Mushrooms in the wild are indicators of soil and air quality, and support plant growth and communication. For the third consecutive year, students and the community will comb the hills of Galbreath Preserve to collect as many fungal species as possible. Build identification and sustainable harvesting skills while adding to our research database.
Leaders
Dr. Melina Kozanitas, Biology Lecturer, Sonoma State University and Lisa Bauer. Melina is a Mycology lecturer at Sonoma State University and Lisa is a Yorkville expert who teaches mushroom identification and looks forward to connecting broadly at this event. They are leading this popular event for the third year in a row.
Details
All you need are sharp eyes and an inquisitive mind to enjoy this mushroom blitz. Our goal over the next decade is to identify and measure the impact of climate change on the preserve and surrounding areas, and an important part of this is tracking changes in biodiversity such as mushroom distribution and abundance. Designed for people of all experience levels, novices and expert mycologists alike are invited to come learn and/or share their knowledge.
We will meet Melina and Lisa in the parking lot of the Yorkville Post where we will form carpools to caravan to the Preserve. Working together, we will traverse parts of this glorious 3,670-acre nature preserve to find as many different species as we can, learning how to identify mushrooms, sustainable collecting techniques, and how to add information to local databases with iNaturalist. Our research protocol calls for collecting, photographing, recording locations and transcribing descriptive information in order to enable students and community members to make correct species identification when we get back to home base. We will eat lunch together at the Preserve, share and discuss our findings, then arrive back at the Post Office by 3:00 P.M.
Logistics
Families are welcome, and all children must be accompanied by a legal guardian. No strollers are permitted due to unpaved trails. No previous experience or knowledge is required.
We will be driving throughout the preserve, at times hiking up to 1 mile, adaptable to participants’ abilities.
We will meet in the parking lot of the Yorkville post office on Highway 128 between Cloverdale and Boonville. Parking at the post office is limited so please consider carpooling.
Participants must sign a waiver upon arrival. Pets and smoking are not permitted.
There is a restroom available one stop at the Galbreath Preserve, but no drinking water.
This is a rain or shine event.
What to Bring
Please bring sun and insect protection, rain gear, at least 1 liter of drinking water, a hearty bag lunch, and shoes to hike in. Layered clothing and long pants are recommended. All materials will be provided, but a smartphone with iNaturalist installed, collecting basket and mushroom field guides and identification keys are recommended if you have them.
How to Sign Up
See registration link below. Each participant should register separately.
This event is free of charge.
About the Center
Sonoma State University’s Center for Environmental Inquiry empowers university students to work with community members on the environmental challenges of the North Bay. Our mission is to create an engaged and environmentally ready society, one where all people have the skills to find solutions to the challenges facing our earth. SSU Preserves are open to everyone engaged in education or research. Reservations are required.