Native plant enthusiasts and students interested in biology, botany, and anthropology will benefit from Moorpark College’s incoming ethno botanical Garden.

The project is spearheaded by Anthropology Professor John Baker and has already received approval for planting and funding from the Campus Environmental Committee.

Baker plans to use the garden to give a broader perspective to his lectures by showing how other cultures may have used native plants.

“The botanic garden will reinforce what we’ve already learned about plants used in different cultural traditions, like the momoy plant in Chumash culture,” said Corie Hill, a student in Baker’s Anthropology of Magic, Witchcraft and Religion class.

The garden will mainly consist of plants native to Ventura County and California.

The specific plants for the garden are still being chosen, though there are definite plans for a coastal live oak (Quercus agrifolia).

Botany Professor Katherine Courtney is also involved in the project and plans to use the garden as a teaching tool.

“The garden will be a great resource for demonstrating the morphology (structure) of plants and their adaptations for the Botany class, and the other biology classes such as General Biology and the non-majors biology class Principles of Biology . Most importantly though it will be used by the Field Biology class in which the students learn to identify native plants by using a plant key (a series of questions to narrow down the choices of possible plants) and recognize them by sight,” said Courtney.

“We’re starting with the undeveloped area because it can only be improved,” said Baker.

The garden will be called the “Gary Ogden Ethno botanical Garden” in memory of Ogden, a biology instructor at Moorpark who passed away several years ago. Ogden was a field biologist who had a special interest in California Botany.

Baker has arranged a “clean up day” for Sat Mar. 25 to prepare the garden for planting. The following Saturday, Apr 1 will be for planting and laying down walkways.

Anyone interested in becoming involved with the botanicle project should contact Baker at his email: [email protected].