This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by three passion-driven land stewards who are dedicated to protecting and preserving the Mount Pisgah Arboretum in our hometown, Eugene, Oregon. As a 209-acre nature education facility nestled on the traditional homelands of the Kalapuya people, Mount Pisgah Arboretum has been offering invaluable environmental education to the Eugene community since 1973.

Tune in with Ilana Jakubowski, Kevin House, and Patrick Wegner to explore:

• Origin story of Mount Pisgah Arboretum
• Annual Wildflower Festival and (upcoming!) Mushroom Festival
• Mt. Pisgah’s environmental education field trips, workshops, and community initiatives
• How to create a space where nature is accessible to everyone
• Behind the scenes work to uphold a community-shared land

Learn more about Mount Pisgah Arboretum's staff below! ⬇️

🪻 Ilana Jakubowski is the Executive Director of Mount Pisgah Arboretum. Ilana was born and raised in the Willamette Valley and is deeply connected to this bioregion. Ilana’s most cherished childhood memories were playing underneath the wide canopy of Oregon White Oaks near her home. Ilana has worked in social services, outdoor education, and local nonprofit management for almost twenty years. She holds a Master of Social Work and is passionate about the intersection between social work and environmental work. Ilana believes that healing can occur when communities are able to connect with the natural world, and this, in turn, will inspire people to protect their environment. Outside of work, Ilana loves to further explore Oregon’s wild areas by camping, hiking, and backpacking. You also may see her on the dance floor as part of the local Salsa dance community!

🌾 Kevin House is the Environmental Educator at Mount Pisgah Arboretum. Kevin was born and raised in Oregon where he grew up camping, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors. He has a master’s degree in biology and spent several years teaching biology and ecology classes at a community college in Southern California before driving around the country in an RV with his partner, Marli, and eventually moving back up to Oregon to work in outdoor education. Kevin loves watching birds, finding fungi, and talking excessively about cool nature stuff.

🌿 Patrick Wegner is the Habitat and Trails Manager at Mount Pisgah Arboretum. Patrick joined the Arboretum in the spring of 2020. Born and raised in Oregon, he graduated from Oregon State University’s Natural Resources program with an emphasis in Recreation and Tourism Management. Patrick has held several positions throughout Oregon with the Oregon State Parks and Recreation and the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation Department, and has volunteered with various natural resources organizations. He has extensive field experience performing habitat restoration and monitoring projects, along with outdoor education experience. Patrick is excited to bring his knowledge and passion to the Mount Pisgah Arboretum. During his free time, he can be found spending time outdoors hiking, fishing, hunting, or traveling with his girlfriend.

🌲 Want to support the Arboretum’s community initiatives? 🌲

Become a Mount Pisgah Member!

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⛰️ Looking to learn more about the Arboretum’s education offerings? ⛰️

Check out the Mount Pisgah Environmental Education Programs page!

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Come out and visit the Arboretum’s bi-annual event traditions!

🌿🍄 2026 Mushroom Festival 🍄🌿

🌻🌷🪻 2026 Wildflower Festival 🪻🌷🌻

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Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

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