OACC 45 Presentations

October 4-6, 2024, Hammond Mill Camp

click here for this year's OACC brochure.

Panel discussion: Ozark Bioregional Herbalists

We will explore the keystone role that Ozarks-based herbalists play. It’s no coincidence that this role emerged alongside the early bioregional movement as it offers a path to expressing a deep sense of connection to the land and the Ozarks. The panel includes some of the first bioregional herbalists in the Ozarks, along with newer ones.

Panel Members

Bob and Jan Liebert of Teeter Creek Herbs  are founding contributors to bioregional herbalism in the Ozarks. Since 1985, they have been providing high quality herbal extracts  by paying great attention to the details of growing, harvesting and processing the herbs used in their extracts. These herbs are primarily locally organically grown and wildcrafted herbs from the Ozarks.

Jamie Jackson of Missouri Herbs is an important resource of Ozarks herbal products produced on her homestead and sold online. She uses medicinal herbs that grow in prolific abundance on her Ozarks homestead. She makes rubs/ salves, face creams, face cleaners, and a variety of other things. She started studying folk herbalism and learning how to make plant medicine full time in 2008 and learned many things from her mentor Steve Lee, former head teacher for the Tom Brown wilderness school.

Marisa Frazier recently completed a 9-month apprenticeship in bioregional herbalism with Sasha Daucus this year. She has worked as an activist for clean water and environmental conservation with the Missouri Sierra Club for over 5 years. She believes that since we are of the Earth, we can nurture and heal from its gifts, and one of our great missions should be to take care of and protect it. She is also a Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor; Holistic Health Coach; Certified Sacred Medicine Practitioner and Integration Specialist; Exercise Physiologist and Personal Trainer.

Sasha Daucus of Golden Light Center is a bioregional herbalist who learned her craft from pioneers of bioregional herbalism and healing in the Ozarks. She began as an herbalist in the early 1980’s when she joined Golden Light Center, a midwifery and family care practice in the southeast Ozarks. She is also a facilitator for Earth Listening groups which seeks to include the voice of the Earth during these times of great change.

Panel Moderator: Lauren Willette is the Fieldwork Coordinator for Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts, a public folklore program serving the state and housed in the Special Collections Division of the University of Arkansas Libraries. Lauren has a Ph.D. in Heritage Studies from Arkansas State University. Lauren attended the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival as a Presenter for the Ozarks: Faces and Facets of the Region program. Their research interests include Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains region, foodways, women and gender studies, community activism, and public folklore. Lauren’s recently completed dissertation is titled “Habitually ‘Ant-Eyeing’: The Life and Work of Billy Joe Tatum, 1952-2012” which details the legacy, writing, and daily life of the noted author and herbalist from Melbourne, Arkansas.

Panel Discussion: Regenerative Culture in the Ozarks

We have gathered a panel with several keystone cultural creators active in the Ozarks now. Their farms, lives, and art enrich the community while staying in deep connection with the Earth through land-based lives and livelihoods.

Panel Members

Amelia LaMair and Eric Bogwalker of Flotsam Farm have evolved their vision of Flotsam Farm to become much more than a small organic farm, as they came to understand the immense value and impact of building community. They maintain the Flotsam Farm Community Building, organize free inclusive events, and support and promote related projects. The "Sycamore Salon" is a weekly gathering every Thursday at the Flotsam Farm Community Building that features guest speakers, discussions, workshops, play, jamming, and more.  It's like a congress of Ozark folks that happens every week! They also make our own music and art, tend plants and animals, and raise their daughter.

Curtis Millsap of Millsap Farms, along with his family and farm crew, operate a 20-acre diversified farm, four miles north of Springfield, MO. The farm is also  a community, with several families and individuals in residence. They are passionate about establishing community bonds with eaters, farmers, and learners in their region.

Jessi Rieken of Living Lands Studio  is fueled by a deep-seated passion to elevate our community through nurturing connection and creativity.  Living Lands serves  as a center  that brings together 3 important pillars: creativity, community, and wellness.

Stan Slaughter of Tall Oak Productions creates seeds for sustainable culture. For over 30 years, he’s been creating music, projects and learning opportunities for all ages. Now based in Kansas City, he is an artist and educator, focused especially on soil health and native plants. Eco-troubador, Evangelical Composter, and much more, his life mission grew out of an experience in the Ozarks forest.

Other topics and activities are also emerging in which people from all around the Ozarks can share their interests and practices in bioregional culture at OACC.

For More Information, click here for this year's OACC brochure.

Planned Activities

OACC includes both pre-scheduled and spontaneous presentations. Scheduled activities are listed here.

State of the Ozarks. This popular session offers the opportunity to hear what others are doing and to share your news. Be prepared to give a short talk about your event, project, organization, business, or ideas. Whether you’re new or a long-timer, this session can help you find connections.

Open Space. Previously unscheduled events are added to the roster during our Open Space session. Join us to add your presentation at OACC. We set the final schedule then. OACC is all about sharing and participating!

Children’s activities. We expect to have planned and informal activities for children, with the support of their parents or guardians.

Coffeehouse Talent Show. Fun and entertaining! Enjoy our participants’ many talents. Everyone, from the smallest child, is encouraged to perform, be it with music, poems, theatrics, dance, or jokes.

Vendor booths. Exhibitors set up displays for their Ozark-based, environmentally-friendly, cottage-industry products.