Following his sold-out presentation here in February, chaparral ecologist and author Richard Halsey will return to Ojai to join me for a fire ecology field workshop on Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. entitled “Fire Walk With Us." This event is presented in association with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) who are offering a special discount for their members. Discount ticket price is also available for members of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition.

As an added bonus, the morning field trip will take place on the Upper Ojai property of architect John Davis whose self-designed fireproof home and guest house emerged unscathed by the Koenigstein Fire that started just above his property. John will be there as our guide.

Read more and register at this link.

With 216 pages and 64 color plates, this is the best book available that describes in detail California’s extensive chaparral plant community as well as how to live safely in one of the most fire prone ecosystems on the planet. 

Order your copy here.

Are you ready to leave the burn area and experience the spring wildflowers in the mountains far from the fire zone? Please join me and a friendly group of like-minded lovers of the outdoors for a Nature Hike to Potrero John Camp, deep in the Sespe Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest, on Saturday, May 12.

Read more and sign up at this link.

Those of us who attended the Earth Island Medicinal Herb Garden Workshop on March 24 experienced firsthand the wonderful teacher and wise human being named Carol Wade. You really had to be there to appreciate her calm way of explaining and demonstrating the methods of growing and applying medicinal herbs. If you weren't, though, you can see Vanessa Rogers' photo album at this link.

NOTE: Carol wil be one of the teachers at the Ojai Herbal Symposium in November. See separate article about that.

An idea I've had for several years is coming to fruition with the help of an amazing team. I'm pleased to announce that Herb Walks with Lanny Kaufer will present the first Ojai Herbal Symposium, November 16-18, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Kevin Spelman, an internationally recognized expert on the molecular biology and clinical therapeutics of botanical medicines and new product development.

Other noteworthy faculty will include Dr. James Adams of USC School of Pharmacy; Dr. Mary Hardy of the Simms/Mann-UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology; renowned author, herbalist and clinical psychotherapist Amanda McQuade Crawford; and a number of other remarkable presenters.

Details coming soon at OjaiHerbalSymposium.org.

Professor Jim Adams once again brought his unique mix of plant pharmacology, California history and Chumash healing to a packed house in Ojai.

His able assistant Enrique Villaseñor, apparently gearing up for his next career after 35 years of teaching elementary school, contributed a family recipe for Jamaica tea (Hibiscus flower tea). He also shot some photos and posted them here.

  Everyone went home with a jar of freshly made Sagebrush liniment and a bag of Hibiscus flowers. They later received a plant list and recipes by email.

Dr. Adams wil be a featured speaker at the Ojai Herbal Symposium in November. See separate article about that.

While the subscription-based Ojai Valley News is still the main source of information for everything currently going on in Ojai, the new kid on the block has created what no one else had yet achieved: a complete, free, online calendar of Ojai events. Check out Ojai Hub at this link.