Wild Foods Summit

White Earth Tribal and Community College Extension Program
Maplelag Resort, Maplelag, MN
May 22–23, 2006

The White Earth Tribal and Community College Extension Program, in conjunction with the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and Minnesota Campus Compact, will be hosting our first annual Wild Foods Summit. We are excited to offer you, your family and friends an invitation to join us at Maplelag Resort May 22nd and 23rd. This two-day intensive on identifying, harvesting and preparing wild edible plants is open to all interested in learning about the free and nutritious foods oftentimes found out your back door.

The $10 registration fee covers Monday's lunch and dinner, as well as Tuesday's breakfast and lunch. All meals will include wild foods, although we will offer one non-wild food item at each meal. Maplelag Resort is located on the southern end of the White Earth Reservation. If you would like to stay at this beautiful resort on Sunday/Monday/Tuesday evening(s) please contact Maplelag Resort at 1-800-654-7711 to secure your own reservations. Let them know you will be attending the Wild Foods Summit and your evening rate will be reduced to $50.

Monday will begin with a keynote presentation by Dr. John Kallas. He is known as an expert in the field and is director of Wild Food Adventures. His presentation will include how wild edible plants can help in the fight against childhood obesity, add nutrient density to the diet, and provide a fun and social way to remain active. The remainder of the day is devoted to outdoor plant walks and a cooking demonstration by Alma Christensen. Alma brings 84 years of experience eating wild foods and a cookbook on wild edible plants of Minnesota to us. Be sure to bring your creative talents to the Monday evening Talent Show starting at 8 pm. If you need any assistance/props please contact event coordinators.

Sam Thayer will be Tuesday's keynote speaker. Sam has taught classes on foraging for wild foods in northern Wisconsin for many years and has a recently published book titled The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants. He'll discuss his work on rediscovering Native wild food traditions and how the diet of Anishinaabe can be conveniently added to the modern diet. Tuesday afternoon will include outdoor plant walks and a focus on youth. Local area youth will be attending afternoon workshops.

If you are interested in reserving space as a vendor or exhibitor please contact event coordinators. Be sure to bring comfortable clothing, rain gear and mud boots that you don't mind getting dirty. You may also want to bring harvesting bags, clippers, field guides, notebook, pen/pencil, and your favorite wild food recipes. We are really looking forward to this event. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Event Coordinators
Sunny Johnson, Stephanie Williams, Steven Dahlberg
(218) 936-5620

Registration Form
Map and Directions