Medicinal and Edible Local Plants at next Sierra Club Meeting

Come join us Thursday, August 18 at 6:00pm for a fascinating talk on medicinal uses for local plants. Darryl Patton, the Southern Herbalist, has been hunting, gathering and working with medicinal plants for the past twenty-five years on Lookout Mountain. He will be discussing a variety of plants such as Yellow Root, Rabbit Tobacco, Mullein and Sumac. He will also talk about home remedies that many of the participants may remember their parents and grandparents using. There will be a large sampling of plants to show everyone.

Darryl Patton has been called a walking encyclopedia of herbal folklore and spent 12 years studying under the late A. L. "Tommie" Bass, one of the last of the old mountain herb doctors. During his apprenticeship with Tommie, Darryl was taught the identification and medicinal uses for literally thousands of plants found in the hills and hollows of the South. His passion in life is to pass the "old way" of using medicinal plants to his students and others wanting to continue the tradition of gathering wild plants as food and healing. Darryl is the author of, "Mountain Medicine, The Herbal Remedies of Tommie Bass," published by Natural Reader Press. Darryl also teaches classes on gathering and making herbal remedies as well as outdoor survival skills.

The meeting starts at 6:00pm and will be in the training room of the National Children’s Advocacy Center at 210 Pratt Avenue. This is at the corner of Pratt and Meridian streets. Meetings are open to everyone. Come join us!

Community Meeting on State Park Funding

The state of Alabama continues to suffer from a shortage of funds. The state park system is just one of the state agencies affected by the shortfall, with the possibility of closure for some state parks. The state of Alabama has also been transferring funds meant for the state park system into the state General Fund. On the ballot this November 2 will be Constitutional Amendment 2, which will permanently ban transferring state park funds into the state General Fund. An organization called Alabama Parks Partners is working to educate the public about funding for the state parks and is promoting Amendment 2.

On Monday, August 29 there will be a community meeting at Joe Wheeler State Park concerning state park funding and Amendment 2. To find out more about this issue and get details on the meeting, you can sign up at https://alparkspartners.com/sign-up/ and follow the organization on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ALStateParksPartners/

Alabama Sierra Club State Retreat October 28-30

Start making plans. Living Lightly on the Earth at beautiful Camp McDowell, Nauvoo, Alabama, sponsored by the Coosa Valley Sierra Club. Stay tuned for more details.

The Sierra Club Online

web - http://www.sierraclub.org/alabama/north-alabama

email - na.sierraclub@gmail.com

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/groups/254833822112/

Outings

Hike Ratings

Easy - Less than 5 miles, no serious elevation changes, no trail obstacles.

Moderate - 5 to 10 miles, some elevation changes or rough trail (rock hopping), or trail obstacles such as creek crossings.

Strenuous - Over 10 miles, substantial elevation change, rocky, obstructed or nonexistent trail.

Exploratory - any event where the leader has not experienced the event; may fit any class above.

Note. Participants of Sierra Club outings are required to sign a waiver.

Tuesday, August 9 - Monte Sano Evening Hike. Moderate.

Depart at 6:00pm sharp from the Monte Sano State Park Hikers’ parking lot on Nolen Avenue. There is a small fee to enter the park and all dogs must be on a leash while in the parking lot and during the hike. Though not strenuous, hikes may be vigorous and range from 3 to 5 miles. For directions or questions contact Aaron Lesky at aaronlesky22@gmail.com

Tuesday, August 16 - Monte Sano Evening Hike. Moderate.

Depart at 6:00pm sharp from the Monte Sano State Park Hikers’ parking lot on Nolen Avenue. There is a small fee to enter the park and all dogs must be on a leash while in the parking lot and during the hike. Though not strenuous, hikes may be vigorous and range from 3 to 5 miles. For directions or questions contact Sue at sierraboot@yahoo.com

Tuesday, August 23 - Monte Sano Evening Hike. Moderate.

Depart at 6:00 p.m. sharp from the Monte Sano State Park Hikers’ parking lot on Nolen Avenue. There is a small fee to enter the park and all dogs must be on a leash while in the parking lot and during the hike. Though not strenuous, hikes may be vigorous and range from 3 to 5 miles. For directions or questions contact Carolyn Brooks at dr_c_brooks@outlook.com

Tuesday, August 30 - Monte Sano Evening Hike. Moderate.

Depart at 6:00pm sharp from the Monte Sano State Park Hikers’ parking lot on Nolen Avenue. There is a small fee to enter the park and all dogs must be on a leash while in the parking lot and during the hike. Though not strenuous, hikes may be vigorous and range from 3 to 5 miles. For directions or questions contact Steve Jackson at covecrawler@gmail.com