The next SVIMS meeting.
Pacific Forestry Centre,
March 5, 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Andrew Claassen is a mycologist, naturalist, forest ecologist, educator, musician, and public speaker based in Northern California. Claassen is known for his expertise in identifying and studying California mushrooms. He has contributed significantly to understanding North American fungal species through documenting, collecting, discovering, and researching mushrooms in the region’s diverse habitats, particularly through work on montane and coastal wetland habitats.
He is a co-founder and vice president of the Mount Shasta Mycological Society and was formerly a collection specialist for the FunDis (North American Fungal Diversity Survey) California Project. He is now is operating as a collection specialist for Mycota Lab and Shasta Spore Lab.
Claassen maintains an active presence in the mycological community through the iNaturalist and social media platforms where he shares his work.
Talk Description: Join mycologist Andrew Claassen for an in-depth exploration of one of mycology’s most fascinating frontiers: the specialized fungi that inhabit water-scarce and transitional moisture environments. This presentation delves into the remarkable world of seeps, springs, meadows, and bogs, where unique fungal communities have evolved extraordinary adaptations to survive in conditions that challenge conventional understanding of fungal habitat requirements. This presentation offers both experienced foragers and research focused mycologists an opportunity to expand their understanding of habitat ecology, trophic cycling, substrate chemistry, mycorrhizal networks, and the effect of specialized fungi on ecosystem health.
