Latina Penkova-Linking and Bethany Robson. SVIMS October 1 2026 Meeting.

The Thursday, October 1 2026 SVIMS meeting is a two-fer presentation by a pair of young up-and-coming mycologists currently at the University of Victoria. We meet at Pacific Forestry Centre, 506 Burnside Road West, Victoria. Doors open at 6:30 for 7:00 pm start.

Bethany Robson is a graduate student studying Forest Biology at the University of Victoria. She became fascinated with the intersection between stress physiology in trees and mycology in her undergrad, but her love of forests and fungi started when she was very wee.

When she’s not in the lab, she is running, gardening, cooking, or gaming with her crew. Bethany is also passionate about getting kids into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). She has been the President of the Society for Advancement of Young Scientists since 2023, a non-profit that encourages youth on Southern Vancouver Island to explore the world around them through scientific research.

Presentation

Title: Bucket Chemistry: Using aeroponics to investigate the impact of mycorrhizal fungi on root compounds produced under drought stress

Description: British Columbia is experiencing more frequent drought events, likely due to climate change. Many of our native tree species are not drought tolerant, including Western Redcedar and Bigleaf Maple. Symbiotic (mycorrhizal) fungi reduce drought stress symptoms in many plants, but how and why is not well understood. Plant roots and their mycorrhizae often exude helpful compounds called osmolytes when drought stressed, but these are hard to study because they are produced in an underground environment. In her project, Bethany used a new method–aeroponics–to better understand whether mycorrhizal association in Redcedar and Maple roots improved osmolyte production.

Latina Penkova-Linking is currently completing her Masters at the University of Victoria under the supervision of Dr. Marty Kranabetter and Dr. Barbara Hawkins. She studies fungal enzymes associated with lignin decomposition. During her undergraduate degree, she worked with Dr. Melanie Jones and Dr. Dan Durall, comparing fungal fruiting body communities between an old-growth forest and adjacent clear-cuts 27 years post-harvest.

Her fascination with fungi began long before her research. Growing up in Eastern Europe where mushroom foraging is deeply ingrained in culture and community, she developed a love for exploring forest floors and discovering what grows there. Fungi have remained her greatest curiosity ever since. 

Presentation

Title: Linking Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Species, Manganese Peroxidase Genes, and their Enzymatic Activity in Coastal Douglas-fir Forests.

Description: Forests are some of our most important carbon stores, but what happens beneath the forest floor can determine whether that carbon stays locked away in the soil or is released back into the environment. Fungi are major players in this process. Ectomycorrhizal fungi form partnerships with trees, exchanging nutrients from the soil for carbon produced by their hosts. Traditionally, the work of decomposing dead plant material has been attributed largely to saprotrophic fungi, the forest’s decomposers, while ectomycorrhizal fungi were viewed primarily as nutrient-trading partners of trees. However, growing evidence suggests that some ectomycorrhizal fungi have retained part of the decomposing machinery of their saprotrophic ancestors. This challenges the idea of a clear divide between fungal decomposers and tree symbionts and instead suggests that decomposition ability may exist along a continuum.
 
Latina’s research explores whether certain ectomycorrhizal fungi can help break down tough organic matter, like lignin, using enzymes such as manganese peroxidase. Working in coastal Douglas-fir forests on southern Vancouver Island, she combines DNA sequencing with enzyme assays to investigate which ectomycorrhizal fungi are potential enzyme producers and what genes associated with decomposition they possess. 

Salt Spring foray by SVIMS members May 2, 2026

On May 2nd, 2026, members of Mushroom Enthusiasts of Salt Spring Island and South Vancouver Island Mycological Society conducted a mycoblitz in Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park in the Southern Gulf Islands contains wooded Douglas-fir forests, threatened Garry oak trees, rocky shorelines, open grasslands, culturally significant sites (First Nation middens and gathering places), and a number of old and historic farm buildings. 

The event was organized by Vail Paterson, and attended by about 20 members of the Mushroom Enthusiasts group. Attending from SVIMS were Meagan Kikcio, Andy MacKinnon, Ann McCall, Joseph Kehx McLean, Kem Luther, and Ruth Norfolk.

Because of the unusually dry spring, mushrooms were a bit thin on the ground.

Salt Spring’s Rosemarie Keough produced a detailed and beautiful report of the event that includes photos of the mushrooms found.

September 2026 SVIMS Meeting: Melanie Hess on Foraging

Mushroom Identification  & Foraging
Melanie Hess
 
Thursday, September 3, 2026, Pacific Foresty Centre.
 
Would you like like to understand what you need to know in order to identify your mushrooms more consistently? How about what to forage for, and how and where? 
 
Mel’s talk will empower you to feel more comfortable identifying mushrooms (It takes time, folks!) and what to forage for. 
 
 
Melanie Hess is a BC-born-and-raised, all-around-outdoors woman, mycology enthusiast, local mushroom Identification educator, and forager. She is past-president and multitask volunteer for SVIMS. Mel, educated through long experience, has had the pleasure of learning shroomy tricks and tips from local mycologists and more distant experts. Treasure hunting in the woods is her favorite hobby!  
 

SVIMS Elora Adamson to do NAMA Presentation

SVIMS own Elora Adamson will be co-presenting an online workshop prior to the NAMA Annual Foray in Marquette, Michigan (August 27-30, 2026). The presentation will be on:

Using iNaturalist to Make Fungi Collections

The workshop will focus on using iNaturalist to create high-quality fungal records that can support DNA sequencing and voucher of specimen collections. Participants will learn the basics of using iNaturalist on both mobile devices and computers, along with tips and best practices for uploading observations. The workshop will also cover applications of iNaturalist specific to mycology. 

The workshop will be at 5 pm Pacific time on Monday, July 27, 2026. Workshop is free, but you need to register. More information on the workshop web site.

NAMA Manning Park Foray 2026

NAMA, the North American Mycological Association, hosted its second-ever BC foray at E. C. Manning Park from June 1-4. Many members of SVIMS and VMS were part of the production crew and attenders.

NAMA had not been to BC with a foray event since its 1990 Whistler foray.

BC presenters at the event included Paul Kroeger (the mycologist-in-chief), Andy MacKinnon, Elora Adamson, and Kem Luther. Facilitators included Melanie Hesz, Marshall Archibald, and Aril Yeo.

The main focus of the aptly-named “Similkameen Valley Foray and Feast” was food. There were hands-on culinary workshops, and the evening meals were prepared by several well-known chefs. During the day, some of the participants forayed for morel mushrooms in burn locations near the park.

The science aspect of the event centred around the MycoMap BC Project. About 200 specimens were collected, vouchered, and sent for sequencing.

MycoMap BC coordinators Ann McCall and Elora Adamson at the voucher processing table.

A retrospective video of the foody part of the NAMA foray by chef Julie Schreiber. Video used by permission.

May 7 2026 SVIMS Presentation by Monika Fischer

May 7, 2026 SVIMS Meeting

Talk title: Rising from the ashes: how fungi survive and thrive after fire

Talk description: What happens to an ecosystem when fire sweeps through—and what does that moment look like from the perspective of a fungus? While flames may seem purely destructive, for many fungi, fire is a signal: a sudden opening of opportunity.

In the immediate aftermath, specialized “fire-following” fungi emerge almost overnight. Hidden in the soil as spores or dormant structures, they respond to heat and chemical cues, often growing rapidly through ash and charcoal. These early responders begin breaking down charred material, unlocking nutrients, and reshaping the post-fire environment.

Among them, Pyronema plays a starring role. Often appearing as bright patches on burned ground, it helps jumpstart ecological recovery by stabilizing soils and accelerating nutrient cycling—laying the groundwork for plants and other organisms to return.

Seen through the lens of fungi, fire is not just an ending—it’s the beginning of a dynamic and essential renewal process.

Monika Fischer is the recently appointed Assistant Professor of fungal biology at UBC Vancouver. Research in her labs seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms that mediate fungal interactions and drive ecological processes, especially in the context of fire.

Monika wasn’t always a biologist. Her first passion was food. She was as a chef for several years before she got bit by the fungal bug while working at a farm-to-table restaurant in Washington. A strong desire to understand how fungi interact with each other and their environment propelled her through a biology bachelor’s degree at University of Washington in Seattle and then a microbiology PhD and postdoc at UC Berkeley in California, which is where she started studying the genetics and ecology of fire-adapted fungi. (More on Monika and her students at her lab website.)

Monika is also giving a talk at UVic on the afternoon before her SVIMS talk. SVIMS members are welcome to attend, in person or online. See poster below.

SVIMS Pearson Foray Spring 2026

Twenty-five SVIMS members gathered on a warm and sunny Saturday at the Pearson College parking lot on April 4, 2026, for a mushroom foray on the college’s trail system.

Searchers found about 30 different species. Most of them can be seen on iNaturalist at these links to Kem Luther’s and Andy MacKinnon’s posts. Since the focus was on collecting samples to submit for sequencing to the BC MycoMap project, not all species were recorded on iNaturalist. Among those seen but not recorded were Amanita pantherinoides, Amanita constricta, Trichaptum abietinum, Formitopsis mounceae, and Inocybe palidicremea.

Some of the interesting observations included: (click photo to see the corresponding iNaturalist entry):