	cities,	there	are	bylaws	against	foraging	
which	are	often	based	in	fears	around	the	damage	to	ecosystems	and	
biodiversity	loss,	“unsightly	damage”	of	city	assets,	overconsumption	
and	overharvesting,	the	reduction	of	food	for	other	species,	maintenance	
costs,	and	public	health	concerns	(such	as	fallen	fruit	and	contamination)	
(Shackleton	et.	al.,	2017;	Hurley	et.	al.,	2015;	Kormelink,	2020).	These	fears	
however	are	often	misheld,	as	it	is	commonly	acknowledged	that	foragers	
hold	a	significant	amount	of	ecological	knowledge	which	they	then	share	
with	others	(Shackleton	et.	al.,	2017).	For	example,	McLain	et.	al.	(2014)	
describe how foragers are usually responsive to how the plants change 
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
over	time,	harvest	only	a	portion	of	what’s	available,	remove	invasive	
plants, and tend plant populations through pruning and propagating. 
Further,	many	scholars	call	out	the	hypocrisy	in	restricting	foraging	given	
how	other	forms	of	land	use,	development,	and	resource	extraction	have	
far	greater	impacts	on	ecological	wellness	of	species	and	green	spaces	
than	foraging	does	(Shackleton	et.	al.,	2017;	Hurley	et.	al.,	2015).	Kormelink	
(2020)	similarly	notes	that	the	stated	concerns	that	foragers	will	reduce	
food	needed	by	other	animals	is	inconsistent	with	the	fact	that	the	same	
city	managers	are	intentionally	planting	non-fruit	bearing	trees,	thus	
removing	a	possible	food	source	for	both	human	and	more-than-human	
animals.	
In	the	meantime,	these	laws	about	harvesting	in	public	parks	create	
systems	of	power	and	permission	that	can	act	as	barriers	to	foraging	and	
gathering.	I	would	have	assumed	in	a	place	like	Eugene,	people	have	an	
environmental	politic	that	is	more	welcoming	of	grassroots	stewardship	
and harvesting in public spaces, but I have learned that is not the case. As 
part	of	our	work	around	the	Solidarity	Garden,	a	few	of	us	were	pruning	
an	apple	tree	adjacent	to	the	plot.	The	tree	was	tangled	and	had	many	
injured	limbs.	I	have	learned	through	my	work	at	the	Urban	Farm	that	
pruning	is	not	only	beneficial	for	the	health	of	the	tree,	but	also	can	create	
larger	fruits	for	those	harvesting	from	it.	Within	thirty	minutes	of	our	
working	on	the	tree,	however,	the	city	Park	Watch	showed	up,	informing	
us that they had received a call reporting our pruning. They were not there 
to	help	or	guide	or	offer	to	take	care	of	the	tree,	merely	just	to	tell	us	not	to	
or	else	risk	being	banned	from	the	park	or	dealing	with	the	Eugene	Police	
Department.	One	of	us	had	sought	and	received	permission	to	do	this	
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LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
landscape	work	from	the	city,	but	there	was	not	record	of	this	and	Park	
Watch	would	not	take	our	word	for	it.	
It	is	highly	ironic,	as	most	cities	struggle	to	fund	enough	staff	to	take	care	
of	all	of	the	park	spaces.	The	Park	Watch	staff	we	interacted	with	even	
acknowledged	that	they	are	short-staffed	and	would	not	be	able	to	send	
someone	else	out	to	prune	the	tree	we	were	working	on.	Some	cities	have	
created	room	for	residents	to	help	fill	the	gaps.	When	I	lived	in	New	York,	
I participated in a neighborhood garden club that adopted street trees as, 
after the big political “One Million Tree” project, the city did not have the 
capacity	to	maintain	all	of	the	trees	they	just	invested	in.	We	made	sure	
these	over-heated	trees	got	water,	compost,	and	a	small	groundcover	layer	
around	them.	Clouse	(2022)	points	out	how	acts	like	our	tree	pruning	and	
other	forms	of	“DIY	urbanism”	should	be	more	supported	by	the	city	“as	
they	represent	participants’	willingness	to	make	would-be	improvements	
to	a	place…	in	a	sense	doing	professional	urban	designers’	work	for	
them.”	Urban	designers	and	planners	are	always	struggling	to	get	
community	members	to	engage	in	the	planning,	design,	and	maintenance	
events.	Why	not	be	more	receptive	to	people	who	are	volunteering	their	
time	to	tend	to	public	park	spaces?	
Many	colonial	regimes	often	undermine	the	ability	of	people	to	self-
organize	and	self-govern	and	so	these	regimes	resist	the	dissemination	
of	power.	Histories	of	white	supremacy,	patriarchy,	and	classism	
have	contributed	to	false	assumptions	that	the	knowledge	held	by	
community	members	is	inadequate,	especially	when	it	exists	within	a	
different	epistemology	outside	of	the	western	academic	context	and	its	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
worship	of	the	written	word.	Even	if	community	members	could	benefit	
from	additional	training	in	order	to	perform	acts	of	stewardship,	it	
just	means	that	needs	to	be	included	in	the	process	of	transition	rather	
than being used as an excuse to retain the status quo. Current holders 
of	power	need	to	trust	that	other	members	in	their	community	are	fully	
capable	of	tending	to	a	public	commons	and	can	learn	what	they	do	
not	know,	if	necessary.	This	is	addressed	in	Waldstein’s	definitions	of	
sovereignty, as she writes, “A responsible sovereign weighs the relative 
costs	and	benefits	of	various	healing/health	practices	for	the	self,	the	
community,	and	the	environment.,”	(p.	161).	Similarly,	Hoover	and	
Mihesuah	define	food	sovereignty	as	being	comprised	not	only	of	“rights	
to,” but also “responsibilities to” and “relationship with.” If we restore 
intergenerational	knowledge	sharing	as	part	of	the	creation	of	public	food	
commons,	that	should	adequately	dismiss	the	concerns	of	anti-foragers	
worried about poor stewardship. 
Landscape	architects	and	urban	designers	are	historically	complicit	with	
the	creation	of	barriers	to	gathering	in	public	spaces.	Shackleton	et.	al.	
and McLain et. al. describe how urban greenspaces have been designed 
by landscape architects and planners to prioritize recreational, aesthetic, 
and	ecological	values,	rather	than	provisioning	ones.	Gobster	(2007)	and	
Kormelink	(2020)	call	this	process	the	“museumification”	of	cities	and	
link	it	specifically	to	early	park	design	by	landscape	architects	in	18th	
century	Europe.	The	over-emphasis	on	inedible	plantings	is	compounded	
by	the	presence	of	environmental	toxins	like	heavy	metals,	insecticides,	
herbicides,	and	other	industrial	contaminants.	These	make	it	difficult	to	
confidently	and	safely	harvest	foods,	especially	as	the	information	about	
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LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
site	safety	is	difficult	to	access	and	often	requires	expensive	testing.	
We studied the site history and soil at the Solidarity Garden in order to 
address these concerns about site toxicity. I started by reaching out to 
the OSU Extension Service in town to get their guidance on soil testing. 
They	pointed	me	to	Simply	Soil	Testing	in	Washington	state	where	I	was	
able to have the soil tested for basic nutrients and pH as well as heavy 
metals.	OSU	also	recommended	looking	into	the	site	history.	Based	on	
aerial	photographs	and	maps	it	was	clear	that,	at	least	since	1936,	this	site	
has always been at the boundary of residential areas and the fairgrounds. 
While	there	is	still	risk	of	contamination	from	traffic	and	lead	paint	in	
the	houses,	we	at	least	did	not	have	to	worry	about	any	major	industrial	
pollution.	When	the	soil	test	came	back,	we	were	pleasantly	surprised	
by	the	results.	All	of	the	nutrients	were	in	moderate	to	high	levels	and	all	
of	the	heavy	metals	were	far	below	the	recommended	limit	for	vegetable	
gardens.		We	still	want	to	include	some	phytoremediation	plants	in	there,	
as	the	site	is	right	next	to	a	roadway	and	parking	lot,	but	it	is	good	to	know	
that this should not be a substantial barrier to start planting food and 
medicinal	plants	there.
I also took a look at precedent examples to	see	if	there	are	any	similar	
garden	sites	that	we	might	draw	inspiration	for.	Some	of	my	favorites	
included	the	Capitol	Hill	Autonomous	Zone,	the	Community	Garden	and	
Memorial	at	Echo	Lake,	Dent	Street	Community	Garden,	Swale	NYC,	and	
the	Bronx	Foodway.	The	Community	Garden	at	Echo	Lake	was	created	by	
unhoused	residents	in	LA	during	the	pandemic.	They	have	been	growing	
food,	flowers,	and	medicinal	plants	like	chamomile	and	aloe.	They	also	
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included	a	communal	kitchen	space	and	a	memorial	for	people	whom	
they	lost.	The	Swale	project	in	NYC	began	as	an	art	project	to	advocate	
for	growing	food	on	public	land	in	NYC.	It	is	a	floating	edible	landscape	
on	a	reclaimed	barge	which	leverages	marine	common	law	to	subvert	
public	land	laws	that	restrict	edible	plants.	Their	work	led	to	the	creation	
of	permanent	food	forests	in	the	Bronx	and	Governor’s	Island.	The	new	
food forest in the Bronx is called the Bronx Foodway. It is a quarter acre 
full	of	edible	plants	and	is	the	only	legal	foraging	site	in	NYC.	They	have	a	
strong	focus	on	culturally-significant	plants,	particularly	those	important	
within	the	Black	community.	One	of	their	recent	artists-in-residence	
was	herbalist	Journei	Bimwala,	who	has	been	working	in	the	food	forest	
to	offer	asthma	remedies,	as	the	food	forest	is	located	in	what	is	known	
as	the	“asthma	triangle”	given	the	proximity	of	highways	and	industrial	
facilities.
There	were	also	other	inspiring	readings	that	I	found	while	looking	for	
precedent	gardens.	These	included	Paige	Emery’s	writing	on	Radical	
Gardening,	Ron	Finley’s	position	piece	in	Caring	Magazine,	and	Johan	
Niklasson’s	master’s	thesis	on	Horticultural	Therapy	for	Homeless	
People.
The bulk of my work has been to identify and source different plants for 
the	garden.		The	focus	of	my	master’s	project	was	on	medicinal	plants,	
however	this	garden	really	blurs	the	line	between	food	and	medicine.	
Food	is	such	an	important	foundation	of	health	and,	in	many	cultures,	
food	is	medicine.	Recognizing	the	needs	of	the	people	we	wanted	to	serve	
in	this	garden,	we	wanted	to	incorporate	foods	across	the	food-medicine	
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LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
spectrum.	
The food plants we selected for our initial list prioritize foods that are 
ready-to-eat	and/or	nutritionally	dense.	This	way	people	do	not	need	
cooking	equipment	in	order	to	benefit	from	these	plants.	Blueberries,	
Sungold	Tomatoes,	Snap	beans,	Cucumbers,	Peppers,	Carrots,	Broccoli,	
Arugula,	Asparagus,	Jostaberry,	Autumn	olive,	Basil,	Alfalfa,	Cilantro,	
Parsley,	Red	raspberry,	Red	clover,	Rose,	and	Thyme	were	the	plants	we	
selected	to	meet	these	categories.
The	medicinal	plants	combined	plants	that	were	requested	by	Black	
Thistle	Street	Aid	supplemented	with	research	I	did	on	herbalism	and	
street	aid.	Black	Thistle	shared	that	they	often	are	looking	for	Spilanthes,	
Calendula,	Lavender,	Skullcap,	Catnip,	and	California	Poppy.	From	my	
work	in	Herbalists	without	Borders,	particularly	at	the	Solidarity	Share	
Fair,	I	have	learned	that	immune	support,	stress	support,	and	first	aid	
are	common	requests.	Oregon	Grape,	Wood	Betony,	Chamomile,	and	
Helichrysum	can	be	used	for	first	aid	medicine.	Yarrow,	Oats,	Tulsi,	and	
Motherwort	are	very	supportive	for	stress	and	trauma.	Elderberry	and	
Echinacea	are	great	immune	boosters,	and	Garlic,	Onion,	and	Jalapeno	
are	key	ingredients	in	fire	cider,	a	folk	cold	remedy.	
For	the	remediation	plants,	I	consulted	the	book	‘Phyto’	to	see	its	
recommendations	for	contaminants	found	in	areas	adjacent	to	roadways.	
It	is	really	challenging	to	extract	lead	from	the	soil	using	plants.	For	these	
and	other	metals,	the	authors	recommend	instead	focusing	on	erosion	
prevention	so	the	lead	does	become	airborne	or	waterborne.	However,	
there	are	many	plants	that	can	break	down	any	petroleum	that	runs	off	
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into	the	site.	I	cross	checked	their	list	to	identify	plants	that	were	also	
native	to	the	Pacific	Northwest	and	herbaceous	(rather	than	trees).	This	
led	me	to	Little	Bluestem	and	Canada	Goldenrod	(Kennen	and	Kirkwood,	
2015).	
Of	course	this	project	is	and	will	continue	to	be	emergent.	This	was	
an	initial	list	for	my	and	Anya’s	purposes,	but	we	wanted	to	invite	our	
neighbors and collaborators to bring what they wanted to the project. We 
have	received	donations	of	tomatoes,	corn,	beans,	basil,	and	many	others.	
Each	week	the	garden	weaves	the	resources	and	ideas	of	many	different	
people.
With our plants selected, we sketched out an initial planting plan. Again 
our plan has continued to evolve with the input of our collaborators. 
Our initial plan included a central path through the garden with food 
plants	on	one	side	and	medicinal	plants	on	the	other.	That	core	design	
has	remained,	though	the	path	orientation	has	changed	and	the	tree	
placement	has	shifted	north.	
Our initial work party	was	one	of	the	most	inspiring	experiences	I	have	
ever been a part of. We had been planning to downscale our plan, as we 
were	anticipating	needing	to	do	grass	removal	manually,	and	we	also	did	
not	have	a	clear	plan	for	water	access	and	the	compost	bill	was	adding	up	
quickly.	However,	we	got	extremely	lucky	the	day	before	our	work	party,	
that one of the neighbors had an excavator we could use. We were able to 
actually	dig	up	the	whole	site	and	fifteen	people	showed	up	to	help	us.	It	
was a wild experience of unexpected abundance, where people brought 
food,	tools,	and	plants	to	share.	KVAL	even	showed	up	and	documented	
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LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
our	project.	We	have	been	building	on	this	momentum	with	weekly	work	
parties on Friday nights.  
This momentum makes me even more excited about the future possibilities of 
this project. For the rest of this season, we are hoping to continue planting, 
adding signage for the plants, adding pavers along the path, and cover 
cropping unplanted areas to nourish the soil and prevent erosion. One 
of	my	classmates	did	her	master’s	project	on	ollas,	which	are	a	clay	pot	
irrigation	system.	Since	they	slowly	release	water	into	the	soil	over	time,	
they could be a good option for us to test out on site. We can also start 
building	out	our	distribution	networks	for	sharing	and	processing	the	
plants	on	site.	The	intention	is	for	anyone	to	be	able	to	harvest	from	the	
food	and	medicine	in	the	garden.	However	we	can	also	tie	into	existing	
programs	for	food	and	medicine	distribution.	We	can	donate	materials	
to	Black	Thistle	Street	Aid	and	Herbalists	without	Borders	to	process	and	
distribute.	We	can	also	process	the	medicine	and	food	ourselves	and	bring	
it to the little free pantry nearby. 
One	thing	I	have	learned	from	working	in	Herbalists	without	Borders	
is	how	important	it	is	to	combine	education	and	distribution	in	health	
sovereignty	work.	I	am	excited	for	the	momentum	to	host	workshops,	
knowledge	sharing,	and	other	events	at	the	Solidarity	Garden.	This	
way	we	can	build	capacity	amongst	our	community	in	the	growing	and	
processing	of	food	and	medicine.	
I wanted to also share some of the resources for foraging best-practices 
that	I	have	learned	through	this	process.	I	imagine	that	many	of	us	are	
interested	in	being	thoughtful	and	ethical	about	how	we	harvest	from	
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our	community	garden	space.	Some	of	these	resources	may	support	us	in	
having	some	common	language	around	this.	One	of	my	favorite	guides	
around	urban	foraging	is	one	of	the	episodes	on	the	CommonWealth	
Holistic	Herbalism	podcast	on	Urban	Wildcrafting	Ethics	&	Guidelines	
(Commonwealth	Holistic	Herbalism,	2019).	They	break	down	their	
guidelines	into	four	categories:	knowing	the	plant,	knowing	the	land,	
knowing	the	community,	and	knowing	yourself.	In	order	to	know	the	
plant,	one	must	know	its	life	cycle,	how	to	identify	it,	poisonous	look-
alikes,	medicinal	benefits,	whether	it	is	at-risk	or	endangered,	ways	we	
can	help	the	plant	thrive,	how	the	plant	changes	over	time,	and	when	is	the	
best	time	to	harvest.	Additional	plant-centered	ethics	can	include	taking	
no	more	than	5%	of	what	is	available,	harvesting	based	on	the	plant’s	
needs,	and	asking	the	plant	for	permission	(Harris,	2022;	Berry,	2015).		
McLain	et.	al.	(2014)	describe	several	common	ways	in	which	foragers	
cultivate their relationships with the plants through being responsive to 
the	plants	over	time,	harvesting	only	a	portion	of	what’s	available,	tending	
individual	plants	or	populations,	pruning	and	propagating,	removing	
invasive plants, and bringing in transplants to areas where the population 
is	diminishing.	Devon	G.	Peña	writes	in	his	chapter	in	Indigenous	Food	
Sovereignty	in	the	United	States	about	the	importance	of	learning	the	
ecological	or	biodynamic	roles	of	plants	in	addition	to	their	cultural	ones	
(Mihesuah	and	Hoover,	2019).	Foragers	can	utilize	this	knowledge	to	
inform	which	plants	they	harvest,	how,	and	when.	
In	order	to	know	the	land,	one	must	understand	whether	they	have	
permission	to	harvest	in	a	place,	be	aware	of	plant	neighbors,	know	about	
possible	sources	of	toxicity	in	the	area,	and	know	how	the	place	changes	
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LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
over	the	course	of	a	year.	They	recommend	to	start	by	“wildcrafting	for	
pictures” in order to get a sense of the place and its seasonal shifts. Others 
suggest to avoid areas prone to pollution, avoid plants along gutters and 
roads,	avoid	areas	where	dogs	may	have	pooped	and	pesticides	might	be	
applied,	and	get	familiar	with	local	foraging	regulations	(DiBenedetto,	
2020;	Ahmed,	2020;	Harris,	2022).	Many	of	these	recommendations	are	
more	relevant	to	wild	harvesting	than	community	gardens,	but	still	good	
to	keep	in	mind.	To	know	the	community	also	involves	understanding	
who	else	is	relying	on	this	plant,	including	other	humans,	other	animals,	
other	plants,	the	soil,	etc.	And	to	know	yourself	means	to	be	clear	about	
your	intention,	your	internal	state,	and	how	much	you	actually	need	
(Commonwealth	Holistic	Herbalism,	2019).	Lara	Pachecho	reminds	us	
of	the	important	addition	of	positionality	in	all	of	these	considerations,	
and	how	people	should	“check-in	with	their	inner	colonizer”	before	
harvesting,	especially	given	the	history	of	botanical	extractivism	at	the	
hands	of	white	settlers	(Irvine,	2021).	
I want to close with sharing my immense gratitude for you all and	my	
overflowing	excitement	about	this	project.	Anya,	you	are	a	brilliant	
visionary,	organizer,	and	creator	of	community.	Thank	you	for	imagining	
this	garden	and	sharing	your	vision	with	the	rest	of	us.	Thank	you	for	
encouraging	me	to	jump	in	and	take	initiative	around	planting	and	
planning	for	this	space.	Thank	you	for	grounding	us	in	the	realities	
of	the	site	and	the	challenges	we	might	face,	while	simultaneously	
making	connections	that	allow	us	to	skirt	around	those	challenges	with	
apparent	ease.	Thank	you	to	Sophie	for	connecting	me	with	Anya	and	
this	project,	for	understanding	me	and	my	interests,	and	getting	so	deeply	
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and	authentically	excited	when	you	find	ways	for	me	to	connect	with	
community	around	them.	Thank	you	to	Maggie	and	Scott	for	being	such	
enthusiastic	and	generous	collaborators!	It	was	beyond	my	imagination	
that we could have an excavator and additional soil for the site and it 
made	the	world	of	difference.	Thank	you	to	Jesselyn,	Matie,	Jacob,	Audrey,	
Kenlei,	Lily,	Josh,	Kate,	Andrew,	Rhea,	Rina,	and	so	many	more	for	
sharing	your	time,	energy,	love,	and	material	resources,	for	setting	up	the	
signal	and	the	Instagram	and	the	signage,	for	taking	parts	of	this	project	
and	running	with	them,	adding	your	own	flavor	to	the	garden.	I	am	so	
excited	for	the	future	of	this	space,	so	excited	that	it	will	be	a	part	of	NEST,	
and so glad you to be on this journey with you all.
In Solidarity,
Jenna
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LETTER TO SOLIDARITY GARDEN
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
86
LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
05
A Letter to Future 
Landscape 
Architecture 
Students
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Dear	Future	Student,
Welcome	to	the	messy,	hope-filled,	purposeful,	frustrating,	and	organic	
world of landscape architecture. If you currently, or within the next few 
months,	find	yourself	immensely	confused,	lost,	and	doubtful,	I	want	
you	to	know	that	you	are	not	alone.	It	was	not	until	my	third	year	of	the	
MLA	program	that	I	found	out	that	half	of	my	cohort	had	considered	
dropping out at one point or another along the journey; I was not the only 
one.	I	think	so	many	people	come	into	landscape	architecture	wondering	
if	it	might	finally	be	the	home	for	the	connective,	multi-disciplinary,	
creative,	earth-loving	work	that	they	have	been	dreaming	of	pursuing,	
and	then	they	find	that	this	house	needs	a	lot	of	work.	Especially	if	you	
are	reading	this	letter,	you	are	likely	someone	who	cares	deeply	about	
engaged,	relational,	and	community-centered	work,	as	well	as	topics	of	
intersectional	justice,	and	you	therefore	may	find	yourself	at	one	point	
or another worried about whether landscape architecture is fertile soil 
to	be	doing	that.	When	you	applied,	maybe	it	seemed	like	the	practice	
of	the	field	was	so	focused	on	social	and	environmental	justice,	and	the	
values	were	so	in	sync	with	yours,	but	now	you	find	yourself	surrounded	
by	the	history	and	ongoing	patterns	of	classism	and	racism	that	are	so	
embedded	in	this	field,	and	every	time	you	look	for	a	job	it	seems	like	
capitalism	is	hindering	you	from	trying	to	step	outside	of	these	patterns.	
No	wonder	so	many	of	us	go	through	these	minor	existential	crises.	
I	am	writing	this	letter	largely	because	my	master’s	project	methodology	
is	all	about	relationship-building	and	I	wanted	to	find	a	way	of	sharing	
what	I	have	learned	during	my	project	in	a	more	relational	way	that	is	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
addressed	to	specific	people	or	groups	of	people.	Rather	than	having	to	
read	a	whole	long	PDF	document	with	sections	that	may	or	may	not	be	
relevant,	you	can	get	what	is	hopefully	more	tailored	information	from	
just	a	single	letter	(and	of	course	feel	free	to	read	the	rest	of	my	project	
afterwards	if	you	are	interested).	I	did	not	invent	this	method	of	using	
letters	as	a	form	of	content	sharing	alternative	to	academic	prose	written	
to	no-one-in-particular.	I	was	inspired	by	the	incredible	Shawn	Wilson,	
Indigenous	scholar	and	author	of	‘Research	is	Ceremony:	Indigenous	
Research	Methods.’	In	his	book,	several	chapters	are	written	as	letters	to	
his	sons	to	ground	the	information	sharing	in	relationships.	
I	am	also	writing	this	letter	as	there	are	lessons	I	have	learned	about	
working	with	relational	methodologies	as	a	landscape	architecture	
student	that	I	really	want	to	share	with	you.	It	can	be	really	confusing	to	
understand	how	to	engage	in	relational	methodologies	within	our	field;	
there	is	not	a	defined	set	of	steps	or	list	to	check-off,	nor	do	I	think	there	
should	be.	I	hope	that	this	discussion	of	my	process	can	help	you	to	reflect	
and	ideate	for	yourself,	to	critique	and	build	on	and	fill	in	to	what	I	and	
others	have	done.	And	my	last	goal	with	this	letter	is	that	it	provides	you	
with	some	ideas	for	how	you	can	find	your	own	way	in	this	program	and	
how	you	can	make	decisions	as	you	define	your	path	from	here.	
I	figured	I	might	start	by	sharing	my	thoughts	on	why	landscape	
architecture school can be so disorienting and also why I chose to stay. 
I,	like	many	of	my	classmates,	found	out	about	landscape	architecture	
through	reading	about	high	profile,	super	edgy	projects.	For	me	it	was	
SCAPE.	They	were	doing	all	of	this	radical	oyster-tecture	work	and	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
ecological	restoration	that	also	looked	at	restoring	social	infrastructure;	
it	was	amazing.	I	thought:	“If	this	is	what	landscape	architects	do,	sign	
me	up!”	I	only	half	listened	when	a	few	mentors	warned	me	about	the	
reality	of	the	profession	being	more	about	beautifying	parking	lots	than	
creating	social	and	ecological	resilience	in	the	face	of	climate	change.	Not	
only	are	these	fancy	forward-thinking	projects	not	actually	the	norm	in	
many	firms,	but	they	have	also	yet	to	impact	the	pedagogy	of	landscape	
architecture	schools.	As	an	accredited	program,	landscape	architecture	
departments	have	to	adhere	to	the	requirements	of	the	Landscape	
Architecture	Accreditation	Board	(LAAB).	While	their	requirements	have	
some	flexibility,	they	establish	a	long	laundry	list	of	course	requirements	
limiting	the	amount	of	room	for	diverse	interests.	As	far	as	I	am	aware,	
there	are	no	requirements	relating	to	issues	of	justice,	inequity,	power,	
social	systems,	and	interpersonal	dynamics.	Further,	the	fear	that	these	
accreditation	reviews	strike	in	faculty	seems	to	be	unparalleled.	No	
wonder	they	feel	limited	to	creatively	re-imagine	the	curriculum,	as	doing	
so	might	risk	losing	accreditation.	Yes,	landscape	architects	need	to	have	
certain	skills	to	be	able	to	safely	conduct	their	work,	but	it	is	outdated	to	
believe	that	this	just	means	technical	skills.	
If	students	do	not	come	into	landscape	architecture	because	of	
inspirational projects, they often are attracted to the unique set of 
skills	that	landscape	architects	develop	combining	plants,	ecology,	
construction,	art,	creative	processes,	environmental	issues.	In	an	era	
marked	by	climate	chaos	and	biodiversity	loss,	it	is	no	wonder	so	many	
of	us	want	to	be	a	part	of	creative	and	artistic	and	nature-based	responses	
to	these	crises.	The	trouble	is	that,	while	yes	landscape	architects	work	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
at	this	intersection	of	skills	and	topics,	the	application	of	those	skills	are	
often	totally	mismatched	to	the	contemporary	ambitions	of	students.	
And	while	landscape	architecture	departments	often	engage	in	critical	
systems-level	discourse,	they	still	frequently	shy	away	from	radical	
changes	in	practice,	and	instead	stay	complacent	to	systems	of	capitalism	
and	private	property.	This	largely	has	to	do	with	the	roots	of	the	field	being	
steeped	in	white	supremacy	and	classism,	serving	the	fancies	of	royalty	
and	wealthy	elite,	as	are	many	disciplines	and	fields	of	study	in	dominant	
western	academia.	
One of the hardest pieces of advice that I received while considering 
whether to stay or leave pointed to this very fact that landscape 
architecture	is	not	unique	in	its	complacency	with	patterns	of	injustice.	
My	correspondent	told	me,	they	did	not	know	of	any	MLA	programs	that	
engage	with	topics	outside	of	white-dominated	western	science	and	that	
“it	is	up	to	you	to	bring	into	your	own	work	methodologies	and	themes	
which push the potentialities of design outside of its current boundaries.” 
This	was	of	course	extremely	discouraging	at	the	time,	but	the	underlying	
message	has	stayed	with	me.	Most	disciplines	and	departments	have	
flaws	and	we	need	people	in	all	of	them	doing	the	work	of	disruption	and	
transformation.	
I	almost	left	the	MLA	program	that	I	was	in	during	my	first	year.	I	
considered	transferring	and	also	applied	to	several	PhD	programs;	I	
even	got	an	offer	at	two	of	them.	However,	this	advice	about	bringing	in	
my	own	methodologies	and	themes	was	ringing	in	my	brain,	and	I	was	
noticing	a	personal	pattern	of	always	running	to	the	next	(and	hopefully	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
better)	thing.	I	wanted	to	try	something	different	and	see	if	I	could	make	
something	work	where	I	was,	since	I	was	going	to	have	to	confront	the	
flaws	and	limitations	of	any	program	I	went	to,	especially	when	it	comes	
to topics of justice and decolonization. I was also fortunate that the 
process	of	talking	to	faculty	at	PhD	programs	elsewhere	was	actually	
exposing	me	to	incredible	faculty	in	other	departments	at	the	University	
of	Oregon.	Many	of	the	PhD	advisors	I	spoke	with	were	surprised	by	my	
experience	at	UO	because	they	did	know	of	faculty	at	this	university	who	
were	deeply	immersed	in	feminist,	Indigenous,	and	queer	epistemologies	
–	they	just	were	not	in	the	LA	department.	I	drew	optimism	from	knowing	
about	these	other	faculty,	hoping	I	could	take	their	electives	or	otherwise	
seek	out	their	mentorship,	and	decided	to	stay.
This	decision	led	me	down	a	journey	that	has	been	far	from	perfect,	and	
has	required	a	significant	amount	of	extra	effort,	but	has	indeed	provided	
me	many	of	the	learning	experiences	I	was	hoping	for.	I	have	reorganized	
my	course	plan	to	make	room	for	an	elective	on	ethnobotany,	I	struggled	
through	my	studios	to	create	design	work	that	adhered	to	my		values,	
and	I	have	worked	through	my	master’s	project	to	take	a	non-traditional	
approach. 
The	rest	of	this	letter	focuses	on	some	of	my	most	cherished	lessons	
from	my	journey	as	I	pursued	community-	and	justice-oriented	work	
in	landscape	architecture	school,	especially	within	the	context	of	my	
master’s	project.	I	hope	that	some	of	these	may	be	helpful	to	you,	or	at	the	
very	least	support	you	in	knowing	that	you	can	create	your	path	and	seek	
out	your	own	lessons	in	this	program.	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
Get Out of the Department
Okay	maybe	this	subtitle	is	a	little	dramatic	and	jarring.	I	do	not	
necessarily	mean	you	should	drop	out.	But	try	spending	some	of	your	
time	outside	of	landscape	architecture	classes.	It	would	be	amazing	if	one	
department	could	address	all	of	our	academic	interests,	but	usually	that’s	
not	the	case.	Landscape	architecture	is	a	cross-disciplinary	profession,	
but	that	does	not	mean	that	landscape	architecture	classes	can	teach	you	
everything	about	everything;	it’s	still	important	to	actually	go	and	learn	
from	and	with	other	disciplines.	If	there	is	one	thing	I	would	recommend	
to	any	other	student	it	would	be	to	take	a	classes	in	the	Indigenous,	
Race,	and	Ethnic	Studies	department.	Take	as	many	as	you	can!	If	you	
are reading this and are a student at the University of Oregon, there 
are	some	really	rad	things	happening	in	that	department	as	well	as	the	
Environmental	Studies,	English,	PPPM,	and	Global	Studies	departments.	
One	of	the	most	rewarding	experiences	I	have	had	was	to	go	outside	of	
the	department	for	my	area-of-concentration	courses.	I	was	able	to	take	
an	Indigenous	Research	Methods	class	with	Professor	Jennifer	O’Neal,	
a Plants and People class with Professor Katie Lynch, and an Ocean 
Conservation	class	with	Professor	Stacy	Alaimo.	I	found	that	it	can	be	
most	helpful	to	take	these	classes	earlier	on	so	you	have	time	to	let	their	
lessons	soak	in	and	inform	your	final	comprehensive	or	master’s	project.	
But	there	is	no	“right”	or	“wrong”	time	to	take	them	–	if	you	are	already	
doing	your	final	project	and	have	space	in	your	schedule,	take	them	before	
your	graduate!	(But	also	it	is	okay	if	you	don’t	fit	it	all	in;	I	wish	I	could	
have	taken	at	least	three	or	four	more	elective	courses	before	graduating	
but	I	couldn’t	work	it	into	my	schedule.	I	hope	that	there	will	be	some	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
continuing	education	opportunities	for	me	to	enroll	in	these	kinds	of	
courses	as	a	non-matriculated	student).	
In	addition	to	getting	outside	of	the	department	for	area-of-concentration	
and	elective	courses,	it	has	been	an	important	part	of	my	journey	to	get	
involved	in	community	on-	and	off-campus.	During	my	first	year	of	
the	program,	I	got	involved	with	Sunrise	Eugene	–	the	local	chapter	of	a	
national	youth-led	climate	organizing	movement.	This	was	particularly	
nourishing	for	me,	as	I	moved	to	Eugene	from	New	York	City	in	summer	
of	2020,	during	the	height	of	the	COVID-19	pandemic,	and	did	not	know	
anyone	here.	Being	in	Sunrise	Eugene	helped	continue	nurturing	my	
activism	flame	(which	had	been	sparked	in	Extinction	Rebellion	in	NYC),	
helped	ground	me	(and	my	early	landscape	architecture	work)	in	local	
environmental	politics,	and	connected	me	with	some	rad	organizers.	I	
also	started	volunteering	at	the	Urban	Farm	early	on	in	my	studies	at	UO	
and	building	relationships	with	folks	working	there.	This	was	fortified	
during	my	second	and	third	years	when	several	of	us	joined	together	to	
form	the	Save	the	Urban	Farm	coalition,	now	known	as	Students	for	the	
Urban	Farm,	to	protect	the	farm	from	the	impacts	of	the	Knight	Campus	
development.	
I	did	not	want	my	master’s	project	to	be	solely	anchored	to	what	I	
personally	want	to	see	in	the	world,	but	to	be	anchored	in	what	my	
community	wants	to	see	in	the	world;	so	joining	in	with	local	organizing	
spaces	helped	me	to	plug	into	larger	movements,	networks,	and	
campaigns	from	early	on.	It	helped	me	get	a	sense	of	the	individuals	
and	groups	involved	in	different	parts	of	environmental	justice	work	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
locally,	how	they	are	connected,	and	what	are	the	political	mechanisms	
for	making	change	in	a	place	like	Eugene	(especially	given	that	it	is	very	
different	from	what	I	was	used	to	in	New	York	City!).	The	program	where	
I	received	my	MFA	in	Design	instituted	an	assignment	in	the	year	after	I	
graduated that required thesis students to incorporate volunteering in the 
project,	as	the	department	noticed	how	much	richer	and	more	grounded	
student	work	was	when	they	were	immersed	in	the	systems	they	were	
studying.	I	know	landscape	architecture	school	is	intensive,	but	this	
approach of volunteering is so worthwhile and can even lead to ideas and 
inspiration	for	your	homework	assignments.	If	you	need	to,	you	could	
even	look	into	making	it	a	part	of	an	independent	study	so	that	it	feels	
more	formally	incorporated	into	your	curricular	plan.	
Start Early, if Possible
I	knew	going	into	my	second	year	of	the	three-year	track	program	that	I	
wanted	relationship	building	to	be	central	to	my	master’s	project.	And,	as	
I	had	taken	Indigenous	Research	Methods,	as	well	as	Design	Research	
in	my	MFA	program,	and	had	several	years	of	experience	doing	design	
research	work,	I	was	able	to	waive	the	two	required	Research	Methods	
courses	within	the	Landscape	Architecture	department.	In	place	of	these,	
I	setup	two	independent	study	courses	in	the	Winter	and	Spring	terms	
of	my	second	year	to	pursue	the	beginnings	of	relationship	building.	In	
these independent studies, I listed out the topics I was interested in and 
then	researched	the	local	and	regional	groups	who	are	doing	work	in	
those	spaces.	I	then	drafted	outreach	emails,	prioritized	which	groups	I	
thought	would	be	the	best	fits,	and	started	getting	in	contact	with	them.	It	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
was	important	to	take	this	part	slowly.	I	did	not	want	to	contact	them	all	
at	once	and	then	have	to	rescind	offers	of	collaboration	if	I	had	too	many	
to	manage,	so	I	contacted	only	one	or	two	at	a	time.	Starting	this	in	the	
winter,	then	continuing	in	the	spring	and	the	summer,	enabled	me	to	have	
a	rough	sense	of	who	I	could	work	with	by	the	time	the	fall	term	begun.	
I	want	to	recognize	that	it	was	a	relatively	special	circumstance	that	I	
was	able	to	set	it	up	this	way	and	carve	out	dedicated	time	for	outreach	by	
waiving	two	required	courses.	If	you	can	make	this	work,	that	is	amazing,	
but	if	you	can’t	then	I	think	there	are	ways	you	can	still	find	flexibility	
and	time.		Is	the	current	research	methods	professor	willing	to	work	with	
you	to	adapt	the	requirements	and	constraints	of	the	course	to	fit	your	
research	approach?	The	more	of	us	having	these	conversations	with	the	
faculty,	the	more	space	we	can	create	for	alternative	approaches	to	final	
projects. 
Worst	case	scenario	is	that	you	don’t	get	to	start	early.	Maybe	it’s	not	
until	the	summer	or	fall	that	you	can	really	start	dedicating	time	to	
outreach	and	volunteering.	It	is	okay	for	that	to	be	a	part	of	your	process.	
In	my	opinion,	it	is	okay	if	your	whole	project	is	relationship	building.	
There	are	other	departments	that	have	dedicated	staff	who	tend	to	
relationships	with	community	organizations	and	are	able	to	act	as	a	
bridge between the organization and students. While there are a few 
faculty	in	our	department	who	can	offer	it,	it	is	not	an	established	part	of	
our	department’s	operations	and	culture.	It	is	not	your	fault	that	there	is	
a	lot	of	foundational	work	that	needs	to	happen	for	your	project	to	move	
forward.	I	am	in	deep	gratitude	to	Jennifer	O’Neal	and	Shawn	Wilson	for	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
teaching	me	that	relationship	building	is	research.	
Go Slowly
There	are	numerous	ways	to	say	it:	“move	at	the	speed	of	trust,”	“move	at	
the	speed	of	relationships,”	or	just	slow	down.	The	department	will	likely	
expect	you	to	have	all	of	your	questions	and	methods	defined	at	the	end	of	
your second year and a research plan laid out for yourself for the following 
year.	This,	in	my	experience,	is	not	how	relational	approaches	to	research	
actually	work.	It	requires	being	much	more	flexible	and	non-prescriptive	
than	this.	Effectively,	the	starting	research	question	is	“what	are	the	
priorities	and	needs	of	the	group	that	I	am	working	with?”	Other	more	
specific	questions	will	emerge	as	you	build	relationships	with	the	people	
you	are	working	with.	
That	being	said,	it	still	was	a	challenge	to	engage	with	the	departmental	
processes	with	this	level	of	open-endedness.	People	will	inevitably	want	
to	know	“what	specifically	you	are	doing.”	In	these	circumstances,	I	found	
that	it	was	clarifying	to	communicate	some	of	the	more	tangible	things	I	
was	doing,	i.e.	tending	four	garden	spaces,	creating	workshop	materials,	
research and acquiring plants, etc. These can be changing and evolving 
and	not	be	pre-defined	by	you	as	the	researcher,	however	offering	these	
kinds	of	details	can	help	ground	your	advisors	and	department	in	the	
nitty gritty of the project.
Immerse Yourself
With	most	of	my	collaborators,	I	was	and	remain	an	outsider.	This	type	of	
relationship	holds	a	very	important	role	for	students,	as	that	often	is	the	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
fundamental	setup	of	cross-cultural	and	diverse	partnerships.	It	did	feel	
extremely	helpful	and	stabilizing,	though,	for	one	of	my	relationships	to	
be	as	a	member	of	a	group,	rather	than	a	collaborator	with	the	group.	For	
me,	this	occurred	within	my	connection	to	Herbalists	without	Borders	
Eugene.	They	were	actively	looking	for	volunteers,	and	over	the	course	
of	the	last	year	I	have	become	a	member	of	the	chapter.	This	meant	that	I	
was	on	all	of	the	email	and	text	message	threads,	I	got	to	attend	all	of	the	
events	and	meetings,	and	had	a	comprehensive	insider	understanding	
of	all	of	the	projects	going	on	in	the	group.	By	contrast,	with	some	of	my	
other	collaborators,	I	only	have	has	glimpses	into	their	different	initiatives	
and	events.	Another	large	benefit	of	being	immersed	within	HWB	Eugene	
is	that	I	have	connections	with	multiple	people	in	the	group.	This	felt	
particularly	helpful	when	one	of	my	key	contacts	had	to	take	some	leave	
time	and	I	could	reach	out	to	other	members	of	the	group	to	offer	my	
assistance.	With	other	groups	I	may	only	have	one	main	contact	and,	if	
they	get	busy,	I	would	lose	my	entire	connection	to	the	organization.	
I	think	ideally	students	would	be	able	to	pursue	a	mix	of	both	immersive	
and	outsider	relationships.	Connecting	to	groups	where	I	am	an	outsider,	
if	they	were	interested	in	my	doing	so,	allowed	me	to	create	relationships	
outside	of	my	spheres	of	lived	experience	and	be	a	co-conspirator	in	
someone	else’s	struggle.	Meanwhile,	being	involved	in	Herbalists	without	
Borders	provided	a	sense	of	stability	and	continuity	within	my	project.	
In	times	where	other	groups	got	busy	or	became	distant,	I	did	not	have	to	
worry	that	I	no	longer	had	a	project;	I	had	multiple	groups	I	was	working	
with	and	some	of	them	I	was	deeply	embedded	within.
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
Take Time for the Grout Work
When	you	are	prioritizing	relationships	in	an	academic	project,	there	are	
so	many	tasks	and	activities	that	may	not	typically	be	categorized	as	the	
role	of	a	landscape	architect	(or	whatever	your	field	of	study	is).	But	these	
were	the	tasks	that	held	my	project	together	and	made	the	more	design-
focused	work	possible.	They	were	the	unglamorous	connective	medium,	
or	the	“grout,”	of	my	project.
Meetings	and	emails	were	one	of	these	types	of	tasks,	as	communication,	
outreach, and listening were all so critical to relationship building. Also, 
attending	events	with	the	people	you	are	working	with	–	even	if	they	do	
not	seem	directly	relevant	to	your	project	–	is	a	key	form	of	this	grout	
work.	For	example,	within	Herbalists	without	Borders,	I	could	have	
“stayed	in	my	lane”	as	a	landscape	architect	and	only	showed	up	when	
something	was	happening	with	the	garden	space.	But	I	knew	that	not	
only	was	learning	about	medicine	making	key	to	my	understanding	
of	medicine	growing,	but	also	that	these	types	of	events	allowed	me	to	
strengthen	my	connection	with	my	collaborators.	This	is	how	I	was	able	to	
meet	other	members	of	the	group	and	achieve	that	sense	of	immersion.	
In	order	to	make	room	for	doing	the	grout	tasks,	a	key	“innovation”	of	
my	project	was	to	define	a	mission	statement,	rather	than	a	research	
objective.	That	way,	anything	that	I	could	link	to	supporting	people	
in	accessing	and	maintaining	medicinal	landscapes	could	qualify	as	
masters	project	work,	from	emails	to	workshops	to	learning	Spanish.
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Practice Multidirectional Learning
To	some	extent,	I	knew	coming	into	this	project	that	it	was	important	to	
recognize	many	types	of	experts	and	that	someone	does	not	need	to	have	
written	a	book	to	be	considered	an	expert	on	something.	But	I	appreciated	
how	this	was	reinforced	throughout	my	journey.	
At	one	point	during	my	project,	I	connected	with	Jen	Surdyk,	owner	of	
Queen	of	Swords	botanical	goods,	and	she	shared	an	article	with	me	on	
food	and	health	sovereignty	work	with	low-income	folks.	The	article	
critiques	a	dominant	narrative	that	low-income	communities	need	to	be	
educated on nutritious foods, and instead highlights research that shows 
that	these	communities	know	about	and	value	nutrition	but	face	the	
barrier	of	cost	(Prasertong,	2023).	Relatedly,	it	felt	really	helpful	for	me	to	
attend the Solidarity Share Fair event with Herbalists without Borders 
and	hear	from	the	folks	there	that	they	know	what	they	need	in	terms	
of	herbal	support,	vitamins,	and	minerals	but	cannot	always	afford	or	
access	it.	Without	these	reminders,	I	may	have	risked	edging	too	far	into	
education	with	my	project.	Instead,	I	understand	that	many	people	who	
might	be	accessing	this	garden	know	the	plants	and	their	benefits	and	
just	need	more	places	to	harvest	them	safely.	
Another	place	where	this	came	up	is	in	working	with	Mujeres	del	Huerto.	
I	was	invited	to	attend	some	of	their	gatherings	and	to	start	helping	
out	with	their	garden	plot.	During	one	of	our	meetings,	they	asked	me	
if	I	would	be	willing	to	host	some	workshops	on	garden	design	and	
organic	maintenance.	Some	of	them	were	very	new	to	gardening	and	
so	there	were	perhaps	things	I	could	share	with	them,	while	others	had	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
significant	experience.	Given	the	differing	levels	of	experience	within	the	
group,	it	seems	important	for	these	workshops	to	be	more	of	communal	
skill-sharing	rather	than	unidirectional	dictation.	In	other	words,	these	
workshops	should	function	more	as	spaces	for	them	to	share	what	they	
know	with	each	other,	rather	than	for	me	to	share	my	knowledge	with	
them.	I	can	learn	from	other	Herbalists	without	Borders	members	about	
this,	as	they	frequently	bring	this	approach	to	our	herbalism	workshops	
through	including	many	prompts	and	questions	for	our	workshop	
attendees	to	share	what	they	know	and	how	they	currently	work	with	the	
different	plants.
Engage in Deep Caring
I	grew	up	in	a	culture	where	it	was	not	the	norm	to	deeply	engage	
with	other	people’s	problems	and	challenges.	Maybe	you	offered	your	
condolences, but otherwise went about the interaction as if everything 
was	normal.	So	it	has	been	a	lot	of	very	personal	work	for	me	to	shift	those	
behaviors and conditioning during this journey of relationship building, 
to	slow	down,	and	actually	engage	with	other	people	as	humans.	
Some	steps	have	been	easier	than	others.	For	example,	learning	from	
my	collaborators	about	how	you	show	up	to	a	gathering	and	what	you	
bring with you has been very inspiring. Having a airpot with tea and 
herbal	medicine	in	abundance	to	share	are	small	gestures	of	humanizing	
experiences	where	someone	is	offering	you	aid.	During	one	of	our	early	
work	parties,	Tree	from	Herbalists	without	Borders	sent	me	home	with	
Tulsi	and	Yarrow	hydrosols	and	a	lavender	oil	roller	to	support	my	school	
stress.	Later,	at	a	garden	work	party	in	early	winter,	she	brought	a	pot	of	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
hot	chai	tea	and	calendula	balms	for	all	of	the	volunteers.	Similarly,	Julia	
from	Mujeres	del	Huerto	has	shared	that	she	always	brings	café	y	pancito	
to	any	work	party	or	meeting	of	the	Mujeres.	I	started	to	understand	these	
as	the	“tools	of	a	community	herbalist,”	and	started	to	build	out	my	own,	
investing	in	an	airpot	and	sharing	fire	cider	and	infused	oils	with	people	
who	have	helped	me.	
Beyond	these	tangible	offerings,	the	work	of	deep	caring	can	be	a	lot	
more	vague	and	nonlinear.	Generally,	being	trained	in	trauma-informed	
approaches	seems	highly	valuable,	as	that	supports	you	in	showing	
up	with	people	who	have	had	physically	or	emotionally	traumatic	
experiences,	and,	from	my	experience,	people	who	are	struggling	with	
many	mental	health	issues.	This	was	actually	one	of	Gatlin’s	(from	
Huerto	de	la	Familia)	earliest	recommendations	for	me:	in	addition	to	
studying	Spanish	and	learning	about	Latine	herbalism,	she	advised	me	
to	read	up	on	trauma	informed	care.	Lara	Pachecho	recommends	that	the	
foundation	of	trauma-informed	care	is	to	show	up	without	an	agenda	and	
listen	to	what	people	are	needing	and	wanting	(Irvine,	2021).	Herbalists	
without	Borders	has	historically	offered	trauma	trainings	and	is	planning	
to	host	some	more	online	trainings	this	year.	
One	of	the	most	potent	examples	of	this	learning	has	been	in	responding	
to	two	cancer	diagnoses	within	my	collaboration	community.	As	these	are	
still	new	relationships,	I	do	not	know	what	they	might	want	or	need,	I	do	
not	know	that	much	about	cancer	treatment.	What	would	be	appropriate	
of	me	to	offer?	I	have	not	found	the	answers	to	this	question	yet,	but	I	think	
the	processing	of	questioning	is	a	first	step	on	my	journey.	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
Roll with the “No’s”
It	has	been	incredible	to	get	to	work	with	so	many	incredible	groups	over	
the	course	of	this	project.	There	were	also	many	groups	that	I	reached	out	
to	who	did	not	end	up	having	capacity.	Some	knew	that	from	the	start,	
while	others	were	optimistic	that	we	could	collaborate	but	then	ended	up	
drifting	away.	It	was	hard	to	maintain	an	abundance	mindset	during	the	
periods of disconnection. But I also did not want to put undue pressure 
on	people	to	work	with	me,	as	not	only	is	that	not	aligned	with	values	of	
respect	and	reciprocity,	it	is	also	not	aligned	with	trauma-informed	care.	I	
did a lot of practicing both inviting in and letting go over the past year. As 
I	mentioned	before,	establishing	close	connections	with	one	group	made	
this	fluctuation	with	other	groups	more	manageable.	
Beyond	having	groups	share	that	they	are	at	capacity,	or	simply	stop	
replying	to	my	messages,	I	also	had	some	experiences	that	were	in-
the-middle	between	close	relationship	and	ceased	relationship,	where	
I	was	partnering	with	groups	but	having	to	make	decisions	while	have	
unanswered	questions	and	not	hearing	back	from	my	collaborators.	
It was hard to navigate when I felt I had enough input that it was 
appropriate	to	move	forward	and	when	I	needed	to	just	wait	until	I	heard	
back.	This	occurred	the	most	when	I	was	working	on	planting	plans	and	
ordering	seeds.	The	nice	thing	about	garden-scale	work,	is	that	it	is	easy	
to	change.	If	I	plant	something	and	people	do	not	like	it,	we	can	revisit	
it the next season. This is not always the case in landscape architecture 
work,	and	so	different	approaches	should	be	taken	depending	on	the	
scale	of	impact.	But	even	with	plants,	I	did	not	want	to	plant	things	that	
we	solely	based	on	my	decisions.	I	needed	to	get	the	input	of	Herbalists	
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without	Borders,	Mujeres	del	Huerto,	Black	Thistle	Street	Aid,	the	Tibetan	
Student	Association,	and	the	Vietnamese	Student	association	before	
ordering plants for their respective garden spaces. I struggled with how 
to	do	this	and	also	be	able	to	get	seeds	or	plants	in	time	for	this	coming	
season.	For	several	of	the	gardens,	I	ended	up	taking	a	hybrid	approach	
where	I	had	some	specific	input,	but	then	ended	up	supplementing	it	with	
my	own	research.	For	example,	with	Mujeres	del	Huerto,	they	asked	for	
six	specific	plants.	I	included	these	alongside	a	fire	cider	bed	and	other	
Latine	medicinal	plants	that	I	had	been	researching.	With	Black	Thistle	
Street	Aid	(for	the	Solidarity	Garden),	I	got	a	list	of	six	specific	plants	also.	
I	combined	this	with	my	own	research	on	plants	for	supporting	unhoused	
folks	with	first	aid,	nutrition,	food,	stress,	and	immune	support,	and	
shared	this	with	my	collaborator	in	Stop	the	Sweeps	for	her	feedback.
Spend Time Thinking about Documentation
Margaret	Kovach	(2021)	describes	the	importance	of	documenting	
research	in	a	way	that	centers	the	needs	of	the	community	you	are	
working	with.	It	is	puzzling	to	think	about	how	rarely	that	looks	like	
a	standard	research	report.	Whether	it	is	a	pamphlet,	website,	video,	
cookbook,	or	something	else	entirely,	community-driven	documentation	
is	likely	to	feel	in	tension	with	departmental	requirements.	I	found	it	
critical	to	my	process	to	dedicate	time	to	reflecting	on	and	mapping	out	
how	I	wanted	to	center	community	needs	in	my	documentation	while	
satisfying	the	departmental	requirements.	This	had	led	me	to	work	with	
five	main	types	of	relational	documentation.	
First	is	the	creation	of	context-specific	educational	materials	like	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
pamphlets	and	workshop	outlines	with	Herbalists	without	Borders	and	
Mujeres	del	Huerto.	These	are	materials	that	they	have	directly	asked	me	
for,	and	I	have	used	my	time	and	graphic	training	to	produce.	These	will	
help	to	disseminate	information	about	our	garden	plots	in	the	spirit	of	free	
public herbal education.
The	next	two	forms	of	relational	documentation	that	I	have	been	
experimenting	with	are	medicine	making	and	garden	work	parties.	
These	are	both	forms	of	corporeal	documentation,	where	the	spirit	and	
emerging	nature	of	plants	and	place	is	being	documented	into	our	minds	
and	bodies.	People	learn	about	the	plants,	the	garden,	the	medicine,	and	
their	roles	in	those	relationships	through	embodied	practice	that	they	can	
physically	remember	and	share	with	others.	The	fact	visitors	to	the	Urban	
Farm	Fest	made	plantain	tea	bags	with	me	using	plantain	harvested	
from	transplanted	Back	40	soil	at	the	riverside,	establishes	a	unique	
connection	and	understanding	between	them,	my	project,	the	plants,	and	
the	landscapes	where	the	plants	are	from.	
The	fourth	type	of	relational	documentation	is	grant	writing.	Early	on	in	
my	project,	when	trying	to	identify	ways	I	might	document	the	project	
that	could	tangibly	benefit	the	people	I	was	working	on,	I	thought	about	
how	grant	writing	often	requires	similar	types	of	writing	to	master’s	
projects.	For	example,	both	often	include	some	at	least	quasi-academic	
documentation	of	the	impact	and	benefits	of	the	work	you	are	doing.	I	
unfortunately	ran	out	of	time	to	see	this	through.	However,	I	hope	to	re-
use	my	writing	and	research	for	this	purpose	as	I	continue	to	work	with	
each of these groups. 
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
The	fifth	form	was	strongly	inspired	by	Shawn	Wilson	and	how	he	
framed	his	book.	To	embed	relationality	in	his	writing,	he	structures	
several	of	his	chapters	as	letters	to	his	sons.	I	wanted	to	humbly	learn	
from	his	practice	and	offer	my	written	project	documentation	as	a	series	
of	letters,	such	as	this	one,	directed	to	different	audiences.
Consider a Wide Range of Relationships
I was initially focused on learning about relationship building with 
community	partners	and	this	has	been	the	main	focus	of	my	project,	but	it	
also	has	been	important	to	reflect	on	how	to	navigate	my	relationship	with	
this	institution	and,	just	like	with	humans,	how	to	build	slow,	respectful,	
and	mutually	beneficial	relationships	with	the	medicinal	plants.	
As	part	of	my	self-teaching	in	medicine-making,	I	wanted	to	learn	
how	to	make	the	herbal	medicines	that	I	currently	rely	on.	In	an	herbal	
mentorship	with	Madeleine	Keller,	they	recommended	I	start	by	tending	
relationships	with	just	one	or	a	few	herbs,	before	trying	to	jump	to	
blending	tinctures	together.	This	guidance	from	them	resonated	deeply,	
as	it	echoed	the	process	I	had	been	working	on	throughout	the	rest	of	
this	master’s	project.	Just	like	with	humans,	we	need	to	cultivate	slow,	
thoughtful,	and	respectful	relationships	with	the	plants	we	are	working	
with,	and	there	are	a	few	reasons	why.	This	approach	helps	me	better	
understand	the	plant,	better	understand	myself,	and	better	understand	
how	we	interact.	In	other	words,	it	led	to	my	ability	to	create	better	
medicine	if	I	focused	on	and	deeply	understood	how	my	body	responds	
to each plant. In addition to this, building slow relationships with plants 
is	a	huge	part	of	most	foraging	protocols,	as	it	leads	to	more	ethical,	
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
reciprocal, and ecological practices of harvesting. Related to this, the 
paradigm	shift	of	relationship-building	with	plants	helps	us	to	shift	
towards	more	therapeutic	relationships	rather	than	commodified	ones.	
It	is	easy	to	fall	in	the	trap	of	replacing	commodified	practices	of	buying	
and	taking	pills	with	buying	and	taking	random	herbal	supplements.	
Langwick	(2018)	describes	how,	in	medicinal	gardens,	“[p]lants	are	not	
only	agents	with	active	ingredients…	[they	are]	not	only	resources	to	be	
capitalized	on…	[they	are]	collaborators	in	the	making	of	nourishing	and	
nourished	spaces…	pockets	where	people	and	plants	mutually	reinforce	
the cultivation of vitalities.”
Closing Thoughts
Relationship	building	can	take	a	lot	of	temporal	and	emotional	work,	
but	it	is	worth	it.	I	want	to	close	with	an	example	story	of	how	I	have	
gotten	to	know	folks	at	Huerto	de	la	Familia	and	what	their	response	to	
my	work	has	been.	I	reached	out	to	Gatlin,	who	was	our	contact	within	
Huerto	at	Herbalists	without	Borders.	She	asked	me	more	about	my	
project	and	process	and	was	encouraging	of	my	approach	to	offer	labor	
open-endedly.	She	shared	with	me	how	often	Huerto	de	la	Familia	gets	
researchers	contacting	them	just	to	get	a	quote	for	their	paper,	without	
actually	offering	any	support	directly	to	the	organization	and	their	wider	
community.	From	here,	Gatlin	connected	me	with	Elva	who	works	in	
the	garden	program	and	Julia	who	works	in	the	mental	health	program.	
She	also	recommended	that	I	could	start	weeding	a	plot	for	the	Mujeres	
del	Huerto,	a	program	that	provides	resources	and	services	to	women	
who	have	experienced	domestic	violence.	Over	the	last	several	months	
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
I	have	been	removing	grass	from	this	plot.	Julia	also	invited	me	to	meet	
with	her	and	three	of	the	mujeres	to	talk	about	the	garden.	Their	names	
are	intentionally	confidential.	I	also	started	to	see	Elva	more	at	the	
garden,	and	got	to	work	with	her	and	Esme,	another	garden	program	
staff	member,	on	a	fire	cider	workshop	with	Herbalists	without	Borders.	
I	have	also	been	delighted	at	how	many	of	the	gardeners,	like	Irlanda	and	
Noel,	have	stopped	by	to	say	hello	and	share	with	me	about	what	they	are	
planting	when	I	am	doing	work	at	the	Skinner	City	Garden	plot.	I	recently	
learned that the coordinator of the Mujeres del Huerto group is dealing 
with	a	medical	emergency	and	so	this	garden	is	on	hold	until	her	return.	
Instead,	Gatlin	has	generously	offered	to	support	me	in	shifting	my	project	
to	take	the	seeds	and	starts	I	have	been	acquiring	for	the	Mujeres	garden	
and	grow	them	out	in	Huerto’s	greenhouse	and	medicinal	raised	beds	at	
the	Churchill	Community	Garden.	These	plants	will	then	be	distributed	to	
the	Mujeres	or	other	members	of	Huerto.	I	will	be	continuing	this	work	in	
a	volunteer	capacity	over	the	summer.
I	hope	that	some	of	these	approaches	and	lessons	are	relevant	and	
interesting	to	you.	I	know	I	focused	on	relationship-building	approaches	
in	this	letter.	If	you	happen	to	be	interested	in	medicinal	landscapes	or	any	
other	part	of	my	project	that	I	did	not	address	in	the	letter,	please	contact	
me	and	we	can	find	a	time	to	talk	about	it	together!	Writing	even	this	
customized	letter	has	its	downsides,	as	the	writing	becomes	stagnant	
and does not change as I continue to change and learn. For this reason, I 
am	very	open	to	the	idea	of	having	conversations	about	this	work	so	I	can	
share	my	reflections	as	they	inevitably	evolve.
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LETTER TO FUTURE LA STUDENTS
I	want	to	wish	you	the	best	of	luck	in	your	projects	and	encourage	you	to	
keep	going	through	the	obstacles	that	may	come	up	for	you	(though	of	
course	please	also	rest	and	take	care	of	yourself!).	We	need	you	and	the	
brilliant	work	that	comes	from	your	mind	and	heart.
Sincerest regards,
Jenna
109
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
110
CONCLUSION
06
Conclusion
111
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Chamomile blossoming at Herbalists without Borders plot Corn growing at Herbalists without Borders plot
It	feels	difficult	to	articulate	a	“conclusion”	for	 be	available	to	them	in	any	support	they	might	
this project, as the process of continuance, rather need	from	me.	The	momentum	of	the	Solidarity	
than	conclusion,	seems	more	appropriate	for	 Garden	seems	to	just	keep	growing,	as	we	
the	project	and	the	relational	methodology.	This	 continue	to	have	10-15	people	at	the	work	parties	
work	will	not	end	here.	I	will	continue	to	be	a	part	 each	week,	and	I	plan	on	being	one	of	them.	
of	Herbalists	without	Borders	Eugene,	working	 And	for	cultural	diversity	at	the	Urban	Farm?	It	
on	workshops	and	the	garden	as	well	as	other	 seems	like	that	will	continue	too.	There	will	be	
new	ideas	that	emerged	over	the	course	of	this	 more	tending	to	do	of	the	Tibetan	plants	and	I	just	
project. I will be volunteering with Huerto de la ordered	some	Vietnamese	plants	to	put	in	with	
Familia	for	at	least	the	rest	of	the	summer,	but	 Minh	and	her	mom.	Harper	and	Jennifer	O’Neal	
hope that this is the beginning of an ongoing had a chance to connect at the presentations 
relationship as well. We recently onboarded a and	plan	to	have	Harper	visit	Professor	O’Neal’s	
new group of students to head up the Students classes.	Harper	said	that	there	will	be	a	Jenna-
for	the	Urban	Farm	(formerly	Save	the	Urban	 sized	hole	at	the	Urban	Farm	after	I	graduate.	
Farm)	and	they	are	energized	and	excited	to	 But	I	do	not	think	I	am	ready	for	that	yet.	At	the	
build	on	the	work	we	have	been	doing.	I	intend	to	 very least, I hope to return frequently, as this 
112
CONCLUSION
place	is	near	and	dear	to	my	heart.	I	sincerely	 would	be	thrilled	to	help	my	collaborators	with	
hope	that	all	of	the	relationships	in	my	relational	 this. I also learned during this project about the 
diagram	continue	to	deepen	and	branch	out.	 current	state	of	culturally-relevant	food	within	
the	food	banks	run	by	FOOD	for	Lane	County	
There are also several letters that I have not 
and	Huerto	de	la	Familia.	COVID-era	grants	that	
had	the	chance	to	complete	yet	and	thus	are	
supported	the	acquisition	of	more	culturally-
not included in this report. These include 
relevant	foods	are	running	out	and	it	sounds	like	
letters	to	the	Tibetan	and	Vietnamese	Student	
the	folks	in	charge	of	those	programs	are	trying	
Association,	to	my	advisors	and	mentors,	and	to	
to	determine	their	next	steps.	I	would	love	to	
the	landscape	architecture	faculty.	I	plan	to	work	
hear	more	about	what	they	are	considering	and	
on	those	over	the	coming	weeks	so	that	I	can	
whether they need any assistance with this. An 
fulfill	my	relational	documentation	vision.
unexplored	thread	of	the	Solidarity	Garden	was	
Another	important	act	of	continuance	is	the	 to	identify	other	plots	within	Eugene	similar	to	
process of seed harvesting, saving, and sharing. this	one	that	could	be	turned	into	a	community	
The	benefits	that	many	of	the	gardens	have	 garden	space.	This	would	likely	involve	some	
to	offer	in	terms	of	health	sovereignty	largely	 combination	of	GIS	and	on-the-ground	research,	
rely on the continual distribution of seeds and and	I	would	be	eager	to	assist	with	this	work.	
transplants. Later in the year, when the plants Finally,	there	is	so	much	more	work	for	me	to	
are ready, we will harvest seed and share it with do	in	terms	of	continuing	to	build	relationships	
the	appropriate	communities. with	Native	communities	so	that	these	
methods	that	I	am	learning	about	can	actually	
In addition to this continuance, there are other 
benefit	them.	I	am	looking	forward	to	continue	
questions that I would love to explore that I had 
connecting	with	Professor	O’Neal,	reaching	
not gotten a chance to within this past year. I 
out to Eagletree Herbs through Herbalists 
had	mentioned	grants	as	a	form	of	relational	
without Borders, and attending events at the UO 
documentation	and	had	intended	to	find	and	
Longhouse	to	offer	my	support	and	allyship	to	
even	apply	for	grants	applicable	to	the	different	
the	Indigenous	community	in	Eugene.	
groups	I	am	working	with.	I	hope	that	the	writing	
and research I have done can eventually be 
repurposed as part of a grant application and 
113
BIOCULTURAL HEALING
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114
CONCLUSION
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
Acknowledgments
118
CONCLUSION
A huge thank you to my community Kassaundra Lynn
collaborators! Heather Nelson
Herbalists	without	Borders	–	Tree,	Jet,	Anne! Becca Conaway
Huerto	de	la	Familia	–	Gatlin,	Julia,	Elva,	Esme! Jen	Surdyk
Urban	Farm	-	Harper,	Michaela,	Sherman,	Lydia! Tim	Herrera,	PhD
Save	the	Urban	Farm	/	Students	for	the	Urban	Farm	-	
Kaleb,	Grace,	Sabina,	Madison! Thank you for the plant donations!
Tibetan	Student	Association	-	Tenzin,	Tenzin,	Tenzin! Humming	Bee	Nursery
Vietnamese	Student	Association	-	Minh!
Solidarity	Garden	-	Anya	and	friends!
NEST Thank you to my therapy team for 
Stop the Sweeps helping me make it through this year!
Black	Thistle	Street	Aid
Thank you to my plant teachers!
Thank you to my amazing advisors 
Harper Keeler and Katie Lynch, PhD! 
Thank you to my friends and family for all 
of your support!
Thank you to Dr. Jennifer O’Neal for your 
incredible teachings and wisdom!
Special thank you to the magnificent 
Sophie Bybee!
Thank you to Jean Yang for helping me 
kickstart this project!
Thank you to the leaders and writers 
who continue to inspire me!
Thank you to my fellow students and 
Shawn Wilson
cohort mates! adrienne	maree	brown
Robin	Wall	Kimmerer
Thank you for the awesome Margaret Kovach
photography! Eva	Marie	Garroutte
Tema	Okum
Ignacio	López	Busón
Winona	LaDuke
Rowen White
Thank you for the inspiring Melissa Poe
conversations! Rebecca McLain
And	many	more!
Jet Eccleston
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BIOCULTURAL HEALING
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