Most people will have seen some of the striking bright purple, red, green and yellow mushrooms in the Cortinarius genus. Our local Cortinarius expert, mycologist Beau Picking completed his masters degree untangling many of the different species in the Genera which he will discuss in this one hour talk. These talks are fundraisers for the Wild Fungi DNA project. Any donation is very much appreciated. http://myco.org.au/wild-dna-project/ An email with the zoom link will be sent out at 6:15pm, and the talk will start at 6:30pm AEST. This is to prevent zoom bombing. Please download and install zoom before hand. About the speaker: "I have been interested in mycology since my honours in 2009. Since then I have also undertaken a masters specialising in Mycological taxonomy which I finished in 2017. While I don't get to do as much mycology as I would like I do teach Biology and Botany at the University of Melbourne, and my students can always be sure that I will bring up fungi, even when I'm supposed to be teaching them about something else. My main mycological interests are taxonomy and co-evolution of plant fungi interactions, and I need to get better at my field identification skills. My masters used the huge number of herbarium collections of Cortinarius species and molecular methods to detect and delimit species within the Splendidi sub-genus. Which was previously the genus Dermocybe."

With this beginners introduction to mushroom foraging and identification, you can learn how to safely identify and forage for edible varieties that grow in Victoria. Natasha will teach you about many different types of fungi, presenting specific profiles on some of Victoria’s edible as well as toxic species, as well as discuss mushroom anatomy, their life cycle and other identification features - all to help you build your knowledge on the wonderful world of mushrooms. All profits go towards citizen-science projects such as the Wild Fungi DNA project.

Tickets available here http://tdy.cl/se/8k4j1C8 Fungi are an essential part of the environment as plant-symbiotes, nutrient-cyclers, decomposers and food for animals. Fire affects fungi by changing the soil structure, nutrient availability and other aspects of the environment. Some fungi are adapted to fire and it can even be a trigger for fruiting. However other fungi do not survive fire and this can have a long term impact on the environment. Dr Sapphire McMullan-Fisher has extensive experience as a field mycologist and ecologist, including researching the impact of fire on fungi. She is currently researching the endangered Tea Tree Fingers and working on Fungi4Land, a practical guide for land managers working with fungi. This event is a fundraiser for the non-profit projects Fungi4Land and the Wild Fungi DNA project. We are asking for a recommended donation of $25, however all donations are appreciated. Once you sign up you should receive a ticket. We will email out Zoom links the day of the event. Please download Zoom ahead of time. https://funfungiecology.com/fungi-for-land/ http://myco.org.au/wild-dna-project/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261411714_Fungi_and_fire_in_Australian_ecosystems_A_review_of_current_knowledge_management_implications_and_future_directions

Culturing fungi on agar is a fundamental part of the mushroom growing process. Using agar you can grow mushrooms from spores, clone store bought and wild mushrooms, develop new strains of mushrooms and inoculate and grow contaminant free jars and bags of fungi to fruit. This online workshop will cover all the basics of using agar including media preparation, sterile technique, peroxide agar (kitchen tek) and working in a glove box or flow hood. The workshop will be conducted over Zoom. We will email out the invite link just before the workshop. Please download Zoom before hand. Tickets can be purchased here http://tdy.cl/se/u9_7hNc All profits go to support citizen science projects such as Wild Fungi DNA http://myco.org.au/wild-dna-project/

As part of the Wild Fungi DNA project, MYCOmmunity will be hosting a series of free online educational workshops explaining the science behind the project. If you are interested in being involved these events are good place to start. This workshop is the third in the series. - What is the MinION portable DNA sequencer and how does it work? - How we plan to use the MinION to search for fungal DNA in the environment If you need a refresher on how DNA or eDNA works please check out the first video on the series "Introduction to environmental DNA". https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x6n9NU_noKbFSOy2JGl2YrAS2RopZ9Vn/view?usp=sharing The second video "Practical eDNA and barcoding methods is also available: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RWblcP3Sda6TSuC3Q4P4pzgDRV64XSJH/view?usp=sharing Attendees will be emailed a Zoom link and password before the event. If you don't recieve a ticket soon after signing up it means your ticket hasn't gone through and we don't have your email. If this happens try again or contact us on mycommunity.amllab@gmail.com You will need to download Zoom before the meeting The workshop is at Melbourne Australia time (GMT+10)

As part of the Wild Fungi DNA project, MYCOmmunity will be hosting a series of free online educational workshops explaining the science behind the project. If you are interested in being involved these events are good place to start. This workshop is the second in the series. Topics include: - Using DNA barcodes to identify fungi - Developing Environmental DNA methods to search for fungi This workshop is suitable for people who have some understanding of how DNA barcoding and environmental DNA work. For beginners, please watch the video of the previous workshop first in order to catch up: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x6n9NU_noKbFSOy2JGl2YrAS2RopZ9Vn/view?usp=sharing The workshop will be on April 20 at 6pm (GMT+10) Melbourne, Australia time. You will need to download zoom before the event. Tickets available here http://tdy.cl/se/66oE_uQ If a ticket does not come through it means we haven't received your email address so you will need to try again. Please email mycommunity.amllab@gmail.com if you are having problems signing up.

NOTE: EVENT FINISHED - the event has already finished however if you sign up we will send you a link to a recording of the event soon. As part of the Wild Fungi DNA project, MYCOmmunity will be hosting a series of free online educational workshops explaining the science behind the project. If you are interested in being involved these events are good place to start. This workshop is the first in the series and is suited to beginners incuding people with no science background. Topics include: - How DNA works - What is DNA barcoding and how does it help us identify different species? - How environmental DNA can be used to track endangered species - How citizen-scientists can use these DNA technology Attendees will be emailed a Zoom link and password before the event.

Tickets available at: http://tdy.cl/se/OlpZtZw Learn the basics of growing fungi for food or bio-remediation. This beginners workshop will focus on methods that don’t require expensive equipment or a science background. At the end of the workshop everyone will leave with a mushroom grow bag, grain spawn, and agar and liquid cultures of several different species to grow at home. Saturday April 4th, 2:15-5:15pm (arrive 2pm) at Bioquisitive, 124 Weston St, East Brunswick (enter via back of building at 8 Phillip St). Prices are $100 full or $50 concession. MYCOmmunity is a non-profit organisation aiming to make scientific education and resources available to citizen mycologists. Profits go to citizen science projects. For more information contact mycommunity.amllab@gmail.com

Tickets available here: http://tdy.cl/se/nSmGcZY 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. For more info email mycommunity.amllab@gmail.com

Tickets available here: http://tdy.cl/se/HrSH2VU 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.

A working bee at Luscombe Community Gardens to help them with their mushroom patch and an indoor grow.