Fair 2025 - Speaker Schedule
Here you will find the schedule for our expert speakers. Please study the description carefully so you can purchace tickets for the talks that most interest you.
The Fungus Fair has two lecture venues. The London Nelson Multipurpose Room (room 3) is where you'll find our headliners. To attend these talks you will need to buy a separate ticket for each talk, in addition to your general admission ticket. This year we will be selling the majority of the tickets online, in advance of the fair. Though we will continue to sell a few tickets at the door for procrastinators, it is highly recommended that you buy your ticket ahead of time if there is a particular speaker whom you are very motivated to see. Talk tickets will go on sale soon, along with general admission tickets.
A smaller lecture room (Room 1) will have informative and educational talks given by local, or not so local, knowledgeable mycologists. These talks are free but you will need a general admission hand stamp to get in and seating is limited.
Room 3 Talks:
$5 supplimental admission tickets required
Friday, January 10, 2025
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2:30 pm-3:30pm Alan Rockefeller Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Fungi: These types of mushrooms are both beautiful and scientifically fascinating. This presentation has hundreds of high quality photos and photography tips for both types of glowing mushrooms, and includes information on using a UV light to identify mushrooms. |
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5:30 pm-9:00 pm After Hours Mushroom Dinner - separate admission |
Saturday, January 11, 2025
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9:30 am-10:30 am Christopher Hobbs, PH.D. The Magic Mushroom Talk: Psilocybin mushrooms are renowned as spiritual guides and tools for dissolving the ego, helping to overcome trauma, limiting beliefs, and mental blocks and clinical research shows they can effectively treat anxiety, depression, addiction, and PTSD. In this talk, we'll explore the transformative potential of psilocybin through recent science and practice. |
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11:15 am-12:15 pm Christian Schwarz Fungi of New Zealand: The Ecology of a Young Land Aotearoa — the land more commonly as New Zealand is young in many ways: In recent geologic history, it nearly drowned after splitting off from the Australian continent, and it was the last bit of Earth’s land to be inhabited by human beings. This island nation is a wild and wondrous place — very different from anything familiar to a resident of the Northern Hemisphere. We’ll talk about the holistic ecology of the place, using fungi as a lens to understand the bigger picture. |
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1:00 pm-2:00 pm Bill Schoenbart Medicinal Mushrooms - Science and Traditional Usage Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. They have also been the subject of numerous scientific studies in recent years. This talk will review the traditional functions and indications of turkey tail, reishi, cordyceps, and lion's mane, and we will discuss clinical studies and research into these incredible gifts from nature. |
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2:45 pm-3:45 pm Noah Siegel Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast From towering redwoods to live oak woodlands, northern California has diverse habitats which host a dazzling array of fungi. From the worlds largest chanterelle, to massive Porcini, or a rainbow of tiny waxy caps in the redwood duff, this talk will introduce you to the mushrooms of the Redwood Coast |
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4:30 pm-5:30 pm Henry Young What You Need to Know About Poisonous Mushrooms: We will explore the intersection of poisonous mushrooms and people who accidentally or purposefully eat them. Toxic fungi from the deadly to the lose your lunch bunch and their impact on humans will be covered. |
Sunday, January 12, 2025
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9:30 am-10:30 am Noah Siegel Adventures of a Mycohobo Ever wonder what mushrooms occur in the jungles of tropical Africa and South America, or the dripping, moss covered Antarctic Beech forests of New Zealand, or across North America? We will take a photo safari of some of the places I have been working, and highlight my favorite mushrooms and ecosystems. |
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11:15 am-12:15 pm Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D. Magic Mushroom Microdosing Magic mushroom microdosing is gaining global attention, with growing scientific research and personal testimonials highlighting its benefits for cognitive health, brain plasticity, neurogenesis, and enhancing brain immune function. This talk will explore the emerging science and practical applications of microdosing, led by a speaker with 40 years of experience. |
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1:00 pm-2:00 pm Thea Chesney Fungal Range Maps: How We Build Them and Why They Matter Understanding where an organism lives, and why, is an essential part of understanding its life history and ecology, yet we have been lacking in data for the geographic distribution of many fungi in our rapidly changing world. We will discuss the historical and current state of knowledge, as well as recent efforts to improve these data and discoveries that are both helping and sometimes confounding our understanding of fungal species distribution. |
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2:45 pm-4:00 pm Chad Hyatt and Jeff Emery A Mushroom Tasting with Wine Pairing: Chef Chad Hyatt will demonstrate his cooking techniques and his creations will be paired with exquisite wines provided by vintner Jeff Emery of Santa Cruz Mountain Vinyard. There will be a small extra fee to cover the cost of ingredients. All ages are welcome, but you must be over 21 to taste the wine. |
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4:30 pm-5:30 pm Christian Schwarz Two Years of the California Fungal Diversity Study: What Have We Learned? Over the past two years, the CA FUNDIS organization has undertaken a remarkable effort to get to know the mushrooms of California more deeply. We’ll talk about the results of this effort by reviewing some of some of the discoveries made by this dedicated crew, and talk about how this non-profit organization has accomplished so much in such a short time. We’ll end by discussing how you can help support us, or even get involved directly. You’ll come away with a sneak peek at some cutting-edge knowledge about the mushrooms in our amazing state… |
Room 1 Talks:
No extra fee, no reservations. General Admission stamp still required.
Friday, January 10, 2025
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2:30 pm-3:30pm Chef Bob Wynn Tips and Techniques for Cooking with Mushrooms |
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4:00 pm-5:00 pm Phil Carpenter An Introduction to Mushroom Identification |
Saturday, January 11, 2025
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10:00 am-11:00 am Vellany Pierce An Introduction to Mushroom Cultivation |
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11:30 am-12:30 pm Henry Young A Discussion of Poisonous Mushrooms |
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1:00 pm-2:00 pm Douglas Smith Top Ten Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms |
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2:30 pm-3:30 pm Shannon Adams From Saucepan to Science: Foraging, Feasting and Phylogeny |
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4:00 pm-5:00 pm Phil Carpenter An Introduction to Mushroom Identification |
Sunday, January 12, 2025
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10:00 am-11:00 am Alan Rockefeller Decoding the Forest Floor: The Art of Mushroom Recognition |
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11:30 am-12:30 pm Bill Schoenbart Medicinal Mushrooms – Traditional Usage and Modern Science |
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1:00 pm-2:00 pm Douglas Smith Common Mushrooms of the San Francisco Bay Area |
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2:30 pm-3:30 pm Phil Carpenter An Introduction to Mushroom Identification |
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4:00 pm-5:00 pm Kyle Garrone Mushroom Cultivation |