PURPOSE: 

To educate the Willamette Valley Mushroom Society members in small groups, who wish to learn more about fungi identification, microscopy, habitat, field techniques, and specimen vouchers. 

 

OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Willamette Valley Mushroom Society Funga Study Group (WVMS Funga). You are about to start on a fascinating journey deep into the world of fungi. No matter what you know about mushrooms, there is always more to learn. The most important thing is to come in with an open mind and prepare to be humbled. Learning about fungi is not easy and we understand everyone will learn at their own pace. We encourage learning in the field on small group forays and on Zoom or the recordings provided.

 

To join the study group you will need to:

• Sign up on this Google Form or in person Before April 3rd.

• Participate in the Mushroom ID sessions hosted by Autumn.

• Participate in scheduled study group forays (Look for email).

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or you can join and work through the modules at your own pace:

• Recruit 3-4 other members to study with you. (WVMS requires 3-4 people per study group)

 

Supply List:

• Purchase Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/mushrooms-demystified/ 

• Purchase Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast by Siegel and Schwarz https://www.redwoodcoastmushrooms.org/about-the-book 

• Take the Foray Safety Class, and bring required foray items with you https://www.wvmssalem.org/account/safety-class 

• Field Notebook (like this)

• Fungi Journal (like this)

• Camera (smartphones work great!)

• Pen/pencil 

• wax bags (Like this)

• ruler with cm and mm

• 10x eye loupe or magnifying glass (like this)

• knife

• shovel

• basket

• divided plastic container (like this)

• field ID vouchers (print here)

 

Some helpful optional items:

• Compound microscope

• Slides and cover slips

• Distilled Water

• Dropper

• Razor blades

• Lens paper

• Chemical reagents and stains: Melzer's, 5-10% aqueous solution potassium hydroxide (KOH) , 10% aqueous solution ammonia, Distilled Water, Congo Red, Cresyl Blue

 

Below you will find all of the modules, with reading assignments, resources, homework, and foray schedules. To communicate your findings with your study group and all of WVMS you will be posting your findings to our iNaturalist project, WVMS Funga. Your group will have access to one of the other senior WVMS members that have gone through the Study Group program. These mentors will help you move in the right direction, and be there to answer questions. Once your group has completed 1 year of active participation, you will be responsible for helping to guide new freshmen groups.

As you move through the course, you may find a group of mushrooms that interest you. You can choose to specialize in one group of mushrooms or you can learn a little about everything and be a generalist. Keep this in mind and follow the things that really interest you. 

 

TIME COMMITMENT: 

To join the study group we are asking for a serious time commitment. Think of this like a college class that will last for an entire year. You will be meeting according to the schedule sent out for the year. You will also be required to do about 5-10 hours of homework per week. This includes keying out mushrooms, writing and presenting on mushrooms, learning the scientific names of mushrooms, communicating with your group, and posting your observations to iNaturalist. You may choose to spend more time on this study, and the more time you spend, the faster you will learn. This dedication will be worth it. 

 

MODULES: 

The study group is broken up into modules. These are based on about one month intervals and include a homework section and a foray section. 

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In the homework section, you will be given a variety of reading resources, and hands-on homework like keying out a mushroom. It can be easily completed in a few hours, but you can expand on it by reading more about what interests you. The first 4 modules are all about vocabulary and learning how to observe. These foundations are so important to learn well to continue on to the other modules. If you are having trouble, try repeating a module or asking your mentor for help.

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In the foray section of each module, you will be asked to gather together, as a group, and search for fungi. You will pick a time and location that best suits your group. You will meet at that location and hunt for mushrooms for one hour. In the beginning, you will learn how to fill out voucher cards, what habitat your fungi is fruiting in and discuss how to key out mushrooms for an ID. Eventually you will learn to ID a mushroom to its genus in the field and take sections for ID with microscopic work, prepare vouchered specimens for an herbarium, and DNA sequence your finds.