A lesson in Sultan's great outdoors

Sultan youth participated in a hands-on learning experience while wandering through Osprey Park during a plant walk last week, coordinated by Sultan Boys & Girls Club Teen Director Ruth Shapovalov and local volunteer Jim Hardy.

Shapovalov is always looking for something new and exciting to engage her teens. She has recruited numerous volunteers during her three years at the club, inviting them to give presentations on topics like farming, military service, auto mechanics and journalism. Shapovalov served as a volunteer for her first two years, using money she earned in her side business selling health products to fund her efforts. She was hired part-time by the club in early 2015, and continues to self-fund activities for the kids when necessary.

An educator and avid outdoor enthusiast, Hardy led last week's plant walk.

A Sky Valley resident for about three years, Hardy lives just outside Sultan with his wife, Teresa. Growing up in Lacey, he was introduced to the study of ethnobotany ' the relationship between people and plants ' by his mother. He gained more knowledge during his time as a Boy Scout, and over the years his interest in native plants has not waned.

His hope for the plant walk was to help the teens become comfortable in the forest through a more intimate knowledge of what is around them. Familiarity with the native plants of an area can completely transform a person's outdoor experience, Hardy said.

Getting to know the plants is a lot like getting to know people, Hardy told the teens. It enhances the relationship and develops a greater understanding and appreciation of the person or the plant, he said.

"When I know something about each of you, then I can enjoy being with you, then I can see you, then you can know who I am,GÇ¥ Hardy said.

Hardy identified two species of edible plants ' Himalayan blackberries, an invasive species, and Indian plums, also known as Oso Berries ' before even entering Osprey Park. Indian plums grow in clusters and resemble a scaled-down version of the plums.

"The Indian plum, by the way, is one of the first flowers that you'll see in the forest in the spring,GÇ¥ Hardy said. "The flower is white and it hangs down.GÇ¥

At the entrance to the park, he asked the teens to look around and observe the different types of trees. With Hardy's help, the group identified cottonwood, alders, western red cedar, spruce and even a cherry tree.

They identified a maple tree, which Hardy explained can be used to make syrup. Typically, maple syrup comes from sugar maples, which grow in the eastern parts of the country, but people also can harvest syrup from maple trees native to the Pacific Northwest, he said, adding there are some advantages to doing so.

"The one that you normally get syrup from is called a sugar maple, and it grows in the northeast, in Vermont and Maine and that, and it has a lot of sugar in the sap,GÇ¥ Hardy said. "This one doesn't have as much sugar in the sap, but it has a longer period that you can harvest it, and the syrup tastes a little bit different.GÇ¥

Further into the park, they paused to learn about salmonberries (rubus spectabilis), which range in color and resemble blackberries or raspberries; they are all from the rubus family. The fun thing about salmonberries, Hardy said, is they come in all different shades of red and peach, and each shade of berry has a slightly different taste.-á -á

"I've seen a few that were almost purple, and they all taste a little different,GÇ¥ Hardy said. "Some of them are pretty sweet; some of them taste like water.GÇ¥

The interactive journey with Hardy lasted more than an hour. Hardy has a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Indiana University. He has taught at UCLA and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, eventually landing a research position at Idaho State University.

After the research position ended, he stayed on at Idaho, teaching philosophy and then math, physics, speech and ethics at the school's College of Technology.-á

He is currently a professor in the Humanities & Science department at Ashford University, where he teaches philosophy with an emphasis on critical thinking.

Hardy, who has lived all around the United States, said his favorite place to hike is the Wild Sky Wilderness area, in the Cascade Mountains north of Gold Bar, Index and Skykomish.