Name: Edible, Poisonous and Fascinating Fungi of the Columbia River Basin, Presentation by Michael W. Beug
Start: 2026-04-20T19:00:00-07:00
Location: Yakima Area Arboretum

Edible, Poisonous and Fascinating Fungi of the Columbia River Basin, Presentation by Michael W. Beug

The Columbia River Basin has a tremendous diversity of habitats meaning that the diversity of fungi is fantastic with well over 1,000 named fungi and thousands more yet unnamed fungi in our region. In this talk I will present the best edible spring fungi and how to distinguish the species that can make one sick as well as some of the simply beautiful and fascinating fungi of our region. Many more fungi can be seen in my newest book Mushrooms of Cascadia: An Illustrated Key to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest, Ten Speed Press now available at local bookstores.
Free to current members and $5.00 for guests. We encourage you to register ahead of time. Room at the event is limited. Member check-in and guest tickets may be available at the door if seats are available.
Michael Beug graduated from Harvery Mudd College in 1966 with distinction and honors in chemistry and completed his PhD in chemistry at the University of Washington in 1971 on a National Institute of Health Graduate Fellowship. He spent 32 years at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where he taught chemistry, environmental studies, organic farming, and founded their mycology program. Michael started mushrooming in 1968. His photographs now have appeared in well over 80 books and articles on mushrooms and he has discovered over 100 new fungal species. In 1974 he joined both the Pacific Northwest Key Council and the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) where, he served on the Education Committee, was chair of the Toxicology Committee, chair of the Editorial Committee, and past editor of the Journal McIlvainea and is now active on the medicinal mushroom committee. He won the 2006 NAMA Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology and has just been awarded the 2026 Mycological Society of America Community Mycologist award. With his student Paul Stamets, in 1975 he began research on mushrooms containing psilocybin and psilocin and on medicinal fungi. With coauthors Alan and Arleen Bessette, he wrote Ascomycete Fungi of North America: A Mushroom Reference Guide, University of Texas Press, 2014 which was nominated for a prose award as the best single volume science book of 2014. Michael’s website, www.mushroomsofcascadia.com, has information about his book, Mushrooms of Cascadia: An Illustrated Key to the Fungi of the Pacific Northwest, Second Edition, speaking schedule, updates to our knowledge of western fungi, and links to podcasts and videos and work with medicinal fungi.