Free
Sunday, January 12, 2025
10 am to 4 pm
Bear Valley Visitor Center
Ever wonder about all those mushrooms you've seen in the grasslands and forests at Point Reyes National Seashore? The Fungus Fair is a perfect opportunity to see them up close and learn more about them.
Since 2005, fungi have been gathered by volunteers who collect, identify, and catalog mushrooms for an ongoing study at the Point Reyes National Seashore.
The public is invited to help us to collect mushrooms in good condition from the Point Reyes Peninsula on Saturday, January 11, 2025.
During the 18th Annual Fungus Fair on Sunday, January 12, 2025, wild mushrooms collected in the park will be on display on the south porch of the Bear Valley Visitor Center with several mushroom-related exhibits inside the visitor center. We will also have presentations in the auditorium throughout the day. Roving Mushroom Ambassadors will be available to answer your questions, both indoors and out. Bring mushrooms you've found and are curious about.
As always, this is a free event, open to all.
Presentations
For 2025, the following talks are scheduled:
11 am "Try it and See: The Story Behind the Discovery of Mushroom Dyes."
This beautiful film showcases the early work of two well known Mendocino mycologists, the pioneering mushroom dyer Mirium Rice, and her watercolor artist partner, Dorothy Beebee, as they explore, document, illustrate and publish groundbreaking information on using mushrooms for dying wool and silk. Produced by Dorothy's children Myra and Martin BeeBee. Premiered at the 2024 Mendocino Mushroom Festival.12:30 pm "Zen and the Art of Mushroom Hunting" by Debbie Viess
A lighthearted look at the beauty and wonder of the fungi that surrounds us, illustrated with spectacular photos and peppered with first hand stories. Expect to be amazed and amused!2 pm "Fungi through Time" by Cat Adams, PhD
Cat will present tantalizing vignettes about the role of fungi in historically important moments. Was Roman Emperor Claudius really taken down by a death cap mushroom? How did 17th century people first start growing button mushrooms in the catacombs under Paris? Was a fungal contaminant really to blame for the Salem Witch Trials? Find out all this and more in this fun, photo-filled lecture!
Directions
For directions and a map to help you get to the Bear Valley Visitor Center, visit our Directions page.
Parking
To help reduce traffic congestion in the paved parking lot adjacent to the Bear Valley Visitor Center, please park your vehicle(s) in the gravel, trailhead/picnic area parking lot on the left (east) side of the access road close to the Bear Valley Trailhead. Parking is free. Download the Bear Valley Area Map (504 KB PDF), which shows the location of the trailhead parking lot relative to the Bear Valley Visitor Center.
More information...
Go to the Bay Area Mycological Society's (BAMS) web site or contact the Bay Area Mycological Society or David Rust for more details about the Point Reyes Fungus Fair. For more information about mushrooms at the Point Reyes National Seashore, visit our Mushrooms and other Fungi page.
Sponsors
The Point Reyes Fungus Fair is sponsored by the Bay Area Mycological Society and Point Reyes National Seashore.
More information
Contact Information
David Rust
510-468-5014
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