For over 32 years, partners Dr. C. Forrest McDowell and Tricia Clark-McDowell have been committed to help people embrace wellness in all aspects of their life. Their endeavors have been internationally acclaimed, whether it be through their gardens and woods at their 22-acre Cortesia Sanctuary, gardening publications, promotion of peace and sanctuary, music, flower essences, and the healing properties of plants.

A committed interest in the value and use of the plant, Solomon's Seal, is in keeping with the McDowell's lifelong interests in horticulture and health & wellness. The intent is to bring every bit of integrity from their other successful endeavors into a sound and thorough examination of the healing properties of Solomon's Seal and select medicinal plants.

Tricia Clark-McDowell (the creator of the line of Cortesia Herbal Products and flower essences is an herbalist, garden expert, instructor and Master Gardener. Her degress are in Fine Arts and Gerontology. She is also a Reiki Master. Beyond her being a fine writer, Tricia is also an accomplished photographer and watercolor artist who shows regularly at galleries throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. C. Forrest McDowell holds a doctorate in combined study of Health Education, Counseling Psychology, and Leisure Studies. He is also a composer and concert guitarist. As a professional writer, he enjoys humor, poetry, essays, and all things related to the subject of health and wellness

The McDowell's believe their life work is to help people understand the concept of sanctuary in daily life, at the practical, philosophical and metaphysical levels. Their website One Sanctuary offers the visitor inspiration and information to help create peace and sanctuary on Earth and in daily life. Their attitude is this: Peace on Earth - among nations and individuals - begins with each person. Earth is a miraculous Sanctuary worthy of reverence and respect. All Earth's species, including its biological and geographical qualities, deserve a human commitment to stewardship.

One Sanctuary also features the McDowells' stunning 22-acre parcel of woods and gardens, called Cortesia Sanctuary. Cortesia Sanctuary is located on an isolated ridgeline outside Eugene, Oregon, a thousand feet above the Willamette Valley floor. In year 2000, Cortesia Sanctuary was honored by the White House as a National Heritage Garden as part of the New Millennium Green Project, guided by Hillary Rodham Clinton. This recognition honors the McDowell's efforts to steward and showcase not only the Pacific Northwest forest (typcially mixed fir), but also its gardenstyle and vegetation.

The McDowell's are orginators of the Sanctuary Garden design. Their seven design elements, as chronicled in their bestselling book, The Sanctuary Garden (Fireside Books, 1998, presently out-of-print), launched an international movement in gardening that has embraced sanctuary gardens, healing gardens, quiet gardens, peace gardens and the like in diverse settings. The McDowells are popular speakers at conferences on any of these subjects, presenting a stunning slideshow and original music.

The McDowell's are also authors of the world's most popular book on composting, the 32-page guide Home Composting Made Easy (Cortesia Press). Over 2 million copies have been distributed since its publication in 1998. You can learn more about this book at their website homecompostingmadeeasy.com. There you will find over 25 topics about home composting, richly illustrated with step-by-step instructions. .

With a strong commitment of service to their community, and to this planet, the McDowell's also maintain a 34-year devotion to daily meditation, dedicating several hours each day to its practice. They consider this to be the fount from which they sip inspiration and dedication to service. Their commitment to living simply and with reverence for life, guided deeply by a Cortesian Worldview also sustains their spirit.

"Ours is a celebration of how one can live on Earth with heart and soul. Our approach to life is as the hummingbird: sipping the nectar without bruising the flower."

Always, Peace and Reverence.
Tricia Clark-McDowell
C. Forrest McDowell, Ph.D.

Contact Information:
Cortesia Sanctuary
84540 McBeth Rd
Eugene, Oregon 97405 USA

Phone: 541-343-9544

Our other websites:
One Sanctuary
Narana's Dream
Home Composting Made Easy