Photo © Debbie Viess
The Point Reyes MycoBlitz is an ongoing attempt to document the macrofungi at Point Reyes National Seashore. Through a series of forays spanning several seasons, armies of volunteers, made up of professional and amateur mycologists, collect fungi from all the major plant communities in the park.
The forays have three primary goals:
- Generate as complete a species list as possible for the macrofungi of Pt. Reyes
- Photograph, catalogue, and voucher specimens for future study
- Incorporate these data into the Pt. Reyes National Seashore website
Last year's MycoBlitz Forays were wildly successful. Over 100 people turned out for each event, and we were able to compile a list of 340 mushroom species in the National Park.
Who's participating?
Organized and initiated by David Rust, Dr. Tom Bruns, and Darvin DeShazer, the MycoBlitz is a collaboration between the UC Berkeley Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Point Reyes National Seashore, the Sonoma County Mycological Society, Bay Area Mycological Society, Mycological Society of San Francisco, Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz, and anyone who wants to get in on the action.
Everyone's invited
These forays will be fun, and may lead to more projects at other parks. Dr. Bruns has invited several mycologists from the Pacific Northwest to help with identification. Please join us and learn about fungi, the unique habitats of Pt. Reyes, and have a blast. We've found 438 species so far and need your help to find more! The more folks who participate, the more fungi we can add to the list.
When and where
There will be only one foray during the 2007/2008 mushroom season:
- Saturday, December 29, 2007, 9am-1pm (read last year's report!)
Meet at the Bear Valley Visitor Center auditorium at 9 am. Point Reyes National Seashore is located approximately 35 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 1. You can also reach the park via Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. When you reach Olema at Highway 1, turn right. Go one block north and turn left; follow the signs to the visitor center. Map »
We'll assemble early in the morning, split into groups, and collect fungi from the different parkland habitats until approximately 1pm. We'll then return to the Bear Valley Visitor Center for pre-sorting and a look at what is brought in.
Photographing, drying, and vouchering usually takes place at UC Berkeley over the following days. (Hey, there will be a lot of mushrooms to go through.)
Please note
You may collect edibles during this foray (the park limit is two gallons), but remember, the primary purpose of this event is to produce vouchered records of all macrofungi at the Point Reyes National Seashore.
We hope to provide a pdf file of field labels for you to print before the foray if you want to hunt on your own. Be sure to mark the field label for each collection before you bring the fungi back to the visitor center.
What to bring
Dress for the weather and bring an extra layer of clothing for warmth. Wear sturdy hiking shoes. Don't forget:
- mushroom collecting basket
- tackle box (for small specimens)
- digging tools or a pocket knife
- water
- whistle
- compass
- lunch
All trails in the park are closed to dogs—please leave yours at home for this foray. Wax bags will be provided.
More info
For more info, contact David Rust at incredulis@yahoo.com or 510-468-5014, or visit the BAMS MycoBlitz page. For more info on Pt. Reyes mushrooms, visit their mushroom page.
