Bay Area Mycological Society

01/07/2026

In case there’s confusion, there will be no mushroom fair at Point Reyes this year. Staff shortages.

12/05/2025

There are nearly a dozen death cap ingestions in the Bay Area, especially immigrant communities in the Salinas area. Be careful out there. This is a big year for Amanita phalloides.

The Bay Area Mycological Society is a group of mushroom enthusiasts, based in the East Bay, dedicated the art and science of wild mushrooms. We sponsor local mushroom walks, meet at UC Berkeley, and participate in the Yosemite fungal survey.

10/08/2025

Hello CA Mushroom Hunters with a Geeky side!

Tonight BAMS is hosting a meeting with Dutch PhD student, Veerie van Winden and Dr. Brent MIschler, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Integrative Biology and former Director of the University and Jepson Herbaria, to discuss the possibility of a CA field mycology project similar to one now occuring in Norway. Everyone is welcome to contribute, amateurs and professionbals, with field data put up on iNat.
Veerie's project focuses on the spatial phylogenetic diversity of the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota in Norway. Using online observations, such as those logged on iNaturalist by professionals and amateurs, species occurrences are mapped across the country. Instead of simply counting species in a location, the team evaluates how closely related they are evolutionarily. This approach provides a more nuanced understanding of diversity. For example, a field of ten closely related mushrooms from one genus may be less diverse than one containing five species from different families or genera.Veerle and her team are hoping to develop a similar spin-off study in California. Because such a project would be impossible without contributions from local mycologists, both professional and amateur, it would be wonderful to collaborate with BAMS (and other clubs, of course) to raise awareness and enthusiasm for the project.
Doors open at 7:30, meeting starts at 8. Bring along mushrooms if you want IDs or want to share your finds with others. And bring along your question about the project!
All are welcome. BAMS events are always free and open to the public.
Details on where to meet on the UC Berkeley campus are here:

https://www.bayareamushrooms.org/calendar.html

Hope to see you there!
Debbie Viess and David Rust, BAMS Co-Founders

08/28/2023

Hello Fellow Fungiphiles!
David and I are beyond pleased to be able to host an exclusive Bay Area engagement with Dr. Justine Karst, a Canadian scientist and mycorrhizae researcher. She worked with Suzanne Simard in some of the research on this topic, but they diverged in the interpretation of results.
Justine is keenly intelligent, personable, and a great seeker of truth, no matter whose toes she might step on.
The concept of the Wood Wide Web resonated with many people, who already felt as though they believed that the natural world was a harmonious and friendly place (as opposed, of course, to many human societies). Initial findings, already personified by Simard, were seized upon by the popular press, and spun into mythology.
Please join us tonight for a sober analysis of the collected data, and the reinforcement of the importance of critical thinking.
Doors open at 7:30 pm. BAMS meeting begins at 8 pm. We will be back in Koshland Hall at our old meeting site at UC Berkeley, Rm. 338, just down the hall from the old Bruns lab. Entry through the inner courtyard only.
Bring along fungi if you have them.
See you there!
Debbie Viess and David Rust
Illustration for attention from the Rainbo World Website.

06/12/2023

BAMS Meeting
Debbie Viess | Australia 2023: FUNGA, flora and fauna
1002 Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley
June 21, 2023 | Wednesday | 7:30 – 9:30

A whirlwind tour of mostly mushrooms, from the East coast of Australia to the West, and down to the island of Tasmania.
Collaborating with mycologists across the Australian states, Debbie brings an up close and personal view of the amazing biota of Oz. Travel with her to the magical land Down Under, and see some of these wonders for yourself!

Location: 1002 Valley Life Sciences Building. Doors open at 7:30; Meeting starts promptly at 8:00.

If you've found mushrooms you'd like to identify, bring those along. Entrance to VLSB is on northwest entrance, under the staircase.

02/20/2023

BAMS meeting this Thursday with Peter Pellitier, postdoc in the Peay Lab at Stanford:

Peter Pellitier: A functional traits perspective on the mycorrhizal symbiosis
1002 Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley
February 23, 2023 | Thursday | 7:30 – 9:30

Pellitier is broadly interested in the functional biogeography of fungal communities, determinants of fungal community assembly and the role of symbiotic fungi in plant response to climate change. Peter bridges fungal genetics and ecosystem ecology using metagenomic approaches, and also employs large scale field surveys in the tropics and boreal forest to address fungal community response to global change.

01/07/2023

Some of you may be thinking this wimpy storm was why the fungus fair was canceled? But the weather in west Marin is different. Most of the main roads in the park are closed due to downed trees and flooding, and I’ve been told there’s no electricity at the visitor center. Stay safe.

01/04/2023

OK, folks. You should know that due to weather concerns -- falling trees, flooding -- that Point Reyes National Seashore has cancelled both the Saturday collecting walk and the Sunday Fungus Fair. We'll try again next year.

10/22/2022

Debbie Viess: “Toxic Fungi of North America, with an emphasis on California species
1002 Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley
October 26, 2022 | Wednesday | 7:30 – 9:30

The next BAMS meeting is coming right up. This engaging and detailed talk, first developed for an advanced biology/chemistry class at a private East Bay high school, provides a synopsis of mushroom poisonings in California and North America, including species involved, reasons for ingestions, symptoms, treatments and preventions.

Come learn about what NOT to eat if you forage for fungi in California!

Same location as last month. More info and directions here:
https://bayareamushrooms.org/calendar.html