Only plant and seed sanctuary of its kind on the West Coast will serve as nature preserve, education site and community resource center
Kenmore, Wash. (June 7, 2012) —Bastyr University’s 14th annual Herb and Food Fair last weekend also marked the official grand opening for the Sacred Seeds Ethnobotanical Trail.
The trail provides an educational resource for the community to learn about seed saving and cultivation of native plants, their histories and how we have used them in the past for food, crops and ceremonies. The trail is the only one of its kind on the entire West Coast, with the next closet sanctuary located in Missouri.
“We are honored to have been selected as the Pacific Northwest representative of the Sacred Seeds Sanctuary,” said Sheila Kingsbury, ND, RH (AGH). “This is a great opportunity to preserve, teach and share what we know about native plants and why they have been, and continue to be, so important to our region.”
The trail begins with a native plant meadow on the hillside behind Bastyr’s Medicinal Herb Garden, travels through a grove of 100-year-old Douglas Firs next to the Student Village and into the woods where it winds around to a wetland area. The trail has signs identifying the native plants along the way. And while the project is still in the beginning stages, Dr. Kingsbury feels the seeds have literally been planted to grow into something great.
“I am so excited for this project to take shape, and welcome the community’s input on ways to maximize the trail’s use,” she said.
The Sacred Seeds Ethnobotanical Trail is in the first phase of a three-year plan that will include efforts to phase out non-native plants, have the trail serve as a living “classroom” for visits from K-12 student field trips and tribal groups, and eventual have a greenhouse built on-site. The trail is open to the public.
ABOUT BASTYR UNIVERSITY
Bastyr University, located north of Seattle, Washington, is an accredited institution, internationally recognized as a pioneer in natural medicine. As the largest university for natural health arts and sciences in the U.S., Bastyr offers more than 17 degree and certificate programs in fields such as naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and whole-food nutrition. Founded in 1978, the University now includes a leading-edge research facility (the Bastyr University Research Institute) and outstanding clinical training at Bastyr Center for Natural Health. The University’s second campus, Bastyr University California, will open in San Diego, California, in fall 2012, becoming the state’s first and only accredited school of naturopathic medicine.
