Is it safe to eat edible mushrooms gathered from former mine sites in the Sierra Nevada? Help us answer this question by contributing to the Yuba Watershed Institute’s new research project. Visit our CrowdRise fundraiser campaign page to donate.

We will test samples of up to 4 species of edible mushrooms collected from hydraulic “diggings” in Nevada County. Samples will be tested in a specialized laboratory for pollutant metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc. These samples from legacy mining sites will be compared to samples of the same species collected from sites with no history of mining.

For your contribution, we will send you the results of our study when it is completed.

Greetings from the Yuba Watershed Institute,

The early rains and mild temperatures have allowed many of the mushrooms of the forest to flourish. We are excited about the schedule of presenters who have dedicated their weekend to educate and inform the attendees of this coming weekend’s Fungus Foray and Wild Mushroom Exposition.

With some of the best mycologists of North America sharing their stories, you may just want to grab a hot cup of mushroom soup and sit down on the potentially rainy Sunday afternoon and listen to stories of exploring Mexican highlands for glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, investigating the almost lost art of fire-keeping with fungi conks, or hearing from an ecologist on how fungi are reacting to forest fires. A complete schedule for Saturday and Sunday is below.

The Wild Mushroom Exposition on Sunday provides an opportunity to pause and admire the effort and diversity of likely more than 150 species of wild fungi named and documented on our display. You may not want to miss this; eventually this weekend and the mushrooms will go back into the earth for a season. Don’t forget to bring some cash for goodies (mushroom field guides, custom t-shirts, and food).

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2016 Yuba Foray Speaker Schedule

Saturday, December 10

9:15 – 9:30  •  Introduction to the Foray and Basic Forms of Fungi and Where to Find Them (Daniel Nicholson)

2:00 – 3:00  •  Mushroom Identification in the Mountains of California (Alan Rockefeller)

3:00 – 4:00  •  Old Friends, New Names: A California Mushroom Journey (Mike Wood)

4:30 – 5:00  •  Discussion at the ID tables

Sunday, December 11

11:30 – 12:30  •  The Mycenoid fungi of California (Dr. Brian Perry)

1:00 – 2:00  •  Fungus after the Fire (Dr. Tom Bruns)

2:00 – 3:00  •  Mushroom Hunting in Jalisco and Veracruz: Bioluminescent Mushrooms (Alan Rockefeller)

3:00-3:30  •  Fire Tending and Fire Making With Fungi [outside on patio] (Matt Berry)

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Please visit our website www.yubawatershedinstitute.org for more information on the weekend’s events.

Registration is now live for the 19th Annual Fungus Foray and Wild Mushroom Exposition, which will take place on December 10-11 at the Shady Creek Outdoor School and Event Center.

Pre-registration helps us streamline the event entry process and organize attendees into small groups for the Saturday foray.

Volunteers are needed to help pull off this amazing community event. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Daniel Nicholson at danmadrone@gmail.com.