Fungi BioBlitz and Talk

McKenzie river mushroom and trees. | By David Putzier

Fall on the central Oregon coast brings with it free educational presentations and events at the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center (2400 Hwy 101, about three miles south of Yachats). In addition to the hiking, tidepooling, and exploring always available, visitors can enjoy a variety of speakers and topics every Saturday from October 28-December 16 through the Cape Perpetua Speaker Series, as well as other special events. All events are free.

The event offered on Nov. 1 combines a talk with a BioBlitz, from 1-3 p.m.  The presenter is Anna Moore, an amateur mycologist and photographer who will share her knowledge from over 30 years of foraging in this BioBlitz Presentation & Hike. Moore’s presentation will include a slide show on the fantastic habitat of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, emphasizing the diversity of fungi found in the dunes and forests from Reedsport to Cape Perpetua. This presentation will be followed by a BioBlitz walk through the forest where visitors can help locate, identify, and record different species of fungus using the iNaturalist app.  A BioBlitz is a one-time event in which a number of people focus intensively on one area to record all species present on one day--or, in this case, all species of a certain type.

For more information contact Lisa Romano, public affairs officer with the Siuslaw National Forest, (541) 750-7075, lmromano@fs.fed.us, or the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center, (541) 547-3289.