The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 6/3/03

*visit them online click here Vast N.C. woods offer wild foods, secret sites Trick to hiding is not risking smoke, trash By BO EMERSON The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Eric Robert Rudolph may have been the most successful “leave-no-trace” camper in history. Or perhaps he was just lucky. On Monday, FBI agents combed the woods near Murphy, N.C., where Rudolph was captured, to find any clues he might have left pointing to his hideouts. Agents closed a Forest Service road into the Nantahala National Forest, about 30 miles east of Murphy, on Saturday. On Monday, FBI agents drove up and down the winding mountain road looking for signs he had camped in the Fires Creek area. Until Rudolph was arrested Saturday in Murphy, federal agents had failed to find much of a trail. While some say he must have had help, authorities believe he spent most of his time living off the land. So how difficult is it to hide and survive in the woods? “I’ve lived out in the woods for a year and a half,” said Jim Morris, a sheriff’s deputy in nearby Maryville, Tenn., who, like Rudolph, was a former Army Ranger trained in wilderness survival techniques. Setting traps and snares, checking them at night, collecting acorns, greenbriars, cattails and blueberries, Morris found plenty to eat. He said one can even enjoy a bit of “luxury,” such as deer jerky. Morris, 45, who is part Shawnee Indian, was pursuing a vision quest of sorts during his woodland sojourn, he said. Rudolph would have had a harder time, because of the necessity of staying out of sight. But it...

OUR STATE magazine

By Beth Teague Most people see an ugly yellow weed. Ila Hatter sees a delicious – and nutritious – gourmet meal. “Dandelions are probably one of the most nutritious veggies to come out of your garden,” says Hatter, a wildcrafter and interpretive naturalist who resides in Robbinsville, N.C. “They are an incredibly rich source of vitamins and minerals, and yet we throw them away all the time.” Those who attend a seminar or nature hike led by Hatter just might get to sample a dish or beverage prepared from dandelions or other natural ingredients – and most are surprised at how unexpectedly tasty these so-called weeds can be. “It’s fun for people to find out how good they taste,” she says. “Even picky teenagers will eat dandelion pizza sandwiches.” Dandelions are just one of many natural resources Hatter finds in the wilderness to utilize for food or medicinal purposes. When she’s not working for the U.S. Forest Service and the Great Smoky Mountain Natural History Association, Hatter spends her time traveling across the south, presenting seminars and interactive explorations of the great outdoors. Her mission: to tune people in to the many ways they can make Mother Nature’s pantry and medicine cabinet their own. She says her work is guided by a quote from writer Henry David Thoreau. “Thoreau wrote that the woods and fields are a table always spread,’” she says. “To me, that’s exactly what I do – that’s what I teach. What is Wildcrafting? Hatter says she is both a wildcrafter and an interpretive naturalist. Traditional wildcrafting – gathering native plants for use or sale –...

KnoxNews

By Sam Venable, News-Sentinel columnist April 25, 2002 GATLINBURG – When Ila Hatter needs medicine or cooking ingredients, she doesn’t swing by the drugstore or supermarket. Often, a walk in the woods will fill the bill. Spicebush, bee balm, jewel weed, yellow root, wild ginger: The plants are indexed like a shopping list in her mind. Whatever the requirement, Mother Nature can provide. “The woods and fields are a table always spread,” says Hatter, an interpretive naturalist from Robbinsville, N.C. “I teach people that all these plants are like having friends in the forest.” Hatter is in East Tennessee this week for the 52nd Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage. She’s leading a series of “medicinal walks” in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, pointing out plants Native Americans and early settlers used to fill their bellies and treat their ailments. Hatter is a native of Texas, but is descended from Tennesseans. A former airline stewardess, she has lived all over the globe – from Spain to the Caribbean to South America. She has spent the past 30 years in the mountains of Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. Her knowledge of plants and home remedies was handed down from her mother and grandmother. Another of her mentors was Marie Mellinger, the legendary plant woman from Clayton, Ga., whose stories have been published in several volumes of “Foxfire.” Her tours this week will include visits to Metcalf Bottoms and the quiet walkway across from the Huskey Gap trailhead. “I go pretty slow because there’s so much to see and talk about,” she said. “Sometimes, it might take me two or three hours to...

Asheville Citizen Times

Asheville, North Carolina April 6, 2001 Videos offer bounty of plant facts by George Ellison Special to the Citizen-Times My area of competence in regard to plants is teaching methods of identification. I do have an interest in their medicinal, edible and utilitarian uses, but I never offer specific workshops on those topics because I don’t know enough. Whenever queried as to who is competent in this regard, I recommend Ila Hatter. Hatter is a veteran wildcrafter, herbalist, and interpretative naturalist who resides in Graham County. Unlike all too many would-be herbalists these days, Hatter knows her technical botany. She can readily identify this region’s plants down to species level. And unlike the wannabe herbalists, she knows that even closely-related species can vary considerably in regard to medicinal or toxic properties. Her unusual competence has led Hatter to be in demand as a teacher for the Smoky Mountain Field School, Native Plant Conference at Western Carolina University, Tennessee Aquarium, John C. Campbell Folk School, The Mountain Camp & Conference Center at Highlands, and numerous other facilities. On May 20 (for families) and May 24 (for adults) she will conduct afternoon workshops for the North Carolina Arboretum. A few weeks ago Hatter and I were teaching at the same site. I was pleased to spot two videos on her display table that she has recently produced. Titled “Wild Edibles & Medicinals of Southern Appalachia,” these videos contain a wealth of information she has collected through the years. They are the very best I have ever viewed and so I recommend them to you. Not only is the content of the...

Transylvania Times

Brevard, NC 28712 Monday, May 14, 2001 Hatter To Lead Plant Walks During the last week of May, Ila Hatter, a regionally known teacher and wildcrafter, leads two walks at The North Carolina Arboretum to study the historic uses of native plants. In each walk, Hatter will discuss the plants that provided food, medicine and tools for early mountain people. “Meet the Natives” will be on Sunday, May 20 from 1:30 to 4 p.m., naturalist Hatter takes families on a fun walk in search of plants that have been useful to the Native Americans and other settlers of this region. She will tell interesting stories about these plants and talk about how people have used them for centuries. Cost is $6 for adult members, $8 for non-members, plus $2 per child. “Wildcrafting: Our Appalachian Heritage” will be on Thursday, May 24, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., Hatter leads adults on an identification walk in search of plants that have sustained mountain folk for centuries. She shares botanical information, plant lore and her love of nature and wildcrafting. Cost is $10 members, $12 non-members. Naturalist Ila Hatter enjoys regional respect as a knowledgeable wildcrafter and teacher. She has taught at the J.C. Campbell Folk School and at the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School. She has also served as plant/herb consultant for the CBS television series “Christy,” which was set in the Appalachians at the turn of the century. These programs at the Arboretum are intended to provide information on our Southern Appalachian heritage, not to advocate foraging wild plants as food or medicine. For details and registration, call...