SLOW MUSHROOMING

Fungi are diverse, delicious and sometimes deadly. With interest in foraging for wild food on the rise, learning to accurately identify fungi reduces both poisoning risk to humans and harm to the environment.

Developing the skills to find fungi requires slowness, not speed. The workshop will focus on assisting participants to identify a few edible species thoroughly, rather than many superficially. We will engage multiple senses to examine the major diagnostic features of edible fungi alongside their toxic lookalikes.

We will also follow the principles of ‘ecological foraging’ – an approach based on care, conservation and an understanding of ecosystem dynamics.

Following an interactive indoor identification session around a specimen table we will then head to a private property to search for fungi.

Please note that no fungi will be collected during this event.

Further workshops can be viewed at this link.

DATE: SUNDAY 19 MAY 2024

VENUE: Wooragee Hall & Community Centre, 1001 Beechworth-Wodonga Rd, Wooragee VIC 3747, Australia

COST: $45 for Landcare members, $55 for non-members

TIME: 9:30AM–3PM

BOOKINGS

Mushroom Encounters – An Introduction to the Kingdom Fungi

This 4 hour workshop with both theoretical and practical components will introduce participants to the diversity, ecology and curiosities of the Kingdom Fungi, specific to fungi found in the Mansfield region but also within a wider Australian and international context.

It includes a highly interactive session around a specimen display table where participants will get to handle and examine fungi, and learn the basics of fungus identification, fungal ecology, and the natural and cultural history of fungi. Fungal specimens from the local area will be displayed, discussed and examined. The edibility and toxicity of fungi will also be discussed.

We will then head off on an exciting foray through various local habitat types to search for species of interest. Participants will learn to recognise the various diagnostic characteristics used to identify fungi in the field and understand their ecological significance in local ecosystems.

Please note that this workshop is run entirely outdoors so please be sure to dress warmly and bring waterproof clothing.

This workshop is sponsored by Up2Us Landcare Alliance.

Further workshops can be viewed at this link.

DATE: SATURDAY 25 MAY 2024

PLACE: Carters Mill Picnic Area, Sawmill Settlement Vic

TIME: 11am – 3pm

COST: $25 includes lunch (BYO chair)

Please note this event is run entirely outside so please dress warmly.

BOOKINGS

Mushroom Encounters – An Introduction to the Kingdom Fungi

This 4 hour workshop with both theoretical and practical components will introduce participants to the diversity, ecology and curiosities of the Kingdom Fungi, specific to fungi found in the Mansfield region but also within a wider Australian and international context.

It includes a highly interactive session around a specimen display table where participants will get to handle and examine fungi, and learn the basics of fungus identification, fungal ecology, and the natural and cultural history of fungi. Fungal specimens from the local area will be displayed, discussed and examined. The edibility and toxicity of fungi will also be discussed.

We will then head off on an exciting foray through various local habitat types to search for species of interest. Participants will learn to recognise the various diagnostic characteristics used to identify fungi in the field and understand their ecological significance in local ecosystems.

Please note that this workshop is run entirely outdoors so please be sure to dress warmly and bring waterproof clothing.

This workshop is sponsored by Up2Us Landcare Alliance.

Further workshops can be viewed at this link.

DATE: SUNDAY 26 MAY 2024

PLACE: Carters Mill Picnic Area, Sawmill Settlement Vic

TIME: 11am – 3pm

COST: $25 includes lunch (BYO chair)

Please note this event is run entirely outside so please dress warmly.

BOOKINGS

Meeting with Mushrooms – Fungal Ecology & Identification Workshop

Relative to plants and animals, the diversity and significance of fungi is little known. Yet fungi are vital in creating and stabilising soils, nourishing and interconnecting plants, recycling nutrients, retaining and filtering water, restoring environmental damage and essentially underpinning ecosystem health and resilience.

This workshop introduces participants to the diversity of the Kingdom Fungi and the basic principles of fungus identification, including fungi from the various local habitat types and those from further afield.

In addition to the ecological and mycological aspects, we will also discuss cultural and conservation aspects of fungi.

There will be opportunity for participants to examine and handle fungus specimens.

Further workshops can be viewed at this link.

Copies of Alison’s books, The Allure of Fungi , Underground Lovers and Wild Mushrooming will be available for purchase.

WEDNESDAY 5 JUNE 2024

NATIMUK, VIC

VENUE: 62 Main St, Natimuk VIC 3409, Australia

TIME: 10am – 2:30pm

COST: $25- Landcare members, $35- for non-members.

BOOKINGS

UNRULY RENEGADES – Exploring the Fungi of the Surf Coast Shire

Although little known, the roots of almost every plant in the Australian landscape are intimately entwined with fungi. Symbioses are the secret to success in our highly variable climate and nutrient-deficient soils.

Unruly fungal renegades contravene the frameworks we use to understand life. However, they might also inspire the innovative thinking needed to navigate an uncertain future.

Participants will learn the basic skills for identifying fungi and explore the many ways they help ecosystems function. Following an identification session around a specimen table we’ll head to the field for search for fungi.

Further workshops can be viewed at this link.

Copies of Alison’s books, The Allure of Fungi , Underground Lovers and Wild Mushrooming will be available for purchase.

FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2024

TORQUAY, VIC

VENUE: Coastal Forest Lodge, Corner of Forest & Gundrys Roads, Bellbrae (enter off Forest Rd)

TIME: 10am – 4pm

COST: Free for Torquay & District Landcare members, $35- for non-members.

BOOKINGS: Lesley Evans: laevans1@bigpond.com

FOSTERING FUNGI WORKSHOP

How do we restore diverse functions and processes in soils to foster their health and resilience?

How do we rebuild the fungal ecologies that provide the frameworks, foundations and interconnectivities vital to functioning ecosystems?

This highly interactive and hands-on workshop begins around a specimen table where you’ll become familiar with a great variety of different fungi. We’ll then head to the forest to explore fungus-plant-soil interactions and their role in soil restoration and remediation.

Further workshops can be viewed at this link.

Copies of Alison’s books, The Allure of Fungi , Underground Lovers and Wild Mushrooming will be available for purchase.

SATURDAY 15 JUNE 2024

TORQUAY, VIC

VENUE: Coastal Forest Lodge, Corner of Forest & Gundrys Roads, Bellbrae (enter off Forest Rd)

TIME: 10am – 4pm

COST: Free for Torquay & District Landcare members, $35- for non-members.

BOOKINGS: Lesley Evans: laevans1@bigpond.com

Mushroom Rendezvous

Fungi appear in all manner of guises from mushrooms to puffballs, to corals, to jellies and even kookier forms.

As we wander through the diverse habitat types of the Coastal Forest Lodge bushland, we’ll explore and examine a great range of fungi.

Participants will learn the basics of finding and identifying fungi and their
associations with plants and animals.

Don’t forget to bring along your camera or magnifying glass.

Free for Torquay & District Landcare members, $15 for non-members.

Refreshments provided. Limited to 15 participants.

Further workshops can be viewed at this link.

Copies of Alison’s books, The Allure of Fungi , Underground Lovers and Wild Mushrooming will be available for purchase.

SUNDAY 16 JUNE 2024

TORQUAY, VIC

VENUE: Coastal Forest Lodge, Corner of Forest & Gundrys Roads, Bellbrae (enter off Forest Rd)

TIME: 10am – 12pm

COST: Free for Torquay & District Landcare members, $15 for non-members.

BOOKINGS: Lesley Evans: laevans1@bigpond.com