CMS Virtual Meeting – May 20, 2020
- When: Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at 7:00 pm
- Where: Online Event – CMS Youtube Channel (click to set a reminder)
Join Roo for an exciting adventure into one of the last unlogged watersheds in western Ecuador to document the rich biodiversity that is threatened by mining. He and his international team of researchers have just returned from a National Geographic funded expedition into the heart of the cloud forest to help describe its wonders. Roo will share background on the fungal biodiversity of the region (with notes on other kingdoms and a special focus on the genus Xylaria), highlight preliminary findings from this recent adventure, and discuss current and future challenges for preserving this part of the planet. Expect beautiful images of wonderful organisms!
Dr. Roo Vandegrift, producer of the forthcoming documentary film Marrow of the Mountain, is a queer scientist and illustrator. He received his doctorate in mycology (the study of mushrooms and fungi) from the University of Oregon’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution, doing much of his dissertation work on the ecology of fungi at Los Cedros, in Ecuador. He has published peer-reviewed research in internationally acclaimed journals such as Microbiome, Biotropica, and the Journal of Tropical Conservation Science. Most recently, he was awarded a National Geographic Explorer grant to coordinate a multi-disciplinary, international expedition to expand knowledge of the biodiversity at the Los Cedros Biological Reserve.
