Tickets available here: http://tdy.cl/se/wbcEjIU Citizen-mycologists play a vital role in collecting data for conservation and protection of threatened fungi. In this workshop you will learn how to use the iNaturalist app to report sightings of fungi as well as have them identified. You will find out how the information is used to help set conservation priorities and protect endangered fungi. You will also learn how to access the information yourself using the Atlas of Living Australia. Presenting the workshop will be Caine Barlow who completed his Masters in Bioinformatics assisting with the IUCN Red-Listing of endangered fungi. Please download the iNaturalist app: https://www.inaturalist.org prior to your arrival (but if you are having trouble downloading the app, have no fear we can give you a hand on the day). Limited street parking on Weston and St Phillip St, there is an under-ground carpark located opposite 124 Weston Street, Brunswick East Dress warmly as this workshop is located in a warehouse & the space can get quite cold  

This is a paid event. Tickets can be found here http://tdy.cl/se/o51SUoM   DIY Gourmet Mushroom Cultivation - Warragul September 21, 10am-5pm Warragul community house, 138 normanby st, warragul. http://www.warragulcommunityhouse.org.au/ This 1 day course will give you all the skills you need to start growing gourmet mushrooms indoors and out. You will learn basic cultivation methods along with how you can work fungi into a permaculture system. The course is focused on ways to grow mushrooms that don’t require expensive equipment or scientific knowledge, but we will also discuss more advanced growing techniques. Included in the day will also be some scrumptious food catered by Tash Can Cook. Participants will enjoy a gourmet lunch and afternoon tea treats made by Natasha. Hot beverages such as tea and coffee will also be available. Topics covered include: - The biology and ecology of fungi - Growing mushrooms on cardboard and recycled paper pellets - Agar and liquid culture - Indoor growing methods - Outdoor mushroom beds - Mushroom logs - Integrating fungi with your garden You will go home with: - An oyster mushroom grow bag - Oyster mushroom grain spawn - Shiitake inoculated dowels that can be used to grow your own shiitake log - Liquid and agar cultures of several different edible and medicinal species   About your teachers Natasha Vorogushin’s interest in foraging, sustainable living and permaculture has deeply influenced her career path, spawning Tash Can Cook as a culinary service provider, through her love of foraging for edible mushrooms and cooking with fresh seasonal, locally sourced produce. Her infatuation with mushrooms has lead her to become a skilled identifier of wild Victorian mushrooms and has also expanded her knowledge of home mushroom cultivation skills for culinary uses. Combined with a passion to teach, Natasha also guides seasonal edible foraging tours, instructs cooking classes with a wide range of cuisines, and is also a personal chef and caterer. Caine Barlow has been cultivating and studying fungi for 12 years. Having studied mycology at a university level, he is no stranger to spending time in labs but has a preference to creating workspaces within kitchen environments where there can be a little more creativity in basic methods of cloning and propagating mycelium. Caine enjoys modifying existing techniques, experimenting with substrates and hacking together equipment for growing environments, but at the end of the day has a preference for growing outdoors if possible. As a regular contributor, “trusted identifier” and admin on a variety of website forums and facebook groups, Caine aims to encourage learning, show how easy fungi are to grow, and inspire others to see fungi in a new light. Ema Corro started growing mushrooms 6 years ago and quickly became obsessed with fungi. This lead her to complete a biology degree, and she is currently doing Honours researching mycelium composites to create environmentally sustainable products for the transportation and construction industries. Ema has also completed the Permaculture Design Certificate and is involved in a number of environmental and citizen-science organisations through which she has gained hands on experience in land-management and fungal ecology. Ema loves sharing her passion for fungi and is always amazed at how fungi inspire people to care more about the natural world.   MYCOmmunity and BioQuisitive Proceeds raised from ticket sales will help fund citizen science projects with non-profit organisations MYCOmmunity and BioQuisitive. MYCOmmunity is an organisation that aims to provide access to scientific training and equipment for citizen-mycologists, as well as increase community awareness of fungi. BioQuisitive is a DIY biology lab in Melbourne, providing a hub for accessible, community-centred and safe experiences in the life sciences."

Mushroom Microscopy Workshop 2pm Saturday August 31 At Bioquisitive - 124 Weston St, Brunswick East (enter via 8 St Phillip St to the rear of the warehouse) Many mushrooms can't be identified by macro features alone. Using a microscope to view spores and other microscopic features is essential to identifying these kind of fungi. Good quality microscopes have become affordable to amateurs, or they can be used at community science centres such as Bioquisitive. This workshop is suitable for beginners to intermediate. You will learn: - How to use different types of microscopes including compound, stereo, oil immersion lens and camera attachments. - The different parts of the mushroom and how to use them for identification. - Microscopic structures; how to recognise them, what they are and how to use them in identification. - How to prepare slides, including rehydrating dried samples, taking samples from different parts of the mushroom to view different features, using stains, making a spore print, etc. If you have a mushroom you want identified please bring it along! There are also options for doing further tests such as DNA barcoding, which can be discussed with anyone who is interested. There are limited tickets so please book ahead! For info contact mycommunity.amllab@gmail.com

Teaching children about fungi and mushrooms.

The field of mycoremediation is still in its infancy despite many exciting articles published outlining its potential. As such we don’t really understand the extent to which (and maybe never will) fungi may address challenges in industries like agriculture, textiles, building material, energy, waste clean up and more. We hope to inspire those in, and interested in this area to experiment on their own cultures and share their experiences to help grow our understanding on this topic. Supporting you will be local fungi legend Amanda Morglund and MYCOmmunity. Amanda is a speculative material designer, re-fashioning textile waste through a collaboration with fungi. Discarded fibers are woven together with the intermeshing mycelium network of Oyster mushrooms (pleurotus ostreatus) resulting in lightweight, insulating and absorbent mycomaterials. With mycological research, fashion and other industries can begin to re-uptake valuable resources and mitigate damage caused to communities and the environment. Evolving a circular model that grows the health of the ecosystems that support it. Topics covered include: - mycoremediation in the fashion industry - making an oil spill mycoboom out of denim - building a cigarette butt composting terrarium - synthetic dye mycofiltration process You will go home with: - PDF pamphlet on a basic remediation - species guide - an agar plate with fungi to do your own testing MYCOmmunity - Applied Mycology & Learning Lab A public Melbourne based group of fungi enthusiasts looking to promote applied mycology through experimentation, documenting, and skill sharing. It recognizes the power of community in that individuals from a variety of backgrounds all have their own unique experiences with which to share. Supported by BioQuisitive, members will have a unique opportunity to conduct workshops, and experiments at home and in a community laboratory. BioQuisitive is located in warehouse and the space is very cold, so please dress warmly!