Herb Walk at Rancho Tajiguas Preserve

This event is sold out. Registration is still open for the waiting list.

Have we got a field trip for you! Be one of the first kids on your block (or anywhere!) to enjoy the wonders of the Gaviota Coast Conservancy’s recent acquisition of the historic Rancho Tajiguas property. This will be the first public tour of the ranch and will not be advertised anywhere except here and in my Herb Walks newsletter. I expect this special opportunity to be popular so sign up early!

JUMP TO REGISTRATION

On Sunday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., I’ll lead the first-ever herb walk at Rancho Tajiguas, recently purchased by the Gaviota Coast Conservancy (GCC). At 3,272 acres, it is the largest ranch between Goleta and Gaviota State Park. In operation since 1798, the ranch is home to many plant and animal species. Tajiguas Creek creates its own riparian environment as it weaves its way across the landscape to the nearby ocean. Rancho Tajiguas will eventually be a center for conservation, agriculture, and public access.

We will walk up a ranch road about a half-mile along Tajiguas Creek to the old ranch bunkhouse and then proceed up Tajiguas Canyon for another quarter-mile on a seldom-used trail for a shaded herb walk . We will retrace our steps and then you’ll proceed in your car to the beautiful and historic Hacienda where you can enjoy your sack lunch in the courtyard and utilize the restroom facilities. GCC board member Phil McKenna will be along to share some of the history and lore of this special property.

The cost is $50/person, which includes a $15 donation to GCC. I will have my mobile bookshop with me, including my signed book and the rest of my curated collection. 

PLEASE NOTE: Light rain will not cancel. Heavy rain or thunderstorms will. Once you register you will receive weather updates, directions and other info about what to wear, etc. No dogs or smoking, please.

ABOUT LANNY KAUFER:
Lanny Kaufer has been leading Herb Walks and Nature Hikes in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and beyond since 1976, educating hundreds of locals and visitors on the flora of the area with a focus on herbs that can be used for food and medicine. As an herbal educator, Lanny also leads workshops and presentations throughout the Ojai-Ventura-Santa Barbara area on the edible and medicinal uses of California plants. He holds a degree in Biology from UC Santa Cruz and serves on the faculty of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at California State University, Channel Islands.

His journey into plants and the natural world began on the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico in 1967. He acquired much of his plant knowledge in field study with well-known herbalists and ethnobotanists, including in the 1970s with the late herbalist William LeSassier and the late Chumash plant expert Juanita Centeno. He has co-led workshops, field classes and expeditions with noted experts such as the late herbalist and author Michael Moore, author-herbalist Michael Tierra, author-herbalist Amanda McQuade Crawford, Professor Emeritus James Adams of USC School of Pharmacy, Chumash Elder siblings Julie Tumamait-Stenslie and Patrick Tumamait, author-survivalist Christopher Nyerges, and others.


Lanny is the author of Medicinal Herbs of California: A Field Guide to Common Healing Plants (Falcon Guides, 2021). He hosts the biennial Ojai Herbal Symposium and serves as chief consultant on medicinal plants for the Swimmer Medicinal Garden in Playa Vista.

REGISTRATION

This event is sold out. Registration is still open below for the waiting list.

Note: Online payment includes a PayPal fee. If you prefer, when you register you can request instructions for mailing a payment of $50 with no additional fee.

Cancellation policy: I will refund your payment if you notify me up to 72 hours (3 days) before the start of the event. After that I will make every effort to fill your space (and I’m usually successful) but cannot guarantee