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ere on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau and in the surrounding Southern Appalachians, we are lucky to be amongst an incredible diversity of plants. As spring has progressed with wildflowers popping up and a leafy canopy emerging overhead, we at the HighlandsCashiers Land Trust have been excited to see all the plants at their height for the year. A great way to see them is at our public properties around town and we hope that you’ll visit them all to see the distinct landscapes that we protect. One property we are highlighting this summer is the Brushy Face Preserve where we will be celebrating the season through a native medicinal plant hike! Our region is home to a rich cultural history surrounding the use of traditional medicinal practices and we will be sharing some of these in our program, Bountiful Botany: Medicinal Plants of the Plateau. It is primarily taking place in the form of a self-guided hike at Brushy Face Preserve that will be up for the month of June. The hike will consist of informational signs along the trail highlighting some of the medicinal plants found on the property. Appropriate for all ages, and a good opportunity for children to learn while school is out, anyone is free to come and enjoy the hike at their own pace any day of the month. With the help of the International Friendship Center and funding from Environmental Educators of North Carolina, the signs will be in both English and Spanish. We hope you will come out to enjoy this program and the Brushy Face Preserve as well as our other public properties. The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust conserves property around the plateau which provides habitat for native plants and animals such as these medicinal plants. For more information about our programs, public trails, or the land we protect please visit hicashlt.org. For questions or information regarding Bountiful Botany please contact me, Logan Kallam, AmeriCorps Member assigned to the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, at logan. hitrust@earthlink.net. by Logan Kallam, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
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