FFSC Events Archive

Fall is coming up — join us in celebrating a new season!

Chef Bob Wynn is orchestrating a fine English fungiphile's feast, from hors d'oeuvres through dessert, for a fun group of about 60. Bring your beverage of choice. Everything else is taken care of, including wine glasses and place settings.

Menu:

• Mushroom pate, cheese, pears, apples, bread

• Composed salad

• Grass-Fed Beef Wellington

• Vegetables du jour

• Scalloped Potatoes

• Pumpkin Candy Cap Caramel Trifle

• Coffee & Tea

Cost: This is a prepaid event, with a cost of $20 per FFSC member before November 1. Each member may bring a guest for $30.

CLASS SERIES FULL — check for another series in the spring!

The 2013 NAMA foray will be held October 24–27 in Arkansas in the Ozark Mountain Range, hosted by the Arkansas Mycological Society.

There's an old folk saying about the Ozark Mountains: "It's not that the mountains are so high, it's just that the valleys are so deep." This is true because the Ozark Mountains are a heavily eroded plateau, pushed up eons ago and carved out by hundreds of streams over thousands of years. This region has been recognized as a geologically, physiographically, ecologically, and culturally distinct area of North America for a lengthy period of time. In conjunction with the Ouachita Mountain region to the south, the Ozarks comprise the only significant highland in the central area of North America, and the only notable topographic relief between the Appalachians and the Rocky mountains.

The Ozark Mountain region is characterized by a diversity of terrestrial, aquatic, and karst habitats, ranging from extensive glades and tall grass prairies to both coniferous and deciduous woodlands as well as cypress swamps, fens, sinkholes, sloughs, and a plethora of clear-flowing streams and rivers fed by an abundance of springs, including some of the largest freshwater springs in North America.

The Ozarks encompass 13.7 million hectares (34.3 million acres) and occur within areas of five states, with the majority of the region occurring within Missouri (67%) and Arkansas (24%) and smaller portions in Oklahoma (17%), Illinois (2%) and Kansas (0.1%). The Ozarks span a maximum of 270 miles (450 km) of north/south extent, and a maximum east/west extent of 340 miles (540 km).

The prevailing tree community through most of the Ozarks consists of a variable deciduous wooded upland growing on leached acidic soils with abundant chert residue. Such woodlands are dominated by various species of oaks, such as white oak (Quercus alba), scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), blackjack oak (Q. marilandica), post oak (Q. stellata), and Eastern black oak (Q. velutina). Associated with these oaks is an assortment of hickories such as pignut hickory (Carya glabra), black hickory (C. texana) and mockernut hickory (C. tomentose), as well as a diversity of other trees, notably flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica).

Although books and articles have been written about much of the biota that occurs within this region, there has not been any extensive inventory of macrofungi in this area. So the potential for finding interesting and unusual mushrooms during the course of this foray is indeed great. We plan to collect macrofungi in several areas of the forests in the Southern Ozark Mountain range as well as at least one area within the Buffalo River National Park.

The Shepard of the Ozarks Conference Center will serve as the location for the 2013 NAMA foray. This location will allow us easy access to the southern perimeter of the Ozark Mountain Range. Lodging will be provided in nine on-site lodges. The majority of these lodges are equipped with full kitchen appliances. Dining, mushroom identification and mushroom display will all be done in one large building, the Buffalo Center.

Shepard of the Ozarks also provides some on site activities that non-mushrooming folks might enjoy. These activities include: river tubing, fishing, sand pit volleyball, 9-hole disc golf, and for a fee — horseback riding, wilderness paintball, cliffhanging, laser tag, and navigating along some high ropes. I encourage anyone desiring additional information about Shepard of the Ozarks to check out their website: http://www.sotocamp.com/

Jay Justice, Arkansas Mycological SocietyLink to NAMA website foray page: http://namyco.org/events/NAMA2013/index2013.html

CLASS SERIES FULL — check for another series in the spring!

Sydney Glassman is interested in the interactions between aboveground and belowground terrestrial communities, in particular the effects of mycorrhizal symbioses on plant community composition and function. She is also interested in understanding broad patterns of fungal and microbial diversity and the role of dispersal in shaping ectomycorrhizal communities. Sydney received her BA in Biology in 2008 from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA, where she also received a Masters of Environmental Studies in 2010. Sydney joined the Bruns lab at UC Berkeley in August 2010 and became a PhD candidate in May 2012.

Sydney is working on several projects investigating ectomycorrhizal fungal ecology, including a study of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with tree islands in a subalpine habitat in Yosemite National Park and a survey of ectomycorrhizal fungal spore bank diversity in pine forests across North America. She is also investigating the cascading effects of Sudden Oak Death induced mortality of tanoak trees on ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in redwood tanoak forests across Big Sur and Marin County.

Phil Carpenter will be leading the third Mushroom ID class in the fall series.

It is time to start lining up the attendees for the next session of 4 mushroom identification classes. They will be held on the first and fourth Wednesday, October 2, 23, November 6 and November 26 (changed to Tuesday due to proximity to Thanksgiving).

Classes will be held at the Santa Cruz Natural History Museum on East Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz from 7-9 pm. We'll be learning how to use the field guide Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora to put names on mushrooms that attendees and the instructor will be bringing in. As in the past, we are taking sign-ups only from people interested in staying for all of the classes, schedules allowing, since many people have expressed interest in the classes and we can only accommodate 20-22 people.

Class will be filled in order of response. You must be a current (dues paid) member of the Federation in order to take the classes. There is no charge for attending.

This walk will have an emphasis on mushroom ecology near UCSC, as well as tree identification and their associations with some of our most beloved local mushrooms. This will be a great opportunity to learn how to recognize the places where you can likely find mushrooms when the season is upon us.

Come down for the first meeting of the new season! FFSC's own Christian Schwarz will explore the unique role of the FFSC and its members in assembling the North American Mycoflora Project.

Christian Schwarz has been seriously interested in fungi since age sixteen. He got his start in San Diego, but the long, dry summers didn’t suit his lifestyle, so in 2006 he emigrated to Santa Cruz, the land of milk (caps) and honey (mushrooms). He is taxonomically interested in the genus Agaricus and the family Entolomataceae. Christian is currently working on a herbarium project at UC Santa Cruz and is working with Noah Siegel on A Guide to Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, a comprehensive book about California mushrooms.

Our Annual Echo Summit Foray is tentatively scheduled in September at California Alpine Club’s Echo Summit Lodge, overlooking the Tahoe Basin. It’s not large, but it has a lot of character! Dues-paying FFSC members get first chance at the limited space so make sure you reserve your space in advance. If thunderstorms cooperate we will find boletes and Leccinum in the Tahoe Basin and Carson Pass area. Regardless of the number of mushrooms found, we always have a wonderful time. Food is provided from Friday supper through Sunday lunch. 

FORAY DATES: 09/13/2013 3:00 PM – 9/15/2013 10:00 AM 

THE LODGE: Formerly a road house at the summit of the old route 50, Echo Summit Lodge is on National Forest land and leased to the California Alpine Club (CAC) as a membership club. To keep its lease, all who use the Lodge must be members or associate members. Two CAC members who are also FFSC members have been trained to host “private parties;” other attendees must pay CAC associate membership fees. The Lodge has terrific views of Lake Tahoe, a commercial kitchen, 9 private rooms plus dorms for women and men with 10 beds each, to accommodate 38. You are also welcome to stay off site and join us for any and all meals.

FOOD: Will be a cooperative effort of those attending. Several individuals will plan out the meals, which will be cooked with group assistance. Attendees must also volunteer for dishwashing and cleanup before departure. If you have major food restrictions, please notify Phyllis when you reserve your space.

COSTS: Rates include meals and CAC fees. Rates vary depending on your FFSC and CAC membership status. Let the registrar know if you are a member of the CAC.

RATES  FFSC, not CAC FFSC & CAC not FFSC, not CAC (after Aug 15) *

Private Room: $95/adult $85/adult $115/adult

Dorm Room: $83/adult $73/adult $103/adult

CHILDREN: $35/child under 13 in room with a parent

CAMPERS: costs as for dorm residents; includes parking space and meals

* Non-FFSC members can register after Aug 15: to save money, join FFSC and register early.

Costs for off-site folks for one or more meals:

Friday dinner, $8.50; Saturday dinner, $12.50; Breakfasts, $3.50 each; 1 lunch, $5.00

REGISTRATION: Starts July 1: make sure reservations are not postmarked earlier.

ECHO INFO: planning to come? We suggest you print this info.

WHEN: check-in after 3pm on Friday, Sept 13, 2013

Bring:

• mushroom collecting gear

• bedding, towels, and toilet articles

• layers of clothing - weather ranges from warm to quite cold and may be wet

• water bottle

• beer, wine, spirits if desired

Directions (for Google Maps, click Where icon at top of the page)

• Take Hwy 50 out of Sacramento, through Placerville and  Kybers to near the top of the pass.

• About 7.5 miles after Strawberry, turn LEFT at the sign for Echo Lake/Berkeley Summer Camp: 

be careful, it’s easy to miss.

• Once on that road, DO NOT TURN OFF: the lodge is on the right side of the road at a sharp turn.

• Please park considerately: there’s not a lot of parking space.

• Don’t leave food in your vehicle (it attracts bears) and be sure to lock up!

We look forward to seeing you and sharing this first foray of the season!

Visit our Spring Long Distance Foray page for details.

Noah Siegel's field mycology skills are extensive – he has spent over two decades seeking, photographing, identifying and furthering his knowledge about all aspects of macrofungi. He has hunted for mushrooms throughout the United States and Canada, as well as on multiple expeditions to New Zealand and Australia. He is one of the premier mushroom photographers in the nation, having won numerous awards from the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) photography contest. Noah has spent the last four years traveling up and down the Californian coast, amassing pictures of over a thousand species!

He is currently working on, with Christian Schwarz, A Guide to Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, a comprehensive book to northern Californian mushrooms. He serves as a trustee for the Northeast Mycological Federation and is the northeast representative to NAMA, as well as the chair of the NAMA Foray Committee and also serves on NAMA's Photography Committee.

Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast

Northern California is known for its seemingly endless wet winters that make the mushrooms that grow there flourish and its majestic forest. Not only do we have the biggest trees we also have the largest known Chanterelle and Porcini! With Noah’s breathtaking photos, this lecture will introduce you to some of California's specialties; from the common edibles to some of the spectacular rare gems from the northern coast.

Many wild mushrooms contain permanent, intensely colored dyes. Join us Saturday, March 16th for a hands-on Mushroom Dye Workshop taught by Alissa Allen. 

Cost: $20 dues-paying FFSC members, $45 public (price includes an optional annual membership to the FFSC!)

In this 4 hour class, you will learn the simple steps for extracting and harnessing the color rich pigments found in local mushrooms. Possibilities span the entire spectrum of the rainbow. In addition to learning the best local dye fungi and how to extract their colors, participants will learn about specific habitats and the features to look at to help identify mushrooms. Everyone will take home beautiful samples of the yarns dyed in class. 

Most activities will be done indoors, so dress in comfortable layers. All supplies will be provided, but there will be a larger community dye pot of yellow and or green dye for a small personal item. Feel free to bring a light weight (1-2oz) un-dyed wool or silk item for the big pot. Un-dyed silk scarves will be available for $5 in class.

Instructor Bio:

Alissa Allen has been experimenting with mushroom derived pigments for 15 years. Raised by a forager in the Pacific Northwest, she has been a student of the natural world her entire life. Mushroom identification is her primary passion, but Mycopigments are her obsession. In addition using mushrooms to dye wool, she is currently exploring mushroom paint making. 

Find out more about Mycopigments at http://mycopigments.com

Read more about the Tannery Arts Center at http://www.tanneryartscenter.org/