Emily Willis

Originally from Wisconsin, Emily Willis came to Skagway, Alaska in 2002 to work seasonally. She ended up staying and worked at Jewell Gardens from 2002 to 2008. Feeling connected to plants, both wild and domestic, she began to learn about their traditional and medicinal uses through coursework at the Australasian College of Health Services, by attending workshops by Beverly Gray in the Yukon, and Robert Rogers, and by self-study. In 2010, she established her business, "Maiden Alaska Herbals," which produces medicinal tinctures, teas, salves, and balms from her organically grown and locally foraged wild plants. She is also the co-director of the Skagway Community Garden, and collaborates with Jewell Gardens on educational programs and workshops on harvesting wild plants. Given Emily's extensive time outdoors foraging for wild plants and working in her own garden experimenting with various plants and growing techniques, she has a keen sense of the vegetation, habitat, and ecosystem that surrounds her.