BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Denver X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Denver BEGIN:VEVENT UID:82@thenastynaturalist.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260523T070000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260523T160000 DTSTAMP:20260324T171458Z URL:https://thenastynaturalist.com/events/spring-mushrooms-and-lichens-edu cational-program-2/ SUMMARY:Spring Mushrooms and Lichens with Glacier Institute DESCRIPTION:Register with Glacier Institute! \n\nI'm excited to be a guest educator for this course.\n\nThis course will provide a thorough introduct ion to fungi and the role they play in the northern Rockies  ecosystem. W e will study common species of fungi and lichen\, their macroscopic featur es\, spores and  ecological niches. We will look at the ecological role o f fungi in forest ecosystems and the effect mushrooms can have on manageme nt practices. Since spring and fall species are quite different\,  be su re to sign up for our Fall Mushroom course to get a complete mushroom expe rience.\n\nItinerary (subject to change):  We will begin the day at 7 a. m. with questions\, discussions\, and slide viewing throughout  the early morning\, and then depart for prime mushroom habitat near Glacier in the Flathead  National Forest. We will learn to identify and study the comple xities of local mushrooms and search for mushrooms growing in such special ized habitats as melting snow banks and recent  forest burns. We will see k out the different ecological niches- riparian\, sylvan\, and open lands of northern Rockies fungi and we will search to find several species in ea ch site. Students will  get a glimpse of the enormous number of fungi tha t are the source of nutrition for the entire  forest. We will harvest mus hrooms throughout the day and bring them back to Field Camp for  closer v iewing. The final lecture will summarize the groups of fungi\, the  hallm arks of field identification and a summary of the genera covered in class. \n\nFood:  Please bring a trail lunch\, plenty of water\, and snacks for the day.\n\nPark Entrance Fees: Participants are responsible for purchas ing their park entry passes prior to the course. These can be purchased on line at:  https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74280.\n\nEquipment: You will receive a Field Camp gear list once you register. Most importantly ar e  comfortable hiking shoes\, snacks\, water bottle at least 1-2 liters\, backpack\, rain gear\, hat\, and  sunscreen. Weather can be varied\, esp ecially in the spring and fall\, so please be prepared with  appropriate clothing\, with extra warm layers. A field journal and pencil to take note s while you learn  and any field guides that you like to use are optional . If you have a basket that you like to use for  collecting mushrooms ple ase bring it along. We will provide paper bags for specimens. Please bring   fresh samples of any mushrooms you have found in the week prior to clas s.\n\nPhysical Requirements: Moderate hikes\, with less than one mile and 500 feet elevation gain. We  will mostly be hiking off-trail through bot h open and dense stands of forest\, searching for our fungal  friends.\n\ nRecommended Reading: The following references will provide background re ading (suggested\, not  required):\n\nFungi are often invisible\, showing themselves only when they fruit. A familiarity with the basics of  funga l terms and anatomy\, or at least appearance\, will greatly enhance your a ppreciation and ability  to work with these amazing organisms.\n\nGood wr itten descriptions can be found in the following:\n\n North American Mush rooms by Hope &\; Orson K. Miller.\n Mushrooms of North America by R oger Phillips.\n Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora.\n A Field Guide to Western Mushrooms by Alexander Smith.\n Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming by Leon Shernoff\, Editor.\n Fungal Jungal Newsletter by W estern Montana Mycological Association.\n Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region by Vera Stucky Evenson &\; Denver Botanic Gardens\n The Essen tial Guide to Rocky Mountain Mushrooms by Habitat by Cathy Cripps\, Vera Evenson\, and Michael Kuo\n CATEGORIES:Education/Speaking LOCATION:Glacier Institute Field Camp\, Glacier Institute Rd\, West Glacier \, Montana\, 59936\, United States X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Glacier Institute Rd\, West Glacier\, Montana\, 59936\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Glac ier Institute Field Camp:geo:0,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Denver X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Denver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR