FFSC Events Archive

Where We're At

What We've Learned & Where We're Headed.

A summary of the status and results of the ambitious sequencing project funded by the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz and the PSMS. We'll also discuss future investigation we intend to do as well as directions for expansion.

Christian Schwarz is a mushroom enthusiast and taxonomist and citizen science advocate from Santa Cruz, the land of milk (caps) and honey (mushrooms). He studied at UCSC, and now spends his time photographing, teaching about, and making scientific collections of macrofungi. He is coauthor of the upcoming field guide Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, and is slowly building a mycoflora of Santa Cruz County (www.scmycoflora.org). He also writes a blog called Notes of a (www.mycobratpack.tumblr.com). Fungi satisfy his curiosity with their seemingly endless forms (from the grotesque to the bizarre to the sublime). He has travelled in search of fungi throughout the United States, as well as central America, Indonesia, and Europe. Besides mushroom taxonomy and mycofloristics, he’s an excitable birder and passionate about citizen science in general.

This session of classes is full.

This session of classes is full.

We are pleased also to announce representatives from Soquel Demonstration Forests will also be joining us to share the latest going ons and will be available to issue permits for those who wish after the meeting. A discussion of upcoming events will precede our speaker, Daniel Winkler. Join us for his talk on "Colombia's Mushroom Magic".

Daniel will share his adventures based on three journeys accompanied by Colombian mycologist, Dr. Tatiana Sanjuanin, the searching for outstanding mushrooms. Peace is slowly coming to this formerly troubled nation of Colombia. Located at the intersection of Andes, Amazon, and Central Americas. It is surrounded by both the Pacific and the Caribbean oceans. Colombia boasts an incredible biodiversity with a rich and diverse flora, fauna and funga (funga= totality of mushrooms). Lowland tropical rain forests are endowed with strange insect-parasitizing Cordyceps and exotic Xylaria species, colorful Marasmius and much stranger fungal organisms. In the mountain cloud forest massive Andean oaks are associated with a range of interesting ecto-mycorrhizals, such as Cantharellus, Boletus, Amanita etc, many of these having their southernmost distribution here. High up in the Páramo fungal diversity is reduced, but Dr. Seuss-like plant life is mind boggling.

Daniel is the author of field guides to Edible Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest and California (both Harbour Publishing, 2011 and 2012) and Amazon Mushrooms with Larry Evans (2014). He grew up collecting and eating wild mushrooms in the Alps and has been foraging since 20 years in the Pacific Northwest. He is a volunteer for PSMS as mushroom educator and Vice-President. Daniel trained as a geographer and ecologist and worked on environmental issues of the Tibetan Plateau. Working in Tibet, he realized that Tibet's diverse mushroom industry, especially Cordyceps sinensis, plays a crucial role in rural Tibet and thus has been researching Tibet's ethno-mycology for over 15 years. He has published over a dozen scientific papers on Tibet’s ecology and ethno-mycology and is a regular contributor to magazines such as Fungi, Mushroom the Journal, etc. In recent years many articles integrated his prize-winning photos taken during his vast travels. Through his travel agency "MushRoaming" he is organizing mushroom focused eco-tours to Tibet, the Amazon, Colombia, the Alps and the Pacific Northwest. He maintains and continuously adds to his www.Mushroaming.com web page.

This session of classes is full.

Our weather is not good right now for mushrooms - it is way too warm still and few mushrooms are up. It will certainly be a challenge to find specimens to bring to the class to work on. It is important that everyone who signs up for the classes make a diligent effort to find something to bring along to each class. Hopefully, we'll see some rain soon but not much is in sight yet, especially for the first class in a couple weeks.

The class is open only to paid-up Fungus Federation members. If your membership has lapsed, it is important to renew it! There is no charge for the class for members and it is not open to non-members.

Fall is coming up — shall we celebrate a new, season, and may it please be a wet one? Chef Bob Wynn, Forager-in-Chief Sue Labiste and the FFSC Culinary committee are cooking up a truly wild event this year featuring foraged foods. Wild mushrooms will be complemented by an array of indigenous foods, thanks to our intrepid foragers, preppers and planners Bob, Sue, Fred Molnar, Cat Gunderson, Bill and Annie Lang, Margaret Carpenter and Debbie Johnson. Be sure to sign up early, as these dinners usually sell out.

Menu

Hors d’oeuvres

Elderberry aperitif

Nopales salsa & chips

Home-cured olives

Kelp pickles

Antipasti

Cheese

Salad

Watercress vinaigrette with chinquapin nuts, pine nuts and parmesan frico

Intermezzo

Yerba Buena granita

Entrée

Braised wild boar porcini ragù (with boarless vegie version)

Polenta

Roasted asparagus

Foccaccia with fennel pollen and Monterey Bay sea salt

Dessert

New York cheesecake with Acorn Crumble and Chokecherry Coulis

If thunderstorms cooperate, which they did last year, we will find quite a variety of fungi, including edibles, such as Boletus and Leccinum. Regardless of the number of mushrooms found, we always have a wonderful time.

There is no limit to the foray size itself. FFSC members are welcome to stay off site and join us for the foray and meals. There is also RV parking next to the lodge. The lodge fills up fast so make sure you reserve your space in advance. Reservations for the lodge OPEN Now. You must be a FFSC member for you and your family to attend.

Join us for Dr. Dennis Desjardin' talk on "Fungi and Human Affairs" which will address how humans interact with fungi in the world. He will highlight what fungi do, how they are beneficial and detrimental to the planet and to us, and how we use them to enhance the quality of our lives.

His new book, California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide, published by Timber Press and co-authored by photographers Michael Wood and Frederick Stevens, is now available. The book retails for $60. It will be offered at the meeting for $50 each (17% discount and no shipping!), CASH, and he will sign any that people want signed.

Dr. Desjardin received a Master's degree in Ecology and Systematic Biology from San Francisco State University under the tutelage of Dr. Harry D. Thiers, and a PhD in Botany from the University of Tennessee studying with Dr. Ronald H. Petersen. He taught for one year at Oberlin College (Ohio) and then succeeded Dr. Thiers at San Francisco State in 1990, where he is currently a Professor of Mycology in the Biology Department. Dr. Desjardin specializes in the evolution, systematics, diversity and ecology of mushroom-forming fungi.

He currently has active projects in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Micronesia (Pohnpei & Kosrae), the Hawaiian Islands, Brazil (Amazonia & São Paulo), Madagascar, the west African islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, and California. He has published over 130 refereed scientific papers and 5 books, in which he has described 250 new species and 7 new genera. His achievements were recognized by the Mycological Society of America (MSA) with the Alexopoulos Award for outstanding research, and the William H. Weston Award for Teaching Excellence, both in 1998, and was made a Fellow of the MSA in 2005. He is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, and the first to receive the Distinguished Faculty Award in Professional Achievement from San Francisco State University (2007).

In addition, he is the Scientific Advisor for the Mycological Society of San Francisco, America's largest amateur mushroom society (approx. 1000 members).

Hope everyone is having a great summer! It is time to start getting the details for the Fair finalized, or at least under way.

Be prepared to present any ideas, issues, etc. that need to be talked about and hopefully solved.

If you want to help out, please contact Marje. We love to get fresh ideas and help.

Learn about this event on our Alaska Long Distance Foray page.

Allan Rockefeller will be leading a mushroom tour in Queretaro, Mexico Aug 6 - 9, 2015.

Comments from Alan:

Queretaro is a really nice place with diverse mushroom habitats, and this tour is unique in that I am not getting paid - all profits go towards saving the forests in the Sierra Gorda Ecological Reserve.

This is not an FFSC event.

This should be a topic of interest. As the local mushroom season winds down and edibles become scarce, wouldn't it be nice to have some delectables growing right at home? Come learn all about it.

This meeting will also elect our new officers.