Author, illustrator and longtime MST member Jan Thornhill won the 2017 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award on Tuesday for her new book The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk. Huge congratulations to Jan!
For further information please contact Joanne Hamblin, MST President at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Received from Gene Kremer, NAMA Great Lakes Region Representative:
The goal of the original North American Mycoflora Project, launched in 2012, is to create the first comprehensive mycoflora of North American macrofungi.
The goals of the citizen science part of the Mycoflora Project, developed for the July 2017 workshop at the Mycological Society of America, are:
Create a two-way flow of information between amateur naturalists and professional scientists to document, analyze, voucher and conserve collections in fungariums on a scale and at a rate unattainable by professionals working on their own.
Harness the enthusiasm of individual amateurs and clubs around the country to do high-quality citizen science, simply and inexpensively, providing them with tools to generate robust biodiversity data.
Document areas with high fungal endemism, to identify areas in need of conservation by:
Helping amateurs create checklists linked to online documentation, vouchers and sequences.
Helping amateurs expand checklists into local mycofloras that include all credible observations posted anywhere, plus synoptic keys, descriptions, and geographic and phenology information.
The NAMA Mycoflora Committee is currently looking for volunteers who are interested in making a difference towards the mycoflora project goals - either as formal members of the committee or as volunteer efforts. Below you will find specific areas we need assistance for this year. If you are interested in pursuing one of these specific areas, please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Areas of need are:
Mycoflora Project Public Launch Working Group We are in need of individuals who will help create and execute a formalized PR plan for traditional and social media channels in the next couple of months. We need help designing a message calendar, creating PR materials, sending releases, and everything else that goes with implementing a major PR push. If you have a background in this area, or know people that do, your help could bring a significant contribution towards this project.
Club Outreach Working Group Throughout this year, we will be working to organize mushroom clubs from across the country to participate in this project. Individuals working towards this goal will get clubs the information they need to participate, arrange speaking slots/workshops for clubs, revise educational materials, and recruit more clubs for the project.
Funding Application Review Working Group For 2018, the NAMA board has allocated funding to sequence 200 collections from NAMA-affiliated clubs. To participate, interested clubs will submit a short application to this committee request dollars from this fund. This working group will develop the standards to judge applications by, develop the application, and rank the merits of individual applications as clubs apply.
Mycoflora Committee Webmaster The NAMA website needs to be updated with NAMP information, procedures, and protocols. We can also always use help with the new NAMP website that is being created.
Fungarium Liaison A large number of fungaria from around the country need to be brought into this program. We are looking for a dedicated individual who would be willing to be the liaison between the Mycoflora Project and these fungaria.
Representative to the NAMA Oregon Foray (October 2018) Next year NAMA has allocated funds to sequence 200 specimens at the annual foray. We are looking for an individual to stay abreast of NAMA Oregon foray planning, and work with them (and other interested local organizations) to see if we can develop funding to sequence everything that comes into the foray.
Regional Key Councils Thinking towards the longer term, regional keys will be a vital aspect of the outcomes of the Mycoflora Project. We would like some individuals to start taking a look at what was done in the Pacific Northwest and how this might translate to other areas of the country.
Introduction to Mushroom Identification: Gilled Mushrooms
Given by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Chair of the MST Education Committee
This 3 week course will introduce the basics of mushroom identification for gilled mushrooms and is intended for people with some knowledge of mushrooms who would like to learn a more systematic approach to identification. It will focus on field identification based on macroscopic features. Various identification features will be discussed and the main genera will be described and illustrated with examples of specific mushrooms from each genus. Fresh specimens will also be used to illustrate features and practice identification. PLEASE NOTE: This is a general introduction to the identification of gilled mushrooms and does not specifically focus on edible species.
There are currently 279 places remaining for the September 2018 Introduction to Mushroom Identification course.
The course is available to MST members only and will be limited to 24 participants. Classes will be held at the Toronto Botanical Garden on three evenings from 7:30 to 9:30pm:
Tuesday September 12, 2017
Tuesday September 19. 2017
Tuesday September 26, 2017
Please register by September 1st, 2017. The cost of the course is $30 per person and pre-registration is required. Registration will be checked at the door.
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