(Taken with Class #10)

Recommended with Class #7

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This foray will show campers how to make observations on iNaturalist to report their fungal finds in conjuction with the Mycoflora of Sonoma County Project. 

An afternoon class will discuss the Mycoflora of North America Project. This foray is meant to be taken with the afternoon class on Mycoflora.

Please download and install iNaturalist on your mobile device before camp.

This foray will practice using iNaturalist to observe fungi for the Mycoflora of Sonoma County Project which is part of the continent-wide Mycoflora of North America Project. Please download and install iNaturalist before this foray. We will instruct participants about how to use field data slips in conjuction with photos to report fungal discoveries on iNaturalist. An afternoon class will go further in depth about the Mycoflora of Sonoma County Project. This foray is best for those campers attending the afternoon class to discuss our discoveries.

This foray will roam the grounds of CYO in search of fungi that yeild pigments for dyeing.  But, you never know what you will find!

Great foray for beginners!

A Saturday morning mushroom collecting foray/talk in the CYO woods around SOMA Camp with a focus on the cultivation.  Mushrooms collected will be used in the Saturday Afternoon mushroom cultivation class, both co-taught by Ken Litchfield and David Gardella.

Truffle class & walk  The foray includes a short introduction to truffle ecology, hints on how to find different types of truffles, how to use them in the kitchen, recommended books, and truffling etiquette to keep the CYO grounds looking acceptable.   Participants will need a 3-prong or 4-prong truffle rake to dig underground for the truffles. Yes, it is hard work!

This is a foray suited to those who want to improve their skills in making high quality observations of fungi in the field and contribute to the growing body of community mycologists! Taye is a field mycologist for the Fungal Diversity Survey and will share tools, tips and tricks for making the most of your time in the field while contributing to the collective understanding of fungi.

Longing to deepen your contributions to the field of mycology and fungal conservation? This is an outing for those who want to gain or improve skills in making high-quality, research-grade observations of fungi and play a part in the growing body of community science. Taye is a field mycologist for the Fungal Diversity Survey and will share tools, tips and tricks for making the most of your time in the field or forest, all while helping advance collective understanding of fungal biodiversity and biogeography. It is not uncommon that one comes across an unusual, rare or undescribed species while out on a leisurely walk, so make each encounter count!

Join artist, Chris Adams (Corvidopolis, The Mushroom Tarot and Sporelust!).  Meet at Spore Zone Tent at 1 pm for a 2 hour excursion into the woods, followed by an hour drawing workshop in the Spore Zone Tent.. Chris will discuss his process, the overlap between scientific specimen collection & artistic observation, and some basic photo reference tips for remembering morphological traits & environmental cohorts. There will also be some time––either in the woods or under the tent, weather permitting––to work on some basic drawing techniques to achieve different levels of detail with both pen & graphite. Bring your favorite tools, some blank paper and we will share our thoughts & questions about all things art, mycology and the magic of natural spaces.

The Oregon coast summer/fall mushroom season is a wonderful me to travel to OR to hike, camp and forage for huckleberries and fungi. This presentation will give a pictorial overview of the Oregon Dunes unique habitat and the many species of mushrooms, plants, and animals found there.

We will be making paper from a variety of polypores which will give us a beautiful array of earthy colors.  We will also use some dye mushrooms and other fungi with abaca.  An assortment of natural inclusions will be provided.

As you begin your journey foraging for mushrooms it’s helpful to learn where you are most likely to find them. Trees create much of the habitat for the many delectable edible, medicinal and dye mushrooms found in Northern California. Learn how to identify the common trees that make up the beautiful forests in our region and the common fungi that  partner with them. Intended for beginners, but all are welcome.

This class will cover the process of mordanting cellulose fabrics (cotton, linen, bamboo, rayon) for natural dyeing or botanical printing. Students enrolled in Monique’s Eco Printing class on Sunday will be given priority enrollment, and are invited to bring any fabrics they have purchased (and scoured) for that class to be mordanted. We will provide and also mordant the silk scarves to be used in Monique’s Eco Printing class. Limit 12 students.

An inside view of commercial specialty mushroom cultivation at Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc in Sebastopol CA and Scottville MI.  Plus, a brief overview of current production and demand of mushrooms in domestic and global markets.

Shibori is an ancient Japanese resist dyeing technique, utilizing various methods of tying, pleating, and clamping fabric to create different surface design patterns. In this class you will learn to enhance your dyeing with the dyer's puffball using shibori techniques creating two beautiful silk scarves. All materials and tools, including 2 silk scarves 22”x22” will be provided.

Two most important parts of any organism's life are food and procreation. How do fungi eat? How do mushrooms make 'babies'?

We will discuss the basics of creating color from commonly found fungi. Topics include mordants, how to ID dye fungi, and dye bath preparation. Participants will dye fiber samples and a silk handkerchief to take home. 

Taken with Foray B

This workshop teaches simple home techniques for the capture, domestication, and cultivation of wild mushrooms, in particular those that were collected in the Saturday morning foray with Ken Litchfield and Joe Lampe and other mushrooms that SOMA Campers may have brought in.

Students will learn techniques for block printing on fabric using mordants to create vibrant color variations in the dye bath. Each student will create a hand carved stamp and leave the class with a personalized mushroom-dyed fabric sample dyed in the color of their choosing.

Natural History of a Perplexing Parasite and Purported Panacea  Summary In East Asia the healing power of Cordyceps is in highest esteem, making Yartsa gunbu (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) the world’s most precious fungus at over $30,000 per pound, and accounting for 40% of rural income in Tibet. Every year in spring, Tibetans move to the grasslands to collect this tiny, elusive fungus that grows on the larva of ghost moths. Consequently, sustainability is of great concern, but new research helps explaining its apparent resilience of this inter-kingdom jumper. Meanwhile much of Western main stream medicine is not even aware of Cordyceps. Likewise, there are hundreds of different Cordyceps species in the Americas and only in recent years they are receiving deserved attention. The neo-tropics are amazingly rich in bizarre Cordyceps species and Daniel, based on a dozen Mushroaming trips to South America, will introduce the most common and also some rare species, including some Cordyceps, not known to science yet.

Description, of the four common habitats where the matsutake in our area fruit, timing of fruiting and other factors making you hunt successful.

We know that mushrooms benefit your health. There will be a brief review of a handful of mushrooms and their potential health benefits. The heart of this talk will reveal how some doctors are using mushrooms in their practice to boost health and possibly longevity. Which ones are they choosing and why?

A short foray into the history of mycology in California: the most important players and their work and influence. We'll look at some of the mushroom names we use, and see who gave these names. And we'll see what we can do for the future as well.

Basic methods for the cultivation of Lion's mane. The class will cover substrate formulation through fruiting strategies.

This workshop will offer an introduction to the needle felting technique. Participants will create felted mushroom sculptures.

On Arrival at CYO yoiu will be guided to either yoiur cabin or the parking lot. Please then return to the Main Lodge and check in at the Registration desk. There will be three lines, Campers A thru M, Campers N thru Z and one for Presenters, Staff and Volunteers.

You will be given two labels with your info - one for your badge and one for a folder. You will also be required to sign a liability waiver. At the end of camp, or if you leave early, please leave your badge holder in the basket near the main entrance (by the bookstore.

Near the check-in will be tables where you can affix one label to a badge holder. Please wear that badge at all times when you are on CYO property. On the next table will be folders and some documents you may find useful. Put your other label on your folder.
 

Test email to instructor

As you begin your journey foraging for mushrooms it’s helpful to learn where you are most likely to find them. Trees create much of the habitat for the many delectable edible, medicinal and dye mushrooms found in Northern California. Learn how to identify the common trees that make up the beautiful forests in our region and the common fungi that often partner with them. Intended for beginners, but all are welcome.

Some mushroom names have been around for more than two and a half centuries, others were coined just yesterday. We will look at who the main players throughout history were, and what their influence is on our insight in the species we have here in California.

There is great interest in mycelium based materials for fashion, construction, and other industries. In this presentation, MycoWorks' CTO Phil Ross will describe the challengers and opportunities for fungus based manufacturing, and a view of global developments in applied mycological research.

Getting a close up view of mushroom spores and cells can help a great deal when comparing mushrooms that look very similar. Spore size, shape and color are useful features and often detailed in field guides. Learn techniques to make slides and use a microscope to observe the micro features of fungi. Learn some of the names of cell types we can see under the scope.

 Description: A Saturday afternoon hands on Mushroom Cultivation Seminar by home gardening and kitchen lab techniques, utilizing the mushrooms collected in the morning foray with an emphasis on their uses and lore, cotaught by Ken Litchfield and David Gardella

Coil a basket or trivet with mushroom dyed wool yarn around a core.

Learning to forage for wild mushrooms as an adult that knew absolutely nothing about them, it took me years to realize that most mushroom hunters I knew, didn't know a fraction of the mushrooms that were in the local field guides. And didn't care to know them! There is a lifetime worth of mushroom foraging to be had if you just can focus on a few simple, delicious, and easy to identify mushrooms.

Every participant will create a shittake log to take home. Participants will take an oak log, drill plugs, and place wax over the plugs. Instructions will be provided.

While it's easy to focus on our fungal friends when out in the woods, there are many other interesting species growing with them including California Bay, Yarrow, Huckleberry, Stinging Nettle, Oaks and more. Come learn about our local edible and medicinal plants that you may be walking by on your search for that perfect mushroom.

If you still get frustrated when you cannot find a picture of your unknown mushroom then take this course and learn how to use dichotomous keys.  The keys will unleash the full power of “Mushrooms Demystified”.  This book is REQUIRED to learn from this class, which will be a hands-on learning activity to ID mushrooms.  It includes how to get started with any fungus, what terminology to learn and tips for success.

Herbert M. Saylor Memorial Scholarship winner 2019

Fungi play critical but underappreciated roles in terrestrial ecosystems, not only as decomposers and recyclers of dead organic matter but also as symbionts and pathogens of other organisms. I'll outline how fungi have shaped life on land through evolutionary time, the importance of fungi to the ecosystems around us today, and the vulnerability of fungal populations to disturbance and global change. I'll share preliminary data, as well, on the soil fungal communities of Trione-Annadel and Hood Mountain in the aftermath of the 2017 wildfires.

does this stop the grid?

mushie

We will make paper using blended mushrooms as well as some other paper fibers to make the paper stronger. A variety of inclusions will be available to add interest to your paper.

Are you excited about foraging for fungi, but not sure where to begin? Come learn about the edible mushrooms that are the easiest to identify in Northern California and when and where you are likely to find them. These include oyster, bolete and chanterelle species.

In this class Jill will discuss what is "new" on the mushroom scene regarding products, how to use them and what the producers recommend. She will be looking at products from mushroom powder, pills, tinctures and sprays to mushroom tea and coffee, jerky and chocolate. She will also suggest a variety of ways to use mushrooms at home. There might be samples.

Class Description: Shibori is an ancient Japanese resist dyeing technique, utilizing various methods of tying, pleating, and clamping fabric to create different surface design patterns. In this class you will learn to enhance your dyeing with the dyer's puffball using shibori techniques creating two beautiful silk scarves. Class includes thread, needles, dye, and 2 prepared silk scarves 22”x22”

Learn to make surface designs on two silk scarves using resist dyeing techniques. We will be utilizing various methods of tying, pleating, and clamping to create different effects on the fabric. We will also learn the basics of natural dyeing with mushrooms and specifically the Pisolithus tinctoria aka Dyer's Puffball. This mushroom produces a range of beautiful golden to chocolate browns. All materials included. No experience is necessary.

Learn to set up a scope and make slides from fresh or dry mushroom tissue. Look at spores and mycelium under a microscope to help with identification. Learn some of the basic microstructures that distinguish one mushroom from another. Age limit: over 10 years old.

Medicinal mushrooms are not a new concept for humans. For thousands, if not for millions of years humans and other animals have had positive relationships with fungi. 
Found within folk medicine and natural healing for time immemorial, these things are now being studied and utilized within the scientific and medical communities. 

Because of my extreme passion, interest, and research within these fields, I have been accumulating the data. We are facing times within our human experience, in which we are not only faced with cancers, illnesses, and mental illnesses, but we seek sanctuary in progressing as a species and spiritual beings. We have the challenges of addictions, traumas, as well as troubles and worries. I propose that Medicinal and Entheogenic mushrooms are an answer to these many of these and many other scenarios within our health and well-being. 
I will go into detail some of the natural folk remedies, scientific backed medicinals, as well as sacred hallucinogenic mushroom used within ceremony and within modern science.

If we are thinking clearly and are healthy as a species, we can make better decisions, and right now we need to be making good decisions for ourselves and for the well-being of our planet.

 Rayne is an independent documentary film maker and humanitarian seeking solutions. Being a single mother of five children, she has an invested interest, not only in the future of her own children, but for all lifeforms on this beautiful planet. Fungi seem to provide many answers, and Rayne has been sharing and teaching this inspiring information at various schools, music festivals, permaculture events, seminars, and hands on forays. The information MUST be shared in whatever format makes the most sense, from film, to classes, to music and prayer. I just wish to inspire other to take action in the fields that they are most interested in. Fungi is an extremely broad topic, so there seems to be something for everyone. What can one person achieve? Well, if I can reach the masses and inspire others to take action, I feel I have done a service. The format I feel comfortable sharing this information in would be in presentation form, with Powerpoint. I have used projectors connects to my computer, as well as I have lugged my flat screen TV to plug into at a few events. I feel that mixed media is a good format for sharing this in depth information.



Use a kumihimo disk to weave an eight strand braid from mushroom dyed silk to create a friendship bracelet.

Make a Spore Print! We use spore prints to see the color of spores, help with mushroom identification and for growing mushrooms where we want to see them. Students leave with a spore print and spore color chart.

Spores spores spores - the whole purpose of the mushroom is to produce spores and send them out into the world. But how is that happening? and what then? can we tell by looking at spores what kind of lifestyle an individual fungus has?

This talk would be for general audiences and discuss how the genus Amanita went from a saprobic group to a mycorrhizal group and will show lots of pretty pictures and examples from all over N America.

All of the rare, unusual and interesting mushrooms I have found in Mexico. Includes bioluminescent Mycenas, stinkhorns and other fungal oddities.

Students will create a small to medium sized picture on monk’s cloth (about 10 in. diameter each) with mushroom dyed yarns using the punch needle technique for hooking the yarn into the cloth. Pictures provided will be mostly nature scenes and usually picturing mushrooms. Students may also choose to freehand their designs according to their own preferences. In approximately 3 hours, students will be introduced to the craft of rug hooking using the punch needle technique. Orientation to using new materials and technique will be during the first hour. The second two hours will be choosing designs, transferring or drawing designs, and needle punching their pictures using the mushroom dyed yarns.

This class will give participants an overview of the Mycoflora of North America project. We will discuss goals and strategies to further this vast project. We will train participants in how to collect and document fungi for this project with a focus on our local Mycoflora of Sonoma County project.

For decades, the common mushroom cookbook offers suggestions for dishes, but have yet to dive into the chemistry of what makes up the flavor of the mushrooms we love. We will explore the flavor chemistry of some of your favorite mushrooms, and present questions that still need answering!

We will inoculate logs with shiitake plugs and go over the basics of log cultivation. I will bring my own drill but would love to have at least 2 more, ideally 3 or 4 more. It would be cool to have other varieties of mushroom plugs as well, oyster or hericium!

Fluorescent fungi contain chemicals which convert ultraviolet light into visible light. Bioluminescent fungi glow in complete darkness. This talk includes photographs and discussion of various fluorescent fungi, and new species of bioluminescent fungi recently described from Mexico. Will include a live demonstration of fluorescent fungi gathered at SOMA Camp.

Learn about the wonderful colors that are found in mushrooms in this introductory class! We will discuss basic dyeing techniques and learn the most commonly used species of mushrooms in dyeing. Students will get hands-on experience dyeing small fiber samples.

 A tasty treat!

Dr. Gordon Walker presents an academic overview of common medicinal mushrooms and their chemical constituents. Despite a wide array of fungal nutriceuticals, there is very little data to support their use. This talk is an attempt to understand the composition and effectiveness of the bioactive compounds present in medicinal mushrooms.

Mycoremediation is using fungi to decontaminate the environment. This presentation will cover the different ways mushrooms can clean our environment, as well as ways they can prevent contamination.

Learn about some of the edible plants you might find during California's rainy season.

We will explore using lichens and mushrooms to dye wool. partcipants will get hands on experience. We will dye wool samples. you will get experince using difreent mordants, mushroom and lichens.

Trent & Kristen Blizzard (Modern Forager) will describe freeze-drying mushrooms and other preservation techniques.  They recently published a Wild Mushrooms cook book which sold out, and is now in its second printing!  They are also famous for their annual morel hunting maps, which have ratings for past fire zones, road access info, and other useful tips.

The threats to the environment and fungi are huge and we need all of us to raise awareness of the importance of fungi and to collect data on fruiting of fungi in California and beyond. We will discuss the impacts of changes to fungi, and what each of us can do.

We will use mushroom pulp along with other paper fiber to make paper. Lichen as well as other natural material can be used as inclusions.

Learn to make surface designs on two silk scarves using resist dyeing techniques. We will be utilizing various methods of tying, pleating, and rice paste application to create different effects on the fabric. We will also use an iron mordant to shift colors. Learn the basics of natural dyeing with mushrooms and how to expand your palette. All materials included. No experience is necessary. Materials Fee: None Materials Provided: 2 Silk Scarves scoured and mordanted

Register on EventBrite for a 30-minute time-slot.  Learn to grow mushrooms on logs! We will practice log cultivation by inoculating logs with shiitake plugs. Skills learned in this class will aid participants in cultivating a variety of medicinal and edible mushrooms. Students will be able to take home their own shiitake log. 

Interactive discussion with Dan Gluesenkamp from the California Institute of Biodiversity, and FunDiS (Fungal Diversity Survey) leaders Joanne Schwartz, Else Vellinga, Bill Shehan (remote), Sigrid Jacob, Ken Buegeleisen, and Gabriella D'Elia, along with Community Science contributors such as YOU!! We will work together to envision the future of community science for fungi in California and beyond. Bring your ideas and suggestions!

Are you a first time forager or consider yourself a beginner and finding it challenging to know where to begin? We will cover the safest and easiest edible mushrooms to start with, including chanterelles, boletes, oysters and more. Learn what season, habitat and specific trees where you are likely to find these friendly fungi. Intended for beginners, but all are welcome.

Learn how to clean mushrooms and how to cook them so that they are as tasty as can be. From drying them and using them in spice blends to roasting and turning them into chips, there are many ways to make tasty mushrooms even tastier. Take the fear out of mushroom cooking by learning the basics.

We will explore the use of Wild Turkey bourbon for extracting the essence of wild turkey tail mushrooms.

Broad PowerPoint presentation and discussion all about eating wild mushrooms. I have presented this ever evolving program a couple of times for the Camp. Ever pertinent subject, methinks...

Learn about some of the basics of nature journaling, with a focus on the fungal world. Spend some mindful moments this weekend observing, drawing, and asking questions to feed the naturalist in you. Beginners welcome and encouraged. The class will convene in the Chantarelle Room but if weather permits will be working outside for the afternoon on CYO grounds. 

Notebooks or Journals with blank pages. Regular notebook/printer paper works too, but I recommend mixed media paper and/or 90lb weight paper. Sierra recommends a bound notebook, that way they can keep adding to it and have it all saved in one space!

Writing utensils (pens-waterproof such as micron, pencils, colored pencils, colored markers-finer tip recommended)

“We can only save what we know and understand.” We’ll discuss discovering and documenting fungi in ways which will advance scientific knowledge and lead to conservation of rare species and associated habitats. What to do once you find an interesting mushroom? How to document it with photographs and appropriately rich data? How to determine whether it might be special enough to collect and dry? How to make your pics and data public by posting on-line? How to get a DNA sequence for your discovery? How to voucher/store it in a fungarium for long term study? My motto? “Learn, explore, document, collect, voucher, share”

Photography is a necessary tool to document the wonderful world of fungal diversity as well as a spectacular way to highlight the beauty and grace of mushrooms. In this session I will give you the tools you need to create photographs of a mushroom collection that are scientifically useful to mycologists. Then we will explore the artistic realm of mushroom photography with an unusual twist, looking at High Key (white background) and Low Key (black background) photo techniques that showcase a mushroom’s intimate design. Just come to learn and enjoy. Or bring your cell phone, DSLR or mirrorless camera, a good working knowledge or your equipment, your favorite mushroom, and go home with some fun and unique photographs.

Learn how to make mushrooms from air dry clay. They are inexpensive to make and fun to give as gifts. You will make and go home with a Chanterelle or Bolete ornament.  If time permits Sandy will also demonstrate some of her tips and tricks on how to sculpt and paint other mushrooms like morels, amanitas, and shaggy parasols.

Please take one and not both of these offerings to allow others to learn this technique

Spores are what seeds are for a plant: the new generation. But, we know remarkably little about them. We will look at correlations between shape and lifestyle of the fungi, and go home with an open eye to the miracles of fungal growth! And we will be inspired to look more closely at mushrooms and everything we don't know about them.

This two-part DNA/PCR workshop will be a hands-on demonstration for preparing and submitting samples for DNA Sequencing.  SOMA and Harte Singer will provide supplies, equipment, and instruction to process your samples and prepare them for DNA sequencing.  The final stage of submitting for DNA forward & reverse read costs $13 for each specimen which participants will need to pay for themselves after Camp.  Presentation includes instructions for Genbank uploads.  Bring your interesting/rare mushrooms in for sampling, or find some fungi on your forays earlier in the day!

First 60 minutes:  Medicinal Mushrooms: Finding, Identifying and Preserving Popular Medicinal Mushrooms
Learn how to find, identify, harvest and preserve your favorite medicinal mushrooms: turkey tail, reishi, chaga, hericium and more.  

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90 minutes: Medicinal Mushroom Preparation and Tasting
Learn how to prepare single and double extract tinctures, dried powders, freeze drying techniques as well as prepared teas and recipes.

Come learn about the basic nutritional and medicinal properties of mushrooms. Why they matter in your life and the forms in which you can have them daily. There will be a discussion about mushrooms as food and more.

For the past several years our lab has been experimenting with Cordiceps using a new cultivation technique that shortens the time from inoculation to harvest by 4 weeks and produces a remarkably tasty result.

Learn how to spin from wool into yarn with just a drop spindle.

Make an eight strand braid using a Kumihimo disk with mushroom and natural dyed yarns.

We will make paper using a variety of fungi plus other paper making fibers. Pulp painting and adding inclusions will be demonstrated.

Tapestry weaving has been around since at least the 3rd century B.C. Some tapestries are simple, others have elaborate pictures woven into them. In this class, students will create their own simple tapestries on little acrylic looms using mushroom-dyed wool yarns and natural color wools. We can weave in feathers, sticks, and other natural materials (some provided or bring your own).

learn how to draw and paint a mushroom as you might out in the field in your sketchbook. All supplies included. All levels of experience welcome.

Are you a first-time forager or consider yourself a beginner and finding it challenging to know where to start on your mushroom journey? We will cover the safest and easiest edible mushrooms to identify, including chanterelles, boletes, oysters and more. Learn what season, habitat, and specific trees where you are likely to find these friendly fungi. Intended for beginners, but all are welcome.

This presentation will give an overview of some of the most potent and transfomative drugs derived from the fungal Kingdom and some of the ways fungi are uniquely interesting from a chemical perspective. The latter portion of this presentation will focus on ongoing cutting edge research on bioactive metabolites from Cordyceps and related fungi.

Langdon Cook is an award-winning author and culinary adventurer who's dedicated his life to exploring the Pacific Northwest’s backcountry in search of the most sought after wild foods for the table.
Langdon will guide us through edible mushroom hunting and cooking on the West Coast, with slides of fungi in their natural habitat and on the table in finished dishes, the talk will have you reaching for your boots, baskets, and sauté pans. Q&A at end of presentation.

Let's make spore prints and discuss how spore color helps direct us to identification based on spore color. There will be a Thermal Laminator machine available to preserve a spore print to take home.

Test workshop descr

Learn how to make realistic mushrooms from air dry clay with Sandy Patton from the Cascade Mycological Society. These are inexpensive to make and fun to give as gifts. Each participant will make and go home with a Chanterelle ornament. If time permits Sandy will also demonstrate some of her tips and tricks on how to sculpt and paint other mushrooms like morels, amanitas, and shaggy parasols. 

Medicinal Mushrooms in Clinical Practice - Medicinal Mushrooms are our healing allies, producing complex molecules often compatible with human physiology. Lion’s Mane Hericium mushroom produces nerve growth compounds able to cross the blood-brain barrier and stimulate nerve cell growth.  Another mushroom is now curing chemical addictions, helping treatment-resistant depression and more. We will discuss clinical research, case studies, precautions and DIY cutting-edge mushroom methodologies.

Mushrooms for Health & Healing in Clinical Practice with Cornelia Cho
Medicinal Mushrooms are our healing allies, producing complex molecules often compatible with human physiology. Lion’s Mane Hericium mushroom produces nerve growth compounds able to cross the blood-brain barrier and stimulate nerve cell growth.  Another mushroom is now curing chemical addictions, helping treatment-resistant depression and more. We will discuss clinical research, case studies, precautions and DIY cutting-edge mushroom methodologies.

Rhizopus microsporus is an ecologically diverse fungi. It is used in Indonesia to make tempeh, it's a plant pathogen, and it is also an opportunistic human fungal pathogen.

As you walk through the forest for SOMA forays, you’ll (hopefully) see many fungal species producing mushrooms. But not all fungi beneath the surface sprout mushrooms every year. Some fruit only under certain environmental conditions, such as fire. In this talk, UC Berkeley postdoc Cat Adams will attempt to blow your mind with just how many fungal species are truly out there, small, hidden, and biding their time. She’ll end the talk with some unpublished data on fungi that crop up after soil from different forests around the area is burned.

Learn how to make mushrooms from air dry clay. They are inexpensive to make and fun to give as gifts. You will make and go home with a Chanterelle or Bolete earrings.  If time permits Sandy will also demonstrate some of her tips and tricks on how to sculpt and paint other mushrooms like morels, amanitas, and shaggy parasols.

Please take only one of these offerings to allow others to learn this technique

Tapestry weaving has been around since at least the 3rd century B.C. Some tapestries are simple, others have elaborate pictures woven into them. In this class, students will create their own simple tapestries on little acrylic looms using mushroom-dyed wool yarns and natural color wools. We can weave in feathers, sticks, and other natural materials (some provided or bring your own).

Foster your observation skills and connect with your surroundings with Nature Journaling, a practice of observing and recording your observations, thoughts, and feelings in nature. Join Sierra on a walking foray to immerse yourself in nature and record your observations of the fungal world. You will be taught the basics of nature journaling, provided with optional page templates, and spend time observing and journaling in the surrounding forest (foray + outdoor journaling if weather permits). No previous art experience or tools required. Recommended supplies: mixed media paper (a bound journal is ideal), watercolor brushes and paints, colored pencils, pens, pencils. Limited supplies will be available for share.

Extract a rainbow of colors using the best local dye species. Students will receive an informational booklet that talks about the history and process for getting bold dyes, a recipe card detailing the procedures used in class, and a rainbow of samples to display. This class gives you the tools you need to continue your own experiments at home.

Come learn about plants to add to the menu or to your medicine chest while you are out in the woods looking for fungal friends. These include California Bay, Yarrow, Huckleberry, Stinging Nettle, Oaks, Elderberry and more. Learn how to identify and use the local edible and medicinal plants that you may be walking by on your search for that perfect mushroom.

How do fungi move? In this presentation we will explore the dispersal strategies of fungi and how the move through the environment.

A hands-on workshop demonstrating one of core techniques of modern Mycology. We will select important specimens from camp and extract DNA from them. We will then amplify the DNA using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

Fungi have the solutions to many of the harmful processes humans have created. Not only can fungi break down pollutants, but they can replace technologies that are harming the planet with sustainable solutions that we can grow from our waste. We are growing a healthier world by pairing with ancient methods that mycelia demonstrate.

Let’s explore how these technologies are being created before we do a hands on workshop of growing our own planters or lampshades.

Learn how to make realistic mushrooms from air dry clay with Sandy Patton from the Cascade Mycological Society. These are inexpensive to make and fun to give as gifts. Each participant will make and go home with a Chanterelle ornament. If time permits Sandy will also demonstrate some of her tips and tricks on how to sculpt and paint other mushrooms like morels, amanitas, and shaggy parasols.

Join author Langdon Cook on a tour of his award-winning book, "The Mushroom Hunters," recently released in an updated paperback edition. Visit some of the most famous mushroom patches in North America and meet the pickers, buyers, and chefs who make this underground economy such big business.

Thinking about making the jump to quit your job and work for fungi? Here's a road map and some nitty-gritty about how to grow and nurture an idea into fruition. We will introduce mindsets, tools, and resources that will set you up to work with fungi. We’ll discuss multiple frameworks that have the potential to meet your needs, empower communities, and improve the environment. We know fungi can help save the world, let's create sustainable work that is fulfilling and regenerative. Already in the mushroom business? Come share and collaborate.

There has never been a better time to be a community scientist with a focus on fungi. Documenting your finds on iNat is just the beginning. Sigrid Jakob will talk about the many other ways non-professionals can make a significant contribution whether it’s contributing high quality observations for conservation, designing longitudinal studies in your local area, exploring the vast world of undescribed species, and perhaps even describing them. Harte Singer will introduce the CA FUNDIS project and its rigorous protocol, designed to create new best practices for all documentation by community scientists. He’ll also talk attendees through the voucher-based bio blitz that’s happening at SOMA Camp this year - the goal is to voucher and sequence all of this year’s collections.

Optional class for first-time attendees - maps for class locations, CYO grounds, foray basics, evening activities, etc.  All questions will be answered!

We will make paper from various fungi. Some vats will have other paper making fibers also. An assortment of inclusions will be available, but if you wish you may bring or forage for some of your favorites. They should be dried and fairly flat.

Make an eight strand braid as a keychain or friendship bracelet using a Kumihimo disk and silk and/or wool dyed with mushrooms.

Tapestry weaving has been around since at least the 3rd century B.C. Some tapestries are simple, others have elaborate pictures woven into them. In this class, students will create their own simple tapestries on little acrylic looms using mushroom-dyed wool yarns and natural color wools. We can weave in feathers, sticks, and other natural materials (some provided or bring your own).

The first rule is that there are no rules: Mother Nature is unruly and wild. Mushrooms seem to have their own minds. So how do we tune in and predict the timing of mushroom fruiting in the wild? There are clues. Jill will help you see what they are and how to listen for more successful mushroom forays. Remember that almost any day in the forest and woods hunting/searching for mushrooms is better than almost any day stuck inside with electronics. Jill will discuss habitat for a variety of mushrooms. Psychedelic mushrooms are not included in this talk (it’s a different kind of tuning in).

Spend 2 hours with artist, Chris Adams (the creative behind Corvidopolis, The Mushroom Tarot and Sporelust!), discussing & practicing basic techniques of drawing anything, but in this case mushrooms & other inspirational beings from the natural world. Chris will describe his basic processes of drawing from photographic reference & the real world, work with the class on some fun experimentations with common media and discuss his approach to combining personal creative inspiration with accurate––sometimes scientific––observation.

We often hear about the complexities of nature, of mycelium, of our bodies... but so what? How does one even begin to synthesize the insurmountable information into a way that actually makes sense. Come with Zachary as he unravels some of the most mysterious and interesting similarities between us and the living world we inhabit.

Description: Are you a first-time forager or consider yourself a beginner and finding it challenging to know where to start on your mushroom journey? We will cover the safest and easiest to edible mushrooms to identify, including chanterelles, boletes, oysters and more. Learn what season, habitat, and specific trees where you are likely to find these friendly fungi. Intended for beginners, but all are welcome.

All mushroom hunters (and plant gardeners) are already mushroom cultivators! Come learn how this is so & ponder together. How can we more deeply honor our fungal/plant friends with intention & relationship? How can we leverage the praxis of our eco-biological understandings to uplift these organisms we adore?

Join us for a presentation-discussion about ecological reciprocity & fungal stewardship: the nexuses of mushroom seeking, identification, cultivation, & conservation. Ryath will share how his love & study of fungi has led to an expansive blending of ethnomycology, language, art, biology, & applied mycology and wants to hear your input and questions on these topics :)

This creative presentation will give the SOMA audience an update on current advancements in the field of fungal DNA sequencing. Mandie will work to demonstrate the scientific importance of this work using cutting edge evidence from underground volunteer-lead projects in addition to published literature. New species, new methods, and important collaborations will be highlighted. Important sequencing technologies will be briefly explained within the context of mycology, with the ultimate aim of uncloaking the mystery surrounding the current state of the field of fungal DNA sequencing. As always, Mandie will strive to make biomolecular concepts accessible to anyone, regardless of their educational background.

A Saturday afternoon hands on Mushroom Cultivation Seminar about home gardening and kitchen lab techniques, utilizing the mushrooms collected in the morning foray with an emphasis on their uses and lore, co-taught by Ken Litchfield and David Gardella

Take a look at photos of the tiny features of fungi, hyphae, spores and other key micro features used to distinguish species as you work to identify what you are holding in your hands. Spend the second half of the workshop making your own slides and looking at these structures under a light microscope.

Successful DNA barcoding of macrofungi assumes that the nrITS sequence data is consistent in it's capacity to differentiate species. The reality is that fungi are incredibly diverse. This translates to DNA barcode sequence as well. As a result, nrITS sequence data is effective for several groups of fungi, but is not for others. This presentation will demonstrate this reality through recent evaluation of pairwise distance scores of nrITS sequence data across many lineages of macrofungi. The realities of this problem will be discussed, along with appropriate measures that can be taken to resolve this challenge.

Presentation 1pm to 2:30pm:  Shitake cultivation techniques and history
Demonstration from 2:30pm to 3pm:  Use modern innoculation tools to innoculate your own log that you take home.  Drop-ins welcome after 3pm, until we run out of logs.

Join Elissa Callen to delve into the possibilities of CA fungi to make natural inks, pigments, and watercolors! This workshop will focus on a range of Northern California species to make an array of colors for drawing and painting. We will go over the process, explore different techniques to access broader colors from even just one species, discuss sustainability in our approach to our artistic practices, and take home our own art pieces and samples made with colors from fungi.

What a lovely way to get to really observe and know your mushroom! We will learn how to observe, draw, and use watercolor to paint it. This class is for all levels from stick figure mushroom drawers to realistic mushroom painters. We will supply pencils, paint palettes, watercolor paper and some brushes. Please bring any supplies you prefer to use.

Sweetgrass has been used in basketry for centuries. It has a wonderful vanilla-like fragrance that lasts forever; easily refreshed by rewetting. In this class you'll learn to make sweetgrass cordage and create a beautiful and fragrant necklace with a mushroom charm. If there's time, you can also create a matching bracelet. The skill of cordage making is transferrable to many natural materials, like cattail, iris, cedar bark, and other grasses. It will open a whole new world!

Medicinal Mushrooms - A how-to class focusing on a few popular medicinals like reishi, turkey tail, chaga and similar; Learn how to find, identify, preserve, prepare and consume these "non-gourmet" mushrooms.

We will talk a bit about the history of fungal taxonomy, and look at where things are today. We will address the very real question of "WHY ALL THE NAME CHANGES?" We will look at what we have to look forward to in the future of taxonomic research.

OUTSIDE walk at CYO (weather permitting) - class meets in Chantelle Room to start out.
“Since only a few of our local trees are significant in mushroom identification, it makes a lot more sense to learn those trees before you learn the mushrooms…” David Arora – Mushrooms Demystified.

Learn how to identify the fungal loving trees that growing here at CYO Camp and deepen your skills for finding your favorite fungi.

This workshop will provide an introduction to the statistical language R. Workshop participants will have R and RStudio installed on their computers. There will then be an introduction to working in the R environment, as well as with the R syntax. Finally, participants will be givin exercises to become familiar with evaluating and analyzing molecular sequence data.

DROP IN - Inoculate oak logs with shiitake spawn, while the logs last!

Get down on your hands and knees to find the elusive secotiod fungi known as truffles!

This is an all day foray to find edible mushrooms at Salt Point State Park. Please bring mushroom baskets and good walking shoes. You will pack a lunch at CYO for yourself before leaving.

CYO Grounds has 700 acres, and hiking is fairly easy.  Why not explore it?!  We'll take folks out on some lesser-used trails at CYO, and try to be back by 1pm so you can attend some afternoon classes.  

Travel to the orchard (46 miles from CYO Camp), touring the orchard to talk about truffle cultivation with a hands-on type of experience. We will discuss soil management, tree management, cover crops, weed issues, water/irrigation issues, rodent abatement, Electroculture experiments, BioChar experiments and answer your questions. Hopefully we will cover it all. We will be back to CYO camp by 4pm for Happy Hour. 
We will carpool to the orchard due to limited parking.

This foray will NOT involve collecting fungi or truffles.  We are going to visit a private truffle orchard, to see and discuss the trees, soil, irrigation, and management challenges.

Jessica Holloway will be the LandPaths Docent, and (SOMA Staff) will be your mushroom guides for this unique property in the hills of West County.  Habitat varies, mainly hills and valleys with oaks and pines.  There are protected historic mining structures, a marsh, and waterfall.

Parking is very limited, carpooling is recommended.  The entrance path is a very steep 1/2 mile hike, and terrain is very hilly.  Make your lunch at CYO before the foray and take it with you.  

Bring fungi back to CYO and drop off at ID table for the experts to identify.  Join the ID session on Monday morning to learn about everything found during the weekend.

Westminster Woods main trail usually has abundant mushrooms and is 15 minutes drive from CYO camp.  Trail is fairly steep but there is good parking and restrooms.  Good location for beginners.  Make your lunch at CYO before the foray and take it with you.

Bring fungi back to CYO and drop off at ID table for the experts to identify.  Join the ID session on Monday morning to learn about everything found during the weekend.

This is an all day foray to find edible mushrooms at Salt Point State Park. Please carpool and bring mushroom baskets and good walking shoes. The parking at the Upper Stump Beach trailhead is very limited.  Make your lunch at CYO before the foray and take it with you.

Group will depart CYO around 9:45am (make your lunch at CYO main hall to bring with you), and should arrive at Salt Point State Park, Woodside Day Use area around 10:30am.  The group will explore the central trail for wild mushrooms, which usually are abundant this time of year.  Moderate uphill hiking approx 2 or 3 miles, bring good hiking shoes, and dress in layers.  Bring fungi back to CYO and drop off at ID table for the experts to identify.  Join the ID session on Monday morning to learn about everything found during the weekend.

Travel to the Montage Resort truffle orchard in Healdsburge (46 miles from CYO Camp).  We will walk around the orchard to talk about truffle cultivation with a hands-on type of experience. We will discuss soil management, tree management, cover crops, weed issues, water/irrigation issues, rodent abatement, Electroculture experiments, BioChar experiments and answer your questions. Hopefully we will cover it all. We will be back to CYO camp by 4pm for Happy Hour. We will carpool to the orchard due to limited parking. This foray will NOT involve collecting fungi or truffles. We are going to visit a private truffle orchard, to see and discuss the trees, soil, irrigation, and management challenges. We will also collect fungi on our way to and from Healdsburg, as we will be taking the back roads.

Botanical printing workshop 1 - Sunday morning - exploring new printing methods.

Latest techniques for the experienced eco-printer as well as beginner on how to coax plants and flowers to leave their color on fiber. Participants will be supplied 2 small silk scarves and are welcome to bring their own mordanted fiber for this workshop. List to be provided when you sign up.

Botanical printing workshop 2 - Sunday afternoon - new methods using natural dyes.
Botanical printing workshop 1 required. Learn how to add color backgrounds in amazing new ways that will give your work depth and radiance.Participants will be supplied 2 small silk scarves and are welcome to bring their own mordanted fiber for this workshop. List to be provided when you sign up.

 There will be a mordanting session at 10:00 Saturday morning. Mordant half of each
 fabric in this list to experiment with in the workshop.

At the 2001 SOMA Camp, our legendary mushroom dye maven and innovator Miriam C. Rice introduced her newest experimental work with her mushroom dye pigments: "Myco-Stix", a drawing tool similar to Conté crayon in appearance, but with a greater range of possible uses. Now at SOMA Camp 2018 we will continue to further explore Miriam's research by making our own "Myco-Stix", developing new techniques and uses for this exciting new fiber arts tool.   In the "Making Miriam's Myco-Stix" workshop we will use beeswax, slate powder, and possibly other mushrooms for our binders, and using local California fungi, we will prepare fungal pigments to add to these binders making our "œMyco-Stix" for drawing on a variety of materials including paper and silk. All materials will be provided. 

During this presentation I would give general, introductory information about mycoremediation, which is the use of fungi to degrade or isolate contaminants in the environment. Contaminants where mycoremediation is applicable include oil, heavy metals, endocrine disrupting chemicals, dye effluent, cigarette butts, radiation and bacteria. Fungi are able to break down chemicals by either extracellular oxidation or intracellular initial attack. Fungi have specialized enzymes for decomposition. These enzymes are not substrate specific, so are useful in many applications. Some examples that I would discuss include growing Pleurotus ostreatus for oil remediation and Trametes versicolor use in treating endocrine disrupting chemicals. I would present with power point slides and hand outs.

Mike Wood, Dr. Brian Perry and Darvin DeShazer lead an all-day microscope and ID workshop. Scopes and everything (slides, chemicals, etc.) needed for the day.are provided. There will be one scope setup to project the image to a screen or large monitor. This will allow the entire class to see the procedures used in microscopy for fungal identification.

Lunch break midday to 1pm
 

Whether you are just starting to explore mushroom dyeing or you have years of experience, this class will help you refine your mushroom and lichen dye practice; making the most with your precious dye resources. We will extract a full palette of regional mushroom and lichen dye colors, discussing ethical harvest, testing for color, and recipe development. Rainbows await!

The indigenous Mazatec people of Southern Mexico are renowned for their shamanism, which is inspired in part by various Psilocybe mushroom species, Salvia divinorum, and home-grown tobacco. Kat will describe the role of psilocybin mushrooms in this ancient, animistic tradition of spirit and healing. She'll share slides and stories from her decades of ongoing fieldwork with a Mazatec clan.

May be combined with Foray I

Updated presentation from last year - the trials and tribulations of truffle cultivation. How to cultivate truffles, and the needs for setting up an orchard, the formula to get truffles to fruit on the roots of your trees.

Introduction to microscopy theory and practice, as well as the key microscopic features used to identify mushrooms.

Mandalas are a spiritual and ritual symbol traditionally created within Hindu and Buddhist Traditions. They can represent various manifestations of the cosmos and are often used as a spiritual teaching tool and an aid to meditation and trance induction. Come and help build the beauty of our sacred SOMA Camp space by creating a mushroom mandala. Materials from the ID tables and surrounding nature of SOMA camp will help aid the artistic experience. 

Colony collapse disorder and how fungi is being used to boost bees' immunity

With a few simple steps, you can make your own artist ink with locally foraged mushrooms. This water soluble ink can be used in drawing and painting. We will work with three varieties of mushrooms, each yielding a different hue. Participants will leave with a one ounce bottle of ink.

Participants will make their own mushroom bags to take home and fruit.  John will demonstrate how you can grow oyster mushroom at home on pasteurized straw.

A hands-on workshop in the use of compound and dissecting microscopes as important tools in the identification and description of fungi, and for appreciating their beauty on a whole new level.

While it's easy to focus on our fungal friends when out in the woods, there are many other interesting species growing. Come learn about our local edible and medicinal plants that you may be walking by on your search for that perfect mushroom.

The presentation will be an update on the North American Clinical Trial using Intravenous Silibinin and our overseas efforts where the study drug is unavailable. Information on Chinese amatoxin species and cases will be shared along with a discussion of the general science of amatoxin itself. Lots of great pictures and stories...

For beginning or experienced botanical printers this workshop continues to explore the tannin/iron relationship on fabric. Each participant will be supplied one silk scarf but you are encouraged to bring your own silk, wool, or cotton, no wider than 14". Scour all fabric prior to the workshop and for best results you should pre-mordant the fabric. Also bring old cotton bed linen to be ripped up and printed on. Save and press summer flowers and leaves now for use with this workshop. Scouring, pre-mordanting instructions, and a list of leaves to collect will be sent as soon as you register for the workshop.

This talk will highlight the ability to fill your baskets with mushrooms through the year in California

Basic methods for the cultivation of Lion's mane. The class will cover substrate formulation through fruiting strategies.Sign-up at camp.

Make and take block prints on paper using mushroom and lichen printing ink. This workshop will focus on printmaking techniques for artwork on paper, though the blocks can be used on cloth. Each participant will leave with an edition of prints.

This class will focus on microscope basics. Participants will learn how to mount a slide and view fungi up close and personal. 

In this class we will explore and extract the full spectrum of color from Northern California mushrooms and lichens. Learn how to maximize the dye potential of several species for the most brilliant and vibrant results. Students will take home a recipe card with a rainbow of samples dyed in class and a color guide to the best local dye species.

This class is a summary of the information that I have collected since I presented "Outstanding Questions in Mycophagy" in 2017. I will be covering the information found regarding specific mushroom cookery, unique aromatic compounds from various mushrooms, as well as properties that change the experience of eating them: textures, tastes and methods of preparation.

A description of the Ascomycete Tuber genus (and probably two others) and the creatures of the forest that depend on them as a food source. This course would be a good overview of forest ecology and how these mycorrhizal fungi play a vital role.

Join Kevin on an exploration of edible wild plants that can often be found when the mushrooms are fruiting locally. Not only do plants of course compliment mushrooms culinarily, but sometimes when mushroom hunting you just don't find any. Edible plants as "backup" to the rescue!

An update of research on Psathyrella aquatica, including ongoing molecular studies, as well as environmental observations, including underwater Ascomycota, and parallels with truffle research such as animal dispersal vectors. Time for questions and open discussion.

Starting with R. Gordon Wasson's 1957 Life Magazine article, I discuss the history of psilocybin use in North America, my 1975-1985 studies of psilocybin and psilocin content in mushrooms with Paul Stamets and Jeremy Bigwood, and the current use of psilocybin and psilocin to alleviate PTSD and depression, deal with alcohol abuse, spousal abuse and end of life anxiety while increasing empathy. (Note: this talk was given as the Key Note address at the 2017 NAMA meeting and has led to standing room only crowds when presented to LAMS, MSSF, etc. and I am convinced that psilocybin is one of the most important medical drugs currently available. Note: I have a more polished description and title that I can provide when I return home in a week.

An exploration of the FUNdemental science of fractal geometry as it is wound within our bodies, and how to identify the foods the work with our systems rather than the foods that destroy the fine networks of our natural history that is built into our unimaginably complex selves. This year the class has been updated to include networks of consciousness that have recently been elucidated through the experimentation with psychedelic mushrooms (for therapeutic use).

During this presentation I will lead a discussion on how to introduce myco-novices into the world of fungi. This will include a list of resources, many of which can be obtained for free, that can be used to excite people about mushrooms. Items include powerpoints, printables, and books. The materials can be used in a formal academic setting, or for fun. Links to online materials will be provided.

This workshop will present the wet felting technique. Small vessels will be created out of wool fiber dyed with fungi.

Come learn basic, yet important, tips for cooking mushrooms. You will learn about a bit about foraging, storage and cooking ideas for a variety of popular mushrooms.

In this class participants will identify gilled mushrooms to genus using the Kit Scates Picture Key to common genera of gilled mushrooms. Participants may bring mushrooms that they have found and will learn how to do the identifications themselves.

NOTE: PLEASE BRING $3.50 IN CASH TO CLASS TO PURCHASE IDENTIFICATION KEY; PAY TEACHER DIRECTLY. YOU WILL NEED THE KEY TO UNDERSTAND INFORMATION THAT WILL BE PROVIDED.

Techniques and equipment will be described for making fun, entertaining and educational time lapse sequences of mushrooms growing. Some of Glenn's latest creations will be viewed.

This will be a review of some of the latest information, and studies, about a variety of fungi and how they act as medicine.

This is an informal discussion of the current state of mycological research in the world. Our experts will share their knowledge and sometimes opinion in an informal setting after dinner on Saturday evening. Questions will be submitted at the registration table in a piggy bank style ballot box. The best questions will be selected before the panel and participants are encouraged to read their own question but the moderator will do so if they wish to remain anonymous. This panel is moderated by Kingman Bond-Graham.

preparing mashed muchrooms

This workshop includes the basics of needle-felting. Included are materials to make a 2-D project for one mushroom patch using roving and yarn on felt.

Remember those old leaf prints you made in elementary school? Maybe you put a leaf down and rubbed crayon all around it, leaving an outline of the leaf. Maybe you painted the leaf and pressed it down on paper, creating a print that showed the outline, veins, and irregularities. Fast forward to today. This class takes leaf printing to the next level. Utilizing many of the leaves you can find in the neighborhood, a treated silk scarf and cotton blanket, and some steam, you’ll create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind project you’ll be thrilled to use or give as a gift. It’s easy, fun, and quite frankly, addictive! Note: The design and preparation of the scarf takes about 30 minutes. It needs to steam for 90 minutes. Participants can actually leave and come back when their project has finished steaming.

In this talk, I will discuss some of the important chemicals made by fungi, why some fungi are chemically strange, some of the latest discoveries about fungal secondary metabolism and the evolution thereof. I will also my research on the chemistry of fungi in genus Tolypocladium, better known by their synonyms Cordyceps and Elaphocordyceps.

This talk would be for general audiences but show research results of insects, especially mycophagous flies and their coevolution with mushrooms and in particular their fondness for Amanitas. Recent research has found how they can survive amatoxins.

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Bioflourescence is the absorption and the immediate re-emission of light or photon, which has longer wavelength when re-emitted than that of what was previously absorbed. Come learn about these two interesting phenomenon in fungi!

This course is an overview of truffle cultivation in an orchard setting, growing Tuber melanosporum (and others) for the restaurant and foodie industries. The primary focus is cultivation on the Western USA, updates on our failures and our successes, and moving forward into the future with improved farming practices.

SOMA's foray chef will show folks how to make simple--but scrumptious--mushroom recipes using  the very best ingredients found in local markets.  Come on by, listen to his years of mushrooming stories, plus sample three delicious dishes.

Learn to grow koji and make your own mushroom tasty paste in this course. Koji is an ancient edible fungus that has long been used in China to make soy sauce and bean pastes; in Japan, koji has historically been used to make misos and sakes. In this course, we will make a reimagined modern miso, using mushrooms instead of soybeans. All materials will be provided to you to create a one of a kind product that you can use as a vegetarian soup base, sandwich spread or salad dressing addition. Samples of koji related products will also be provided for further culinary education and exposure.

Take this primer course if you are a total beginner. Learn how to make sense of the wide world of wild mushrooms, demystifying what can be a daunting task for newbies.

Ever wonder how those porcini get so big? Many tasty California mushrooms must trade with trees to get sugar, which they use to fuel their growth and reproduction (including those huge fruiting bodies we know and love). But it's not a one-way relationship -- the trees need the fungi, too! In this cooperative relationship, called mycorrhizal symbiosis, plants trade energy-rich carbon compounds like sugar for important soil resources from the fungi, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and water. In this presentation, Dr. Bogar will share her research on this symbiotic resource trade, exploring the rules that govern this underground economy, how it may influence both the diversity of trees (and mushrooms!) in forests, and its potential effects on the movement of carbon and nitrogen through forested ecosystems.

Not all fungi in the forest are the classic beneficial mycorrhizal mushroom producing organisms we all know and love. Many forest dwelling fungi can cause vast amounts of disease to our trees and other plants. Many of these pathogens are impossible to see with the naked eye, yet they cause millions of dollars worth of damage to crops and our national forests every year. Conversely, these fungal pathogens can provide hope for a better future in some scenarios. They can be used to save the planet from overuse of chemical pesticides in specific management areas. Come learn about an obscure fungal-related career which keeps avocados, bananas, walnuts and many other crops on your dining table.

How to extract DNA and generate sequences, and use those sequences to make phylogenetic trees. How to choose a gene region to sequence, how to decide what to sequence, and what you can learn from the data you generate.

Join Mario in learning how to cure salami and other meats using Koji (Aspergillus orayzae). Used to ferment rice and vegetables commonly Mario has successfully employed Koji to quick cure meat in a wonderfully delicious way. This hour long class will give you the tools to make your own salami at home with simple equipment and techniques.

You could just take a picture but its not the same as being able to sketch and paint your impression of the lovely fungi that you have found. In this class we will first draw then watercolor a mushroom. All materials provided for those that need them. All levels welcome.

Tapestry weaving has been around since at least the 3rd century B.C.   Some tapestries are simple, others have elaborate pictures woven into them.  In this class, students will create their own simple tapestries on little acrylic looms using mushroom-dyed wool yarn and some yarn that's natural color. You'll leave with your weaving and the loom and weaving toolsCreate a tapestry weaving using mushroom dyed wools.

Tapestry weaving has been around since at least the 3rd century B.C. Some tapestries are simple, others have elaborate pictures woven into them. In this class, students will create their own simple tapestries on little acrylic looms using mushroom-dyed wool yarn and some yarn that's natural color.

Can Mushrooms Save the Planet? (This is the name and title of an independent documentary project I am working on) Our planet is facing many epidemics. From starvation to our plastic overloads, from illnesses and disease to desertification (our deserts expanding), fungi seem to provide answers. I go over approximately 15 different issues that we are facing, and what people are doing globally to face these issues using fungi.

What if I were to tell you that the planet as we know it, with all its many plants and animals, may have been created by fungal creatures around hundreds of thousands of years ago, and we all may be decedents? What if I told you that fungi have the ability to clean up our planet, and that we can either choose to work with them or they will do the work themselves long after humans are extinct? You might say that all sounds far-fetched and crazy. For the past 6 years I have been studying fungi and all its complexities. 

I have spoken to many of the top experts in the fields of mycology, permaculture, psychology, and the likes, as well as I have read books, gone on site to location, and have continued to research and ask questions. I am currently producing the indie documentary, “Can Mushrooms Save the Planet?” I have been asking the questions, and am very passionate about sharing answers, and have been spreading the information like spores.

In this overview, Jill will discuss the health benefits of a variety of edible mushrooms: what we know and what we have yet to discover. She will lightly touch on both the culinary and health aspects of mushrooms, and which are those that you might want to eat more often.

We will be working with mushrooms and other local plant and weed material to create meaningful memories of earth through the transmutation of color onto fiber. The ways that we interact with the natural world within us and around us is ritual. As earth-based practitioners, we have a duty to honor our land and all of our relations through art / the act of creation. In this workshop, we will journey down a process of natural dyeing that emphasizes responsible dyeing techniques (using local material). We will also discuss land-based skills and the role of fiber arts as a lost ancestral practice, particularly for those of the diaspora. Take some time to reflect with us.  (the online description doesn't need to include this part) 1. Conversation:Fabric is fiber  - natural fibers how we treat our fibers: using alternative methods from the earthDyeing - ways we've worked with dyes, my preferences with dye materials2. Story of mushroom colors: what is the history, where do some of these mushrooms originate from?  We will be dyeing during this conversation on Process.  3. Process: Mushroom dyeing on bandannas - different techniques: fermented mushrooms, roll-up stain method, hammer method, dip-dye. - traditional techniques: the process of time- drying techniques, storage, and washing 

Mandalas are a spiritual and ritual symbol traditionally created within Hindu and Buddhist traditions. They can represent various manifestations of the cosmos and are often used as a spiritual teaching tool and an aid to meditation and trance induction. Come and help build the beauty of our sacred SOMA Camp space by creating a communal mushroom mandala. Materials from the ID tables and the surrounding nature of SOMA camp will help aid the artistic experience.

This half-day workshop is designed for those who would like to learn how to capture the beauty of mushrooms in watercolor. It is especially intended for beginners, but more experienced artists are also encouraged to attend this community paint-in. We will cover all the basics of watercolor painting, including papers, paints, basic techniques, lighting, staging your subject etc. All will paint at least one mushroom from live material during the class. Those who have paints and brushes are encouraged to bring them. We will provide paper, palettes, a limited selection of paints and brushes(on loan) and other materials (pencils, erasers etc). Watercolor painting will give you new ways to view and observe mushrooms. Even those who claim that they cant draw a stick-figure will be surprised at what they can really do.  (Limited to 12 people.

For beginning or experienced botanical printers this workshop explores the tannin/iron relationship on paper. Each participant will be supplied paper but you are encouraged to bring your own paper with a cotton fiber content of 70-100%, no wider than 14" and can be rolled paper works well too. Look for watercolor paper but check the cotton content. Also bring old cotton bed linen to be ripped up and printed on. Save and press summer flowers and leaves now for use with this workshop.

Come join Kiki Laseed as she fuses traditional Japanese cuisine with modern mushroom cooking.

Mandalas are a spiritual and ritual symbol traditionally created within Hindu and Buddhist traditions. They can represent various manifestations of the cosmos and are often used as a spiritual teaching tool and an aid to meditation and trance induction. Come and help build the beauty of our sacred SOMA Camp space by creating a communal mushroom mandala. Materials from the ID tables and the surrounding nature of SOMA camp will help aid the artistic experience.

Fungi have formed intricate relationships with almost every other type of organism that has evolved on land. However, our understanding of their interactions with other microbes, especially single-celled bacteria and archaea, is in its infancy. I am studying a hypothesized novel association between fungi and bacteria, in which fungal hyphae seem to act as microscopic ‘highways' that allow bacteria to move long distances through soils. My experiments will show the extent to which bacteria depend on fungi for transportation and nutrient scavenging through wet-dry cycles, and with heterogeneous sources of carbon and nitrogen. If supported, my hypothesis will allow soil scientists and land managers to better understand the way many soil organisms are obtaining carbon, and the mechanisms by which moisture flux affects nutrient cycling in soil.

We’ve all heard of the umami-packed shiitake, but what other mushrooms are used in Japanese cuisine? Come join our exploration of lesser-known Japanese mushroom varieties, and warm yourself up with this tasting extravaganza!

This presentation will showcase the grotesquely beautiful forms of Cordyceps mushrooms and their zombie arthropod hosts including some of the Cordyceps found around the world and in Western USA. It will also provide an overview of Cordyceps taxonomy and the history thereof, the phylogenetic relationships of various groups of Cordyceps sensu lato and their identifying characters, important chemicals discovered from Cordyceps and ongoing Cordyceps research.

David will discuss all the necessary skills and attitudes you need to start hunting and eating wild mushrooms. 

For the last two years, Mycelial Mass has offered bi-monthly 'free to attend' classes that offer hands-on educational workshops and an opportunity to become part of a community. They have been wildly popular and are modestly financially self-sustaining! Now we want to help you grow a Mycelial Mass chapter in your own community! This presentation will cover the community we have built and the lessons we have learned, as well as cover ways you might be able to start a chapter in your home town and invite Mario Gabiati, Alan Rockefeller, the SF Psychedelics Society or one of our other partners to promote your event and help you reach Mycelial Mass!

In “The Fractal Nature of Real Nutrition,” Chef Zachary Mazi presents a compelling argument to help everyone understand the structure of our full selves: our bodies and our relationship to the nature that surrounds and pervades us. Join in the discussion to explore how we integrated we all are, at depths beyond the limits of the frustrating back and forth talking points that confound us on all sides. Digestive physiology, the micro-biome, hints at our spiritual nature, quantum biology, the wonders of DNA and some examples of our most nutritious allies, and a little humor, are all included in this on-going conversation.

Same workshop as the past two years. All day Sunday.  We will bring all the scopes and supplies needed for the the workshop.

Learn about the world of pigments in the fungal kingdom. Using commonly found fungi, we will dye fiber samples, while learning the basics of dyeing with mushrooms and other natural dyestuffs. This class will introduce you to mordanting, fiber and dyebath preparation, and care of the dyed wool or silk.

Register on EventBrite for a 30-minute time-slot.  Learn to grow mushrooms on logs! We will practice log cultivation by inoculating logs with shiitake plugs. Skills learned in this class will aid participants in cultivating a variety of medicinal and edible mushrooms. Students will be able to take home their own shiitake log. 

(Presentation with Matt Amicucci who developed the techology) Polysaccharide diversity in fungi is of great medical, culinary, and ecological interest, but has been difficult to procure from samples until recently. New technologies and processes are allowing us for the first time to see how the diversity of polysaccharides change over the life cycle of fungi and start to peer into trends between taxonomy and carbohydrate diversity. A small collection of samples has been analyzed to look at these trends and samples from SOMA camp this year will be collected for further analysis. A discussion about what attributes of fungi should be probed with these new technologies will hopefully lead to new lines of inquiry and discovery about fungal functions and applications.

Come learn about plants to add to the menu or to add to your medicine chest and beyond, while you are out in the woods looking for fungal friends. These include California Bay, Yarrow, Huckleberry, Stinging Nettle, Oaks, Elderberry and more. Learn about the local edible and medicinal plants that you may be walking by on your search for that perfect mushroom.

Spinning yarn using a drop spindle

Grace is getting her PhD with the Krasileva lab at UC Berkeley, which studies the evolution of immune systems throughout the tree of life. Her current thesis research focuses on bacterial-fungal interactions (BFI) in which she hopes to elucidate the basic cell and molecular mechanisms of the Fungal Immune system. This talk will go the basics of cell and molecular biology, fungal cell biology, Immune systems and Grace’s independent research on Elucidating the fungal immune system. Grace is the recipient of the Charmoon Richardson Memorial Scholarship for 2021.

Northern Thailand, a collection of nine provinces in the far northern part of the country is unique in several fascinating ways. The region is very mountainous, and borders both Myanmar and Laos, jutting up into the center of the SE Asian peninsula.  Centered around the largest city in the area, Chiang Mai, the area was once the powerful Lanna Kingdom (1269-1558), and remained locally administered until it's last king died in 1939.  Not surprisingly, the food and cultures of Northern Thailand is unique.  Forest management and foraging is a big part of its history, rich in various Hill Tribes (cuisines/customs) that have moved from China and around the SE Asian peninsula and operated as small communities outside of the kingdoms themselves. This talk is an opportunity to join me on my journey as I recount my explorations of the (mostly wild) edible mushrooms in Northern Thailand, the culture of foraging & cooking, with language and recipes woven in, through the eyes of a curious chef.  Thailand is an emerging myco-region, so it is a special time to be here, helping to bring more attention to the incredible edible mycoflora of the world.

Classically trained in the art of French cooking, with a personal love of New American and Pacific Northwest cuisine, Chef Zachary Mazi creates an organic, foraged, local, & imaginative experience in both global cuisine, whether dining in the kitchen or presenting on Zoom.  With a background in earth sciences (BS Geological Sciences) intertwined with nearly 3 decades working in the food industry, self-guided studies in permaculture farming, herbal & mushroom medicines, Chef Mazi provides a comprehensive and inspired view on how to eat better. He currently lives and forages with his fiancé Kimbery Hunter in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  He is the owner-chef-imaginator at The Food Bender, a budding cookbook author, and mycophagy researcher.  See his self-published work on patreon.com/mycophagybook.

Eleana will demonstrate various fermentation techniques and bring samples for tasting.  Tasting will be outside on the deck in front of the Amanita Classroom.

Fungi can absorb almost anything as their food source if they have the correct biochemical pathways to do so. Therefore, it should be no surprise that fungi can digest the internal organs and chitin of insects. There are some interesting ways that fungi trap, influence and spread amongst their arthropod hosts. This talk will cover the mind control aspect of summit disease in insects that have had the misfortune to be infected by a fungal disease. We'll also cover how the tables have turned in some evolutionary relationships and how insects have trapped fungi for their own needs. Kristen will be discussing mostly her own research as a professional entomologist and mycologist during this talk.

Mycorrhizal fungi help plants grow, but how do these diverse symbioses work? In this brief lecture, you will be introduced to the mycorrhizal mutualism, how it works, and what it means for our California landscapes, with an emphasis on our favorite mushroom formers, the ectomycorrhizal fungi!

We will do Arashi shibori (pole wrapping technique) Ne Maki shibori (pebble tying) using silk scarves and mushroom dyes. Each person will dye two silk scarves, one using Arashi, the other using Ne Maki techniques.

Use mushroom dyed fleece to roll cords with this simple technique. There are many uses for sturdy and colorful felt cords, from straps and handles to jewelry or embellishments. You can make a felt snake!

This two-part DNA/PCR workshop will be a hands-on demonstration for preparing and submitting samples for DNA Sequencing.  SOMA and Harte Singer will provide supplies, equipment, and instruction to process your samples and prepare them for DNA sequencing.  The final stage of submitting for DNA forward & reverse read costs $13 for each specimen which participants will need to pay for themselves after Camp.  Presentation includes instructions for Genbank uploads.  Bring your interesting/rare mushrooms in for sampling, or find some fungi on your forays earlier in the day!

Cordyceps are entomopathogenic, meaning they kill insects. But they don’t just kill them. One of the scenarios most often recounted plays out like a scene from The Body Snatchers. It starts when the spores of a certain species of Cordyceps take root in the carapace of an ant—different species target different insects. Hyphae then thread throughout the insect’s tiny body, eventually seizing control of its nervous system. The ant becomes, in effect, a living zombie, unwittingly stumbling up a nearby branch, inevitably one that sits directly over the path most used by its hive mates. There, its final, irresistible impulse is to latch its jaws upon the twig, dying as the mycelium finally consumes all the insect’s innards. After that comes the unsettling coda; out of the back of the ant’s tiny neck slithers a slender stroma, its surface bristling and primed to rain spores down upon the next group of unfortunate ants below. 

There are more than 400 species of Cordyceps, each associated with a specific insect: spiders, grasshoppers, wasps, to name a few. In Tibet, Ophiocordyceps sinensis and its host moth larvae are methodically plucked from the foothills of the Himalayas. Locally known as yarza gunbu, or “winter worm, summer grass,” it is regarded as a potent aphrodisiac, often fetching a higher price than gold, always with the insect still attached.

Boletes are some of the most beautiful, intriguing and tasty mushrooms in the world. No other mushroom has triggered more enthusiasm and love than boletes. Their culinary quality in connection with abundance and relative ease of identification have helped turn King boletes into one of the most desired wild mushrooms. Although the 120+ bolete species recorded in Western North America are but a fraction out of thousands of macro-fungi that one could encounter, often there are plenty of situations when identifying a bolete can be challenging, but luckily only very few boletes are toxic. Daniel will share what characteristics assure you a safe and accurate identification, what resources will help you to develop and improve your bolete ID skills and how to best find your beloved culinary gems by discussing habitat and seasonality for boletes in Western North America.

Lichens are all around us, even though we may not notice them, and they tell fascinating ecological stories. In this foray, we will learn to identify some of the common lichens on the site and discuss their ecological roles. We will pay special attention to what lichens can tell us about site disturbance histories, forest age, and air pollution. After this foray, you may find that you notice lichens more frequently in your day-to-day life and hear the stories they tell!

Microbial ecologists often think of bacteria and fungi as mortal foes. They compete in many natural arenas – from the litter of the forest floor, to the nectaries of flowers, to the human microbiome. However, bacteria and fungi may cooperate more often than previously thought. Bacteria can use the bodies of fungi as scaffolding to move more easily through soil, and some soil bacteria and fungi trade resources in a mutualistic partnership. Here, I’ll present findings from my Ph.D. research exploring the interactions of soil fungi and bacteria in soils, focusing on Burkholderia, a genus of soil bacteria that may be especially adapted to life with fungi.

Morning Yoga with Erica and Justin Reyes

This workshop includes the basics of needle-felting for beginners. Included are needles and other supplies to make 2-D and/or 3D projects using roving and yarn.

Learn to make surface designs on two silk scarves using resist dyeing techniques. We will be utilizing various methods of tying and pleating to create different patterns on the fabric. Learn the basics of natural dyeing with mushrooms and how to expand your palette. All materials included. No experience is necessary. Materials Fee: None Materials Provided: 2 Silk Scarves

Anyone who lives on the west coast of the continental US has probably experienced the effects of fire in some way or another. Fire has lived on these lands since time immemorial as an integral part of the ecological and cultural history. Amidst the heartbreak of increasing catastrophic wildfires, there is also the emergence of profound insight and opportunity to heal our relationship with place. We are beginning to draw our awareness down into the rhizosphere and ask how fire is shaping not just our above ground ecosystems, but our below ground communities as well. 

How do fungi respond to fire? How do fungal communities shape how an ecosystem will rebound? How can we ally with fungi to help decontaminate toxins left over from burned structures and restore ecological health to post-fire soil systems? In this presentation we will explore the complex and awe-inspiring relationships between fire and fungi. I will share about my work with CoRenewal doing post-fire mycoremediation research, insights from tracking post-fire fungal succession, as well highlight the findings of other researchers who are doing amazing work investigating pyrophilous fungi.

This creative and engaging educational presentation is being offered in an effort to promote understanding of DNA sequencing in the minds of community scientists. Starting off with a review of the principles of molecular biology, the basic tenets surrounding genetic information will be outlined. Extraction and amplification methods alongside the latest DNA sequencing technologies will be explained within the context of mycology, including both Nanopore and Sanger processes. The scientific importance of this work will then be demonstrated using cutting edge evidence from your peers, including the most current published literature. With the ultimate aim of uncloaking the mystery surrounding DNA sequencing of fungi, the presenter will strive to make biomolecular concepts accessible to anyone, regardless of their educational background.

Join us for a presentation on the current events on TRUFFLE CULTIVATION in the USA.  This presentation will show you how to cultivate Truffle fungi on oak and hazelnut trees in an orchard setting. Included will be an in-depth update on Truffle Cultivation in the USA - California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, North Carolina, Virginia and other areas. You will also be updated with North American Truffle Growers Association News. We will briefly go over how to set up your orchard with a budget and what your regional needs will be based on soil types, topography, equipment and labor shortages of where you live. Irrigation is a primary issue that deserves greater detail of discussion - depending on the various stages of an orchard. We will touch on the on-going management of an orchard and the skills needed to get your orchard up to production.  Ending with a Q&A session as a discussion on how well this industry is doing and the current direction it is headed.

Sign up for the Truffle Orchard tour at the Montage Resort in Healdsburg following the morning truffle cultivation presentation.

If you are a crafter of a certain age, there is a good chance that there has been a macrame project or two in your life. Macrame has experienced a resurgence of popularity in the past couple of years, you may be discovering macrame for the first time. Either way, it’s a wonderful craft. Macrame dates back to Arabic weavers in the 13th century. From the Middle East it traveled to Spain, Italy, and then throughout Europe. Sailors traditionally made extra money by creating macrame objects while at sea, then selling them when they came into port. Wildly popular in the 1970s, it faded away for forty years. Lucky for us, it’s back! In this class you’ll learn to make an adorable macrame mushroom keychain. All materials are supplied, and no prior macrame experience is required. It’s a great beginner project!

Mushrooms grow in abundance in the West nearly year round. Some are poisonous, many of no culinary value and a select group are some of the best food to enjoy. Daniel will present in detail our choice edible mushrooms such as chanterelles, hedgehogs, king boletes, morels, bear's head and pig's ears mushroom which are easy to identify, helping one to overcome fungophobia and truly appreciate wild mushrooms. However, there are many more very enjoyable mushrooms that need much more experience for safe identification. In this richly illustrated presentation Daniel will help you get to know, identify and find many great edible mushrooms while steering you clear of dangerous look-a-likes. You will be advised how to properly collect, carefully transport, safely prepare and reliably store your mushrooms. Key in finding prime mushrooms is getting to know their preferred habitat and their seasonality.

Daniel will share lots of new insights from his new book “Fruits of the Forest – Handbook to Edible Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest that includes North coast mushrooms. In addition, Daniel is mixing in some fungal fun & facts from his ethno-mycological research and Mushroaming adventure travels.

Heyday is a nonprofit publisher of nonfiction book about California. We've been based in Berkeley for nearly 50 years and have published iconic books that tell stories and share knowledge about California's natural world since the beginning. I will pull back the curtain on how we develop books with authors, and encourage members of the mushrooming community to consider how they can translate their knowledge into a book for a larger readership. One important thing to remember is that you can’t have community science without accessibility. That comes in many forms, from economic accessibility, to welcoming the public in instead of taking a fortress like approach to conservation, to valuing perspectives that have been dismissed in the academy. Our goal for our books is that they give every citizen of California access to a basic level of environmental literacy that would allow them to know what common plants and fungi are edible, how to read a landscape, and how to feel comfortable in their understanding of the land they live on. It’s hard to value a landscape or feel your place in an ecosystem when you don’t know how to read the land, how to live off it, or even if it’s healthy. These basic skills are sorely lacking in many Californian’s lives. We want to feed the growing desire for hands-on, practical knowledge with books that instruct, give real life skills, and in doing so, make citizens more able to engage in the living world around them We also know that books and writers are often the heroes that shape the minds of the next generation. How many young men vowed to protect the desert after reading Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire or went to the Sierra for solace after reading John Muir’s, The Mountains of California? To create a diverse new generation of ecological heroes, we must amplify the voices of Latino, Native, Asian, Pacific Island, and African American naturalists, scientists, outdoorswomen and writers. Publishing has the power to reshape how we see ourselves and the world around us. We are passionate about reshaping California so that a connection to protecting the land is the birthright of every person, in their own way, based on their own traditions, regardless of ethnicity. If you like to teach, or to share your knowledge on instagram, iNaturalist, or a blog, you are already used to translating your expertise for the beginner's mind. In this talk I will discuss why and how to organize your knowledge into a book structure, and what a publisher is looking for in a proposed book and in an author, as well as the step-by-step of how a book gets developed from idea to being available in bookstores.

Home cultivation of mushrooms using plastic tubs, taught by Wyatt Bryson of Jewels of the Forest

William will review the legal landscape, state ballot initiatives, city resolutions, and drug policy reform movement happening around psilocybin containing mushrooms in Santa Cruz, California, and across the globe. We will discuss what next steps in the psychedelic mushroom community look like. 

Ireland is blessed with an abundance of rainfall and a diversity of habitat that give the Emerald Isle a rich and diverse abundance of mycota. This presentation will discuss the mushrooms found in the woodlands, demesnes, burrens, and heaths of Ireland and the burgeoning mycological milieu in Ireland today.

Explore the possibilities of California fungi through natural dyes and handmade inks. This workshop will focus on three different locally collected species to yield a variety of colors for use on both fabric and paper.

Join us for an exploration of the backstory and the current capitalistic explosion revolving around Psilocybe mushrooms: the ancient, fortuitous and tragic phenomena that led to the research, home cultivation, use and awareness of the dubiously dubbed "Psychedelic Renaissance." Ryath will also touch on Psilocybe ecology and identification.

Spores are the offspring of the mushroom! We'll look at how they get into the world, what adaptations they might have or not to be successful, and also whether fruitbody size and shape make any difference.

Fungi have the solutions to many of the harmful processes humans have created. Not only can fungi break down pollutants, but they can replace technologies that are harming the planet with sustainable solutions that we can grow from our waste. We are growing a healthier world by pairing with ancient methods that mycelia demonstrate. Let’s explore what technologies are being created, why they are important, who is working on them, and the time frame before they are commonly accessible.

Description: Learn to make surface designs on two silk scarves using resist dyeing techniques. We will be utilizing various methods of tying, pleating, and clamping to create different effects on the fabric. We will also learn the basics of natural dyeing with mushrooms and specifically the Pisolithus tinctoria aka Dyer's Puffball. This mushroom produces a range of beautiful golden to chocolate browns. All materials included. No experience is necessary.

Make a magical forest house out of rounds of wood, Twists of branches, Acorns, Bark, and treasures. Roofs are bark or tiles of pine cone. Lights are marbles in acorns, and mushrooms are various acorns over stick stipes. No previous experience needed. All ages. Bring your own collections and treasures to work in if you like.

Note:  Ten forest houses will be made during class.  If you would like to bring a friend and work together on a single house, only one of you will need to register.

Make a magical forest house out of rounds of wood, Twists of branches, Acorns, Bark, and treasures. Roofs are bark or tiles of pine cone. Lights are marbles in acorns, and mushrooms are various acorns over stick stipes. No previous experience needed. All ages. Bring your own collections and treasures to work in if you like.

Note:  Please try bring a friend and work together on a house.  We will build 5 houses with 10 people in the class.

You may have heard about the ‘wood-wide-web’ – an interconnected mycelial network through which trees transfer information and resources, potentially helping each other survive. More than two decades after it was first proposed, this concept has reached so far into American culture that you can hear about it in multiple best-selling fiction and nonfiction novels, Star Trek, Ted Lasso, and Joe Rogan’s podcast. But – do mycorrhizal networks actually work the way we think? What are all those fungi up to down there? Join Professor Laura Bogar for a celebratory romp through the forest of published literature and share in her basket of assorted mysteries about fungi, trees, and the connections among them.

The Mind, Body, and Spirit are connected. And so, we dive into some of the Science, Spirituality, and Tantric perspectives of how different fungi can not only heal our bodies and connect us to our Planet Earth, but also with each other. There is much disconnect in today’s age, whether it is within family, community, interpersonal, or intimate relationships. It is important to take a closer look at the connections we have to ourselves and all of those around us, starting within our own mind, body, and spirit to understand how Fungi & Plants can play such important roles in our personal lives and the communities we participate in. It is becoming increasingly known that mushrooms play a key role in the health and well-being of not only our Environment, but the role they play in the significant function of health and well-being in our bodily systems. From Holistic, Shamanic, and Scientific viewpoints, fungi not only help cure illnesses, but they seem also to have the ability to connect us to our environment and to each other. New scientific findings and studies and a deeper look into the traditions of our ancestors, we will take a titillating dive into how mushrooms not only affect the brain & nervous system with their nootropic attributes, but how they affect us also on sexual and spiritual levels.

We will check the results of our PCR amplification using Gel Electrophoresis and discuss the process of data analysis using NCBI BLAST

Farming practices that increase ‘soil health’ are a major focus of modern agricultural science. Soil microbes – bacteria and fungi – drive most biochemical and nutrient transformations in agricultural soils. Could they also control soil moisture and structure? How important are microbial communities to agricultural resilience in an era of greater climatic uncertainty? And – can farmers select for a better microbial community? Researchers have observed that microbial communities change in response to drought, and that plants grown with these microbes are more resilient to drought than plants grown with unaltered microbial communities. Come hear some of the preliminary results from a survey of 68 agricultural fields from Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, plus follow-up greenhouse and microcosm experiments! We’ll discuss the current state of science in soil health, some specific roles of bacteria and fungi in agricultural soils, and some (potentially) surprising results!

An introduction to what mushrooms are, their role in ecosystems, and most importantly what features do you need to know in order to identify them We will look at all the significant features of fleshy fungi (mushrooms) used in their macroscopic identification. We will talk about all the major groups of these fungi. Then we will get hands-on with using mushroom "keys" found in books and on-line to identify some representative specimens.

Basic workshop for needle felting 2D and 3D mushroom projects for beginners. All materials and needles will be available.

The world of truffles is magical, secretive and delicious! Sought after by the world's elite for centuries and fought over in the wildlands by foraging beasts. Ever wonder how truffles got to be this way, or how they are collected and cultivated in today's mechanical farming industries? How can these fungi be used to reforest the lands cleared by the timber industry, or enhance the propagation efforts of a christmas tree farmer, or a food forest farmer - hazelnuts, pecans and chestnuts? Miss Jarvis will answer all of these questions and more in her discussion of Truffles.

Workshop designed to provide both experienced microscope users and those new to microscopy with the skills and knowledge necessary to use a compound microscope as a tool in fungal identification. The workshop will begin with a lecture and review of the microscopic characters that are commonly used to identify fungi, and will proceed into hands-on demonstrations on how to properly use a compound light microscope. The remainder of the workshop will consist of directed activities designed to teach the participants how to properly view and identify fungi using a microscope and identification keys, as well as ample time to explore the diversity of fungi available. All materials, identification keys and other pertinent literature will be provided. Drop-ins welcome permitting space. Class is co-taught with Michael Wood.

Using fungi and lichen dyed wool, this class will explore the process of using a resist to create a felted hat. Participants can choose from project designs that can be whimsical, practical, or somewhere in-between. This introduction to wet felting class is a great jump off point for creating many beautiful and functional felted items.

Come make a mushroom night light! Using wood and clay we will make a rustic bedside lamp with light up LED mushrooms.

Else will discuss the processes and requirements for documenting new species of fungi.

Plants parasitizing fungi? You heard it right! Mycoheterotrophic plants have evolved very unique strategies to acquire carbon and other nutrients from mycorrhizal associations. Come explore the weird, wild and wonderful behaviors as well as the bizarre and breathtaking forms these plants have taken on as a result of their unique life histories.

We will check the results from the Saturday DNA workshop of our PCR amplification using Gel Electrophoresis and discuss the process of data analysis using NCBI BLAST

From microdosing to macrodosing, amazing science showing the fantastic health benefits to our body, mind, and psyche is rapidly emerging. We will review the best literature and then Dr. Hobbs will turn to growing, sourcing, extracting, safety and dosing magic mushrooms from the genus Psilocybe.

Much like us humans, fungi can fart. In other words, 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 two questions: Why should we care about VOCs? What is known about VOCs from fungi, and how do other living things deal with those farts? She will end with some of her recently acquired postdoc data on whether funky fungal farts impact bacteria that live on plant roots!

Imagine the future of fungi conservation: every foray collection is vouchered and sequenced, several thousand fungal species are on the endangered species list, and households receive weekly updates from trusted organizations that paint data visualizations about the phenology of their local funga. What if every person knew how to track fungal biodiversity on their land throughout the seasons? What if high schoolers had fungal DNA sequencing as a regular class activity? What if people were paid to collect fungi outside of universities? Join Sigrid Jakob, President of New York Mycological Society, and Gabriela D'Elia, Director of Fungal Diversity Survey, to inoculate our dream together.

Come learn about the basic nutritional and medicinal properties of mushrooms. Why they matter in your life and the forms in which you can ingest them daily. There will be a discussion about mushrooms as food and a bit on cooking mushrooms. A variety of mushrooms will be discussed.

Mushrooms of the Equadorian rain forest

Hands on workshop using blocks to create patterns on silk or cotton and mushroom dyes. Each participant will be supplied with one scarf.

Learn the basics of working with cyanotypes, an early photographic process, by making notecards, postcards and a fabric tote bag. Images will be mushroom-themed on pre-coated light sensitive paper/fabric which we will expose to the sun and then set the image with water. We will also explore the history and some optional techniques. Your "mushroom blueprints" will have white silhouettes on a lovely prussian blue background; the process can be predictable, but also offer results with "happy accidents".

After viewing the collections table, come sketch and carve your favorite mushrooms on linoleum blocks for printing cards and tea towels to remind you of SOMA Camp! All of the tools required will be provided, as well as ink, card stock and tea towels. We'll also have a selection of pre-carved printing blocks available for inspiration, printing practice and greater design variety. (Kristen Blizzard co-teacher) 

Participants will make their own mushroom bags to take home and fruit. John will demonstrate how you can grow oyster mushrooms at home on pasteurized straw. Timing is open between 2:00PM and 4:00PM

Have you ever wondered how you can add the acorns you see on your fall fungal field trips to your plate? In this hands-on class you will participate in processing acorns into an edible dish. Learn how gather, shell, leach and cook with this abundant traditional forest food.

A rather cheeky ride through some of the ways eating mushrooms every day can transform the corporate narrative to health, wellness, farming, medicine, food and environmental restoration and protection. The facts and science is clear, growing and eating fungi can transform our lives for the better.

At first glance, mycoheterotrophic plants don’t seem like plants at all. Often without any green parts, and thus lacking the ability to photosynthesize, they are arguably some of the most beautiful, bizarre and intriguing members of kingdom Plantae. They have evolved unique strategies to acquire carbon and other nutrients through intricate and “sneaky” symbioses with fungi. Come explore these fascinating plant-fungal relationships as well as the kaleidoscopic and utterly spellbinding forms mycoheterotrophic plants have embodied as a result of their distinctive life histories. Taye will focus on the species that grow in California so you can seek out these mind-boggling beauties on your next adventure!

Overwhelmed by all the "mushroom products" out there? Want to know what to look for and what makes effective medicine? Whether you are on the fence, buying in stores or interested in making your own, come join us to grok the intersections of fungal biochemistry, the functional mushroom space and best practices. Ryath will also elaborate on common commercial products, extraction methods, and lesser known uses of mushrooms for being well!

This presentation reviews how we learn about which mushrooms are edible and which might harm us. We then explore some of the more common myths about toxic mushrooms, including recently indicted species such as angel wings, man-on-horseback, the neurological effects of morel gluttony, the inherent dangers of foraging and others.

Basic felt construction, colored with mushroom dyed wool. Make a sample that can be used as a wall hanging, bag, book cover etc, 

There are amazing beneficial fungi that promote the healthiest roots of native and ornamental plants. Nearly all plants, especially trees, need this symbiotic relationship for superior growth. The seminar will explain what the relationship is (called mycorrhizal association), where in the roots it happens, how to promote it, how it increases yields and whether-or-not purchased inoculants are needed.

A brief discussion of the nature, identity, and human culture of popular edible truffles, featuring European and West Coast species.

Basic felt construction, colored with mushroom dyed wool. Make a sample that can be used as a wall hanging, bag, book cover etc, 

Scholarship winner - 2018,2017

Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) is the longest living organism on the planet, with lifespans upwards of 5,000 years. Their scattered populations occupy a narrow habitat within arid, subalpine mountains in the Great Basin region of the Western United States. Bristlecone pines depend on mycorrhizal fungi for their growth and recruitment, although little is known about the identity and ecology of these fungi. Plants within these high elevation regions are particularly threatened by climate change. With warming temperatures and precipitation changes, an upslope migration of bristlecone pine juveniles has been observed establishing above treeline, the transition zone between montane forests and treeless alpine regions. Limber pine (Pinus flexilis), a subalpine tree species, is also colonizing above treeline and at a greater rate than bristlecone pine where their ranges overlap in the White Mountains of California. Species differences in dispersal and establishment could greatly affect community composition and persistence. Mycorrhizal fungi are also likely critical in determining species range shifts under climate change in these imperiled pine groves. The composition, distribution, and longevity of bristlecone pine mycorrhizal communities, however, were largely unknown until this study.

During this presentation I will give general, introductory information about mycoremediation, which is the use of fungi to degrade or isolate contaminants in the environment. Contaminants where mycoremediation is applicable include oil, heavy metals, endocrine disrupting chemicals, dye effluent, cigarette butts, radiation and bacteria. Fungi are able to break down chemicals by either extracellular oxidation or intracellular initial attack. Fungi have specialized enzymes for decomposition. These enzymes are not substrate specific, so are useful in many applications. Some examples that I would discuss include growing Pleurotus ostreatus for oil remediation and Trametes versicolor use in treating endocrine disrupting chemicals. I would present with power point slides.

Journey to the northern extent of the Pacific Coast Rainforest! This presentation will cover the rich coastal forests of Alaska and their colorful fungal inhabitants.

Just another test

Paul will discuss his research involving Psilocybin and Hericium and their abilities to aide in the formation of new neural pathways in our brains.

Experienced Dyers are invited to bring their own washed and mordanted protein fibers to use the leftover dyes from the weekend classes and mushrooms brought in from the forays. Please limit to five 1 oz. wool skeins and/or silk scarves.

Come here Paul Stamets speak about his current work and his lifelong work in the field of mycology. Paul is the author of Mycelium Running.

Paul will discuss how polypore extracts help bees survive.

Making Scents of Fungi, from Stench to Perfume If you've ever gone on a walk with an old-time mushroom picker, you've probably noticed that they often lift mushrooms to their noses as soon as they pick them... Why is that? Besides being intriguing, alluring, and surprising, aromas can be extremely important clues for identification. Come take an olfactory tiptoe through the world of fungi!

Hawai'i is home to a high number of rare endemic species of plants, insects, birds, etc. Mushrooms are no exception, yet have received relatively less attention & scientific work to the other organisms here. Since the publication of "Mushrooms of Hawai'i" in 2002 by Don Hemmes & Dennis Desjardin, many questions have been posed & little to no additional follow-up work has been done. Unfortunately, no institution, academia or otherwise, is dedicated to studying these rare, and in many cases, endangered fungi. All the while, the arrival of introduced species is occuring. This talk explores what we know about the mushrooms of Hawai'i, but more importantly, what we don't!

It has been estimated that indigenous Mexicans consume about 300 species of edible mushrooms country-wide throughout its eight climate regions, one of the most climate diverse countries in the world. All of Mexico’s climates are found in the Southern State of Oaxaca.

Despite its inclusion geographically in North America, the country of Mexico is quite foreign when compared to the US and Canada in its attitudes toward mushrooms and mushroom foraging. The difference, even more pronounced in Oaxaca, is more than just a language barrier, though that plays a significant role: despite Spanish being the dominant language, there are more than 15 official languages and dozens of dialects spoken throughout this state alone.

More than half of the political regions in Oaxaca are self-governed autonomous democracies. This governance naturally extends into a sustenance-based relationship to the land itself–land that has been continuously occupied in some places by the same people for over 12,000 years. There are no mushrooms picking permits: nothing can be removed from the land–nor even access granted–without express permission of the community.

In this presentation, Chef Zachary Mazi attempts to tackle the barriers in understanding this delicate relationship, and discuss the intricate web of food-life-forest-community that underlies the unique management of these diverse and incredible ethnomycological regions whose wisdom holds so much potential for learning for the rest of North America."

Shibori is a Japanese tie-dye technique and the Dead Man’s Foot mushroom produces a coppery brown color that can be darkened with an iron mordant.

Fungimental Mycophagy--A sophisticated look at the basics of eating wild mushrooms

Mushrooms are having their time in the popular imagination right now, with a surge in their marketing, their use, innovations using mycelium, as well as a burgeoning mycotourism industry. Join Zachary as he unpacks his last 5 years of leading mushroom tours and living in Mexico, and explores the possibilities of what comes next.

George Riner and other expert ID folks will discuss the finds at SOMA Camp. All are welcome to ask questions and participate in discussion.

Gourmet Mushrooms Inc (aka Mycopia) has been a consistent and extremely generous donor to SOMA.  Justin Reyes, President of SOMA, and Director of Sales and Marketing for Mycopia Mushrooms, will give a tour of the Gourmet Mushrooms operation.  A fun thing to do on your way out of Camp!  Check out their website at www.mycopia.com for new and interesting information about mushrooms!

Tour starts at 1:30pm at the Mycopia growing facility, 2901 Gravenstein Hwy North, Sebastopol, CA 95472 (about 30 mins from CYO).  Please make sure you are fully checked out of cabins at CYO before attending this tour.  PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER IF YOU HAVE TAKEN THIS TOUR BEFORE.