Farmers and Gatherers Classroom Projects

Create a Nature Journal Project – This is a required project for all Farmers & Gatherers! You will bring your journals with you to Metini / Fort Ross. Begin by creating a Nature Journal. You can either make your journal from ‘scratch’ or you can purchase an empty sketch pad. You can use the following links for instructions on making your own paper.

• 4th Grade Paper Making Demonstration
• Making Paper from Plants — Advanced
• Making paper from plants, beach grass — Advanced

In your journal, make a page for each specimen you find — trees, flowers, berries, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Create detailed accounts of the following –

• What you find
• Where you find it
• The date you find it
• What stage of its development you find it — dormant, sprouting, ripe, etc.
• Its potential uses — medicinal, edible, art-related, etc
• Is it dangerous for humans or animals to handle or eat? For example, the Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa) and Oleander (Apocynaceae) shown in the images here are extremely toxic
• Add to your journal any findings or drawings of the ideas occurring to you that you might like to explore further. Leave room after your initial entries so that you can add to your findings while on site at Metini / Fort Ross

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farmers & Gatherers Research and Foraging – Research what kinds of plants will be growing in the vicinity of Metini / Fort Ross at the time of year you plan to visit. As you take your hikes throughout your visit at Metini / Fort Ross — perhaps during your hike in from Reef Campground — identify for others what plants you’re finding and what you know about their properties.

Before gathering – Research how to best collect the plants before harvesting them, this includes finding out what time of year any given plant should be harvested as well as how to harvest only what you need and in a way that allows the plants to continue to grow and thrive

Make sure you only take plants that you know to be safe with 100% certainty, and from an area where you know you are allowed to harvest

Please refrain from foraging on State Park or Federal lands, unless you have obtained all necessary permits to do so — not an easy process! Not only do you risk incurring a hefty fine, but you are depleting a legacy being protected for all to enjoy — consider the impact on the land and its resources if everyone who visits were to take ‘just a little something’ away

Look through the Farmers & Gatherers Project pages and plan your classroom and project preparations according to project choices.

Plan and prepare for your farming / gardening at Metini / Fort Ross – Planting a garden area with new seedlings, mulching around established plants, weeding invasive species, harvesting usable herbs and vegetables, watering the whole garden as needed

(Optional) Paint a sign for your garden plot - Use your school name on a wood post to designate your planting area

Find out what crops were produced at Settlement Ross and compare Mission, Kashia and Russian agriculture

Make a banner for your group (optional)

Please do not use plastic plant ID markers

Suggested Resource – The Bay Area Forager by Mia Andler and Kevin Feinstein is a wonderful book for further research. We often carry this in our bookshop.

Creating Songs and Stories – Create your own Songs and Stories to honor what you find in your environment — the earth, the ocean, plants, animals, family, elementals, etc. Record as much of your song or story as you can in your journal so that you might share it with others during your time at Metini / Fort Ross.

Seasonal Gathering – Here is a list of traditional California Native activities according to season, from Tending the Wild, Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources by M. Kat Anderson. Allow this list to give you ideas as to what you might find in your own area during the different seasons.