| Exploring the Unknown: Cryptic Mushroom Diversity In Your Backyard | |||
California has an extremely diverse 'mycoflora', with over 4,000 species of macro fungi documented. Modern taxonomical tools have shown that this is just the tip of the iceberg. This talk will highlight some of the recent discoveries, and how you can help move mycology forward. |
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Noah is one of North America’s foremost field mycologists; he has spent over three decades seeking, photographing, identifying, and furthering his knowledge about all aspects of macrofungi. He travels and lectures extensively across America, following the mushrooms from coast to coast. Noah was the recipient of the 2022 North American Mycological Association’s Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology. His primary research interest is on the taxonomy and systematics of fungi. | ||
| He authored, along with Christian Schwarz, Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, a Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California and Mushrooms of Cascadia, a Comprehensive Guide to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest, as well as A field Guide to the Rare Fungi of California's National Forests. He is currently working on Mushrooms of Alaska, with Steve Trudell and Kate Mohatt. |  |
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| Funky Fungal Farts | |||
Much like us humans, fungi can fart. In science terms, they release chemicals (Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs) that can float in the air and wreak havoc on whoever smells them. In this talk, Cat will attempt to answer the following three questions: |
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♦ Why should we care about VOCs? ♦
♦ What is known about VOCs from fungi? ♦ ♦ How do other living things deal with fungal farts? ♦ |
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| Dr. Cat Adams is a fungal ecologist interested in how chemistry such as toxins, light, or fragrances drive interactions between fungi and other living things. Cat earned her Master’s with Anne Pringle at Harvard University, where she researched fungal pathogens of wild Bolivian chili peppers, and how the fungi evolved tolerance to spice. Her PhD work examined the death cap mushroom and how its toxin levels vary over time and space. | |||
| She also collaborated with Fayuan Wang, studying how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can help plants cope with nanoparticle pollution. Her current postdoctoral research examines how fragrances made by a plant root-associated fungus impact their friendly neighborhood bacteria. Cat also loves video games, cats, and metal music, and has written for Slate and BBC Earth. Her social media handles (Twitter, Twitch, Instagram, etc.) are all @ScienceIsMetal | |||
| Karen Rusiniak - Cyanotypes | |||
| Saturday - 3:15 - 4:15 pm in the Dance Hall | |||
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What are cyanotypes? Cyanotypes are a Victorian era print technology discovered in the 1840s that are made by arranging objects on sensitized paper. They are a type of photographic printing using chemicals sensitive to UVA radiation in the 300-400 nm range of the spectrum.
This print, with a maggot exiting a mushroom, was made at the January 2023 MSSF Fungus Fair. |
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| Karen Rusiniak was inspired by Anna Arkins (1799-1871), an early English adopter of using the cyanotype (sunprint) process to document biological specimens. Karen has found ways of using mushrooms and other specimens from the forest such as lichens and ferns to make frameable art sunprints and invites you to try making one, too. She has taught the process at SOMA Camp, the MSSF Fungus Fair and also at Burning Man. |  |
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| ID discussion with Camp Mycologist | |||
| Else Vellinga | |||
| 3:30 - 4:00 pm, tables at side-rear of the Dance Hall | |||
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Else Vellinga is a Dutch, cat-loving, knitting mycologist living in Berkeley, CA, who cares deeply about using fungi in conservation efforts and who likes to spread her love and knowledge of fungi. | ||
| Else is a mycologist who is interested in naming and classifying mushroom species in California and beyond, especially Parasol mushrooms. She has described 22 species as new for California, and two California species are named after her! She got her training at the National Herbarium in the Netherlands, and her PhD at the University of Leiden. | 
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| This image was created by user Grant (Grande4231) at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images. You can contact this user here. English | español | français | italiano | македонски | മലയാളം | português | +/−, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons | |||
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Her main goal is to contribute to the conservation of mushroom species, and for that reason she has proposed several species for the IUCN global database of endangered species. She tries to keep current with the mushroom literature. She can be found with the name else on iNaturalist. Else is also an avid knitter and likes to use mushroom dyed yarn for her creations | ||
| This image was created by user Tom Bruns (pogon) at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images. You can contact this user here. English | español | français | italiano | македонски | മലയാളം | português | +/−, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons | |||
| Outdoor Fire & Social Time - Outside the Dining Hall | |||
| Saturday - 4:00 - 5:30 pm | |||
| Andy Still & Phil Minnick present Mushroom Appetizer Cooking demo - Mushroom Soup, Grilled Mushrooms, Bread & Sauces, & MycoCoffee Tasting | |||
| Far West Fungi donated soup and mushrooms |
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Andy Still's passion for food and cooking intersected with mushrooms about 20 years ago at a MSSF fungus fair at the Oakland Museum. He is a camp chef at SOMA camp and has volunteered for many seasons to make the MSSF Mendo happy hour a fun one with soup served with mushrooms and bread grilled over an open fire.
In Andy's day job he works with chefs and salespeople to find the best restaurant equipment solutions for their type of cuisine and volume. |
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A California native, Phil has been an educator in the bay area since he first transplanted himself to the East Bay in 2009. He has taught subjects as varied as English literature, food preservation, home affordability for first time buyers. He started a small business of his own, focusing on recipe and menu design for those with dietary restrictions. In 2015, Phil had a child (with some help), mostly to validate the terrible puns that he considers a “sense of humor,” and to have someone to subject to his dad jokes. “Parent” is the title he is most proud of. Currently Phil exchanges his time for money as both a personal chef and a realtor with Keller Williams. He is a facilitator of the East Bay Permaculture Guild and is an active member of the Reclaiming East Bay community. In his ample free time, he loves hiking, fiber arts, board games, and playing music. |
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| Turkey Tail Mushroom Tincture Making with Natasha Jimenez | |||
| Saturday - 9:30 -10:30 pm in the Kitchen | |||
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Tinctures are extractions from natural products, most often using ethanol as the solvent. Turkey Tail has documented immunomodulatory benefits. Natasha Jimenez is a wild food forager, herbal medicine maker, engineer, and artist. She co-founded the Essential Food and Medicine Resilience Collective - an herbalist collective that wild crafts herbal medicine boxes for the community with the help of locally and ethically foraged plants. Both a portion of the proceeds and medicines made by the collective support the East Oakland unhoused community. |
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Her art focuses on people’s connection to the natural world and each other through the creation of immersive experiences as well as physical theatre performances. In The Last Conservatory, she creates a multi-sensory installation constructed out of foraged wood, moss, herbs, and mycelium. Music and poetry emanate from inside the trunk of a tree, enticing the audience to press their ear to the moss and soil, physically connecting to the soothing properties of nature. |
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| MycoCocktail Night Caps with Phil Minnick | |||
| Saturday - 10:30 - 10:45 pm in the Kitchen | |||
| Myco Mendo Mondo | |||
| Hosted by Ken Litchfield in the kitchen | |||
| For many years MendoCamp has offered an "open secret" Saturday latenight event not listed on the official schedule as a "surprise bonus" event spread by word-of-mouth invitation to everyone at camp. It's now an official announcement so attendees can prepare themselves to participate as late as you like or not. Participation and/or just observing the happenings is encouraged! | 
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| Participants can utilize the professional stainless steel kitchen* facilities to prepare, present, and partake of appropriate mushrooms collected on the woodland daytime foray display tables or raw ingredients brought from home or finished home preparations ready to sample at MycoMendoMondo. This might include your own home brewed meads, wines, beers, kombuchas, and other ferments of all kinds that you bring to share with other campers at MendoCamp. If you are inexperienced with presenting, this gives you an easier opportunity in a lower pressure environment to practice your presentation skills. |
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| *All participants are responsible for helping to clean up the kitchen once they are done with their culinary experimentations and/or presentations so that we all leave it in proper order for the Sunday morning breakfast kitchen crew. | |||
| Mushroom ID Discussion with Else Vellinga | |||
| 9:00 - 9:30 am, rear tables in Dance Hall | |||
| Mushroom Dyeing with Gayle Still | |||
| 9:15 - 10:15 am, outside the Dining Hall | |||
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Some post Day of the Dead fun will be had with the Dead Man’s Foot mushroom! Pisolithus arhizus, the dyer’s puffball, will be used to tie dye pre-scoured and mordanted silk hankies. | ||
| Gayle Still's passion for Fiber Art goes back to the 70's beginning with a spinning wheel, natural dying and basketry. She enjoys exploring techniques that feature the beautiful colors obtained from mushrooms and sharing through teaching and showing at various venues. |  |
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