Once the monsoons have thoroughly soaked the ground, Hart Prairie is an ideal location to hunt for wild edible mushrooms. Join MaryLou Fairweather of the Forest Service and Ed Smith of The Nature Conservancy as well as Arboretum staff for a weekend retreat doing just that at The Conservancy’s Hart Prairie Preserve. The program is designed for the novice and experienced fungi-vore and will be equally as informative as it is social. Unite with other mushroom lovers to enjoy home-cooked meals featuring wild mushrooms. Learn where to look for edible fungi as well as methods for preserving your bounty and preparing dishes with fresh and dried specimens. Why let the rain interfere with your plans for a late summer hike? Mushroom hunters rejoice in wet weather!

Mary Lou Fairweather is a Plant Pathologist with the Southwestern Regional Office of the Forest Service. She has been identifying fungi for over 20 years and works closely with those that decay trees. Mary Lou was trained by mycologists while working on her Bachelor's degree in Biology from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and a Master's degree in Plant Pathology from the University of Arizona.

 

Edward Smith is the Forest Ecologist for The Nature Conservancy in Arizona. He studied microbial ecology as part of his Master's Degree at Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry, including one year of study with Dr. Jack States, author of "Mushrooms and Truffles of the Southwest."  He has enjoyed collecting, identifying, and sometimes eating fungi since the tender age of 5, when he discovered the first Morel mushrooms in Arizona. He continues to enjoy hunting, photographing, and learning about fungi, especially their complex ecological interactions with plants and animals.