CMS Meetings 2025-2026

May 2026 – Jessie Uehling – The fungal collecting and accessioning workflow at the OSU herbarium; an overview and community resources

In this talk Professor Uehling will detail best practices and provide resources for collecting, documenting and preserving macro-fungi, as well as accessioning them in the OSU herbarium. Topics covered will be regional and taxonomic foci of the herbarium, essential metadata to collect and format, necessary resources to support accessioning, and the workflow OSU uses to bring novel collections into the research world via the OSU herbarium..

April 2026 – Kyle Mondron – From Linnemannia with Love: Unraveling the Mating Biology of a Non-Dikaryan Fungus

The Mortierellomycotina (Mucoromycota) are soil-associated fungi that have been isolated from all continents on Earth. These fungi play a role in rescuing plants from stress-associated growth reduction, and are thought to be key recyclers of chitin biomass in the soil. Interestingly, approximately 10%-30% of naturally-occurring isolates harbor bacteria that live as obligate endosymbionts within fungal cells. This symbiotic lifestyle has strong impacts on fungal physiology, and isolates associated with bacterial endosymbionts typically have reduced growth and differential culture morphology from bacteria-free isolates. Critically, bacterial presence is also associated with no sexual spore (zygospore) production, potentially directing the evolutionary trajectory of Mortierellaceae fungi.

Despite sexual compatibility being published since at least the 1970s, major aspects of Mortierellomycotina sexual biology remain unknown. For example, the genetic basis for sexual identity and partner-partner compatibility, the enzymes responsible for producing sexual pheromones (trisporic acids) and pheromone receptors, and germination of zygospores remain unreported. This presentation will focus on how Mortierellomycotina fungi may navigate sexual interactions, using Linnemannia elongata as a model organism for Mortierellomycotina at large, but will not focus heavily on bacterial influence of mating biology. I will discuss on-going work regarding morphological development during sexual interactions, evaluation of a candidate mating-type (MAT) locus for Linnemannia elongata, and potential identification of zygospore germination, highlighting novel approaches and techniques where appropriate and future directions that are planned.

At the request of the speaker – this meeting was not recorded.

March 2026 – Trent Blizzard – Online Mapping Tools for Mushroom Hunting

Online mapping tools and apps like GeoForager, iNaturalist, Gaia, OnX, etc. are incredible resources for mushroom hunting. Navigating the woods or documenting your finds is only the beginning of their usefulness. Explore how mycologists and mushroom hunters gain insights into the habitats, seasonality, range and availability of species like morel, matsutake and porcini. Trent will reference dozens of online tools and focus on a few of the best.

February 2026 – David G Lewis – Reconstructing the Willamette Valley Environment

Dr Lewis presents research into what the environment of the valley was like previous to settler changes. Settlers changed water systems and eliminated fire as a stewardship tool. In addition tribal culture was taken from the valley- tribes placed on reservations with little influence over their lands. This created a new ecosystem, what we have today, based on agriculture. What do new understandings of what the original environment was like bring to our vision of Kalapuya Culture and issues of restoration and conservation?

January 2026 – Aaron Brader – Sincere Religious Use – Psilocybin Mushrooms as Sacrament

Aaron Brader, founder of The Church of the Mushroom, will discuss the considerations of a framework for the sincere religious use of Psilocybin Mushrooms as a core tenet of faith and for its use as a sacrament. Aaron will first take us on a journey through the history of psychedelic use in human civilization. He will then lead us down the path and the learning curve he encountered in founding the Church of the Mushroom as a legitimate and legal church. Lastly, he will share his personal experiences with the indoor cultivation of Psilocybe cubensis and its use, including the benefits of microdosing.

December 2025 – Kate Mohatt – Alaska’s Mushrooms and their Habitats

This presentation by Kate Mohatt will provide a general overview of the vegetation patterns of Alaska, major mushroom habitats, and a selection of common or otherwise interesting species found in those habitats. Kate’s book, Mushrooms of Alaska, is available directly from Timber Press or via third party outlets (Amazon, Target, Barnes and Nobel, REI, local bookstores).

November 2025 – Chef Chad Hyatt – The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen

Join chef and mushroom enthusiast Chad Hyatt as he explores the often-overlooked nuances behind mushroom edibility and culinary use. From challenging conventional wisdom to rethinking flavor pairings, Chad will share insights into the art of cooking with mushrooms. Expect a fresh take on how we judge, prepare, and celebrate mushrooms in the kitchen.

October 2025 – Monica Larcom – Search and Rescue: Staying Safe while Searching for Fungi

This is an excellent interactive video with the audience asking numerous questions about how we as a club and as individuals can prevent getting lost while constantly looking at the ground for mushrooms. Monica Larcom will be discussing best practices for forest and wilderness survival techniques, and how to best not need Search and Rescue Services while mushroom hunting in the Pacific Northwest. She will review a few extended search-survival success stories and how to make the best of a worst-case scenario.

September 2025 – Sandy Patton – What we know about Fungi

Sandy Patton discovered foraging for mushrooms after moving to Eugene in the fall of 2007. No, she is not a mycologist or expert on fungi. But, she does identify as a self-proclaimed fungi evangelist! In this talk, she will give us a glimpse into what she has learned about fungi since joining CMS. As the Co-Editor of the CMS newsletter along with her husband Ron, she receives daily emails of current news on the subjects of mushrooms, fungi, and mycelium. This presentation is a round-up of 10 years of being amazed at the ubiquitous nature of fungi in our ecosystems and our lives.