Wild Rivers Mushroom Festival

Over 200 Wild Mushroom Varieties on Display + Vendors + Food & Brew + Expert Lectures + ID Hikes
One of the highlights of the Wild Rivers Mushroom Festival is our huge display, with over 200+ varieties of wild mushrooms that are locally collected and identified for you. Those who have attended our festival in the past are always in awe of the sheer number and diversity of wild mushrooms our team gathers for this display!

$5.00 General Admission gets you in the door for one or both days, while kids 12 and under get in FREE!  

Mushroom Identification Hikes
Join local & regional experts. Multiple mushroom ID hikes will be scheduled each day.  Hikes are limited to approximately 15 people.

Workshops and Lectures
Workshops and lectures include cooking/tasting/preserving demos, mushroom identification and foraging lectures, and MORE!

Schedule:

10:30 - 11:45: Unlocking Hidden Foraging Spots: Advanced Techniques for Mushroom Hunters - Jeremy Collison

Cost: $20

Learn about the techniques Jeremy Collison uses to find new mushroom foraging spots using a variety of tools and data. This talk will cover how to use weather, forest ecology, topology, and other information to discover new areas for mushroom hunting.

Jeremy will provide practical examples, tips on documenting finds, and essential safety guidelines for navigating unfamiliar forests. Additionally, he will share strategies for discovering hidden spots that others might overlook. Whether you’re a seasoned forager or a beginner, this presentation will equip you with the knowledge to enhance your mushroom hunting adventures.

Jeremy Collison is the founder of Salish Mushrooms, where he leads mushroom tours and offers both online and in-person classes on mushroom identification and cultivation. He has presented for mushroom clubs around the Pacific Northwest and hosts student programs from elementary to high school. Jeremy spent 5 months hiking much of the Pacific Crest Trail, documenting nearly all of his mushroom finds from Southern California to Washington.

12:15 - 1:30: Mushroom Bioregions of The United States - Christian Schwarz

Biogeography is one of the most fascinating topics in all of natural history. The basic question is simple: Where do organisms live?

In this talk with Christian Schwarz,, we'll explore broad bioregions of the United States from the perspective of mushrooms. From the chilly and damp temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest to the subtropical hardwood hammocks of Florida; from the arid interior deserts to the alpine crest of the Rocky Mountains, you'll take a tour of some of the country's distinct macrofungal communities.

Christian Schwarz teaches Natural History of Fungi and Introduction to Community Science through the Norris Center at UCSC, and is the author, along with Noah Siegel, of  Mushrooms of Cascadia, a Comprehensive Guide to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest,

The duo's newest book is being touted as  a book for every mushroomer, beginners and professionals alike, and is scheduled to be released on September 1, 2024. Christian hopes to have copies of Mushrooms of Cascadia for sale during the festival, and will be signing books both days.

2:00 - 3:15: Grow Your Own...Mushrooms, That Is! - Charlie Bruder

Cost: $20

Learn ways of growing native mushrooms at home and in your home garden. This talk will explore different cultivation techniques from around the world, while teaching you how to grow mushrooms for your benefit and for the benefit of the environment. You will also learn how fungi may help plants grow, and how they can improve your soil quality.

Charlie Bruder is currently pursuing an education in mycology and microbiology, and is committed to applying these sciences to advancing the methodology of regenerative agricultural systems.

Taking special interest in soil microbiota, and deeply troubled by the state of modern agriculture, Charlie is interested in researching how fungal dominance in soil microbial communities may play a role in decreasing synthetic fertilizer application and increasing organic matter in commercial agricultural systems.

Charlie is also passionate about permaculture design, and exploring the cultivation of native fungi. For more about him, visit CharlieBruder.com.

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