It’s estimated there are around two million species of fungi. Researchers have named about 100,000 of them.
“We know scientifically about 10% of fungi, and so we know we still have so much to learn,” said Daniel Lindner.
Lindner is a research mycologist for the U.S. Forest Service. He’ll be sharing some of what he knows about fungi at this weekend’s Fungi Fest at Kemp Natural Resource Station in Woodruff.
“They're important for forest health. They're important for human health. There's a lot of mushroom supplements and nutritional things that we get from mushrooms. Many of our drugs are made from mushrooms,” said Lindner. “I think there's just a lot of connections to human life, and I think it's a great opportunity for people to learn about things around them in the environment that maybe they didn't even notice.”
Friday afternoon and evening there will be cooking demonstrations and presentations on mushroom cultivation and invasive wood decay fungus.
Saturday people can join a foray to search for mushrooms on the Kemp Station Property.
“No previous knowledge required at all. This is a chance to, you know, dip your toe in if you never have and learn about the world of fungi. If you've just seen some interesting mushrooms around you, if you're a complete beginner, it's definitely set up for that. Or if you're someone who's been part of the Northwoods Mycological Association for years, we always do our best to try and find some fascinating new fungus that you've never seen before, and so try and cover all levels,” said Lindner.
You can find a full schedule of events on the Kemp Station website.
Pre-registration is required for the cooking demonstrations. Call 715-358-5667 to register.
There is no cost to participate in any of the events.
