Ever wanted to know more about wild mushrooms? The Strathcona Wilderness Institute will be hosting its annual mycology workshop open to all residents of Vancouver Island who have an interest in learning about mushroom identification, ecology and photography. It is an opportunity to learn from the experts and have a lot of outdoor fun.
The workshop consists of basic and advanced presentations on mushroom ecology, identification and photography by some of Vancouver Island’s best-known mycologists, followed by two hands-on short field trips to Battleship Lake and Helen McKenzie Lake. The instructors at this workshop are some of the best-known experts on Vancouver Island. They include Andy McKinnon (Ministry of Forests); Dr. Shannon Berch (Environment BC); Dr. Thom O’Dell, Comox Valley resident and agrologist; Juliet Pendray; and award-winning photographer James Holko.
The workshop will be held Sept. 14 at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre located at the Paradise Meadows trailhead in Strathcona Park from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The SPWC is adjacent to the Raven Lodge on Mt. Washington.
For interested participants, the workshop is complemented with an optional one-day hike into the spectacular old-growth Divers Lake area on Sunday, Sept. 15 (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Cost is $30 per adult, or $20 for students, and includes organic breakfast and lunch.
Registration is first-come, first-served, up to 30 participants. Registration is by credit card on the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website at http://strathconapark.org/workshops/
(For those interested in learning more about the forest SWI will also be hosting a bryology workshop Sept. 28.)
SWI is a non-profit which also runs a number of hiking, citizen science and educational programmes in Strathcona Park. Anyone interested in Strathcona Wilderness Institute activities can also contact us at the website https://strathconapark.org, or Loys Maingon at 250 331 0143.