Mushroom expert to lead workshop in Fairbanks
July 18, 2017
Mushroom expert Gary Laursen will lecture and lead a workshop on the wild mushrooms
of the Interior July 28-30 in Fairbanks.
Participants in the Introduction to Mushrooms of Tanana Region workshop will collect, identify, and learn how to prepare and preserve wild edible mushrooms. Mushrooms will be collected in several walks around Fairbanks and identified. The workshop will also cover the ecology of mushrooms and current issues.
Laursen has studied Arctic, sub-Arctic and sub-Antarctic fungi around the world for more than 40 years. He is an adjunct professor for the University of Alaska Fairbanks and teaches mushroom identification classes around the state. Laursen has written several books on fungi, including, most recently, “Alaska’s Mushrooms: A Wide-Ranging Guide,” which he co-authored with Neil McArthur.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service will host the lecture in the Murie Building auditorium at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the workshop will meet in the district Extension office at 724 27th Ave., in the Fairbanks Community Food Bank Building.
The course will include the lecture from 6 to 9 p.m. July 28 and fieldwork from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 29 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 30. The fee is $100 for the entire course or $15 for the Friday night lecture only. July 26 is the deadline for signing up for both at http://bit.ly/cesworkshops. Participants are advised to dress for the weather.
For more information, call the Extension district office at 907-474-1530 or contact Fairbanks agent Leslie Shallcross at lashallcross@alaska.edu or 907-474-2426.