Marla Emery

My favorite experience was interviewing a man who grew up gathering plants in the forests. He had a lot of experience. He helped me understand many things about how local communities use and benefit from forests.

As we were driving around one day, he stopped his truck. He took me to a place where service berries and huckleberries grow close to each other. “This is one of my favorite flavors, ” he said. He showed me how to pick some of each and pop them into my mouth at the same time. He was right. It’s a delicious combination. He reminded me, however, that some berries should not be eaten unless you are with someone who knows which berries are safe to eat.