What You'll Learn

This experiential, hands-on half-day program is all about the fascinating world of fungi and begins at 10:00 am. Learning to forage for mushrooms is an ongoing life path. This program will teach you foundational skills to be able to go out foraging on your own. We will cover mushroom anatomy for identification, symbiotic tree and plant relationships, poisonous and edible mushrooms, and forest safety. This winter, it will be possible to find edibles such as chanterelle, matsutake, porcini, lion's mane, blewits, black trumpets, hedgehogs, and more. The program also includes community building, mindful movement, a cooking demo, and a tasting at the end. We typically end between 2-3 pm. 

Where

Santa Cruz, CA, on private property. Exact location provided with registration. 

Nov Teaching Schedule

Sun 11/15 10:00 am-2 pm with Maya

Sun 11/22 10:00 am-2 pm with Maya

Instructors Include

Maya Elson (she/they). Raised in the forest, Maya brings their skills as a mycologist, organizer, naturalist and teacher to facilitate connection with the wild world. With an environmental education career spanning 20 years, Maya makes learning fun, engaging and relevant. Even though Maya has been leading mushroom and plant foraging classes for the last 8 years in the Santa Cruz Mountains, each class is unique–tailored to the participant’s interests, season and location. Maya is also a biologist whose work explores the dynamic relationships between fire, soil, and humans, and consults wildfire mitigation and bioremediation projects internationally. Maya holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College, a graduate certificate in Ecopsychology from the Holos Institute, and is an MS Environmental Studies candidate at San Jose State University.

Ticket Options

To make our programs accessible to more people, we offer sliding-scale pricing; please choose the rate that's best for you. For those who need additional financial assistance, please see our scholarship program.

• $145 pay-it-forward adult ticket 

• $120 standard adult ticket

• $85 community-supported adult ticket

• $85 per teen (age 13-17, must be accompanied by an adult)

• $55 per child (recommended for age 7 and older, but you know your child best)

A portion of your ticket fee goes to the Native American Rights Fund.

This trip goes rain or shine! 

• Event runs 10am - 2pm

•  In case of extreme weather that poses a safety threat, we reserve the option to cancel your date and offer reschedule, refund, or gift ticket

•  All participants should be prepared to walk slowly, covering about 3-5 miles on uneven terrain

•  We prefer to teach in small groups, so our groups are capped at 25 participants

•  Fees cover program costs only and do not cover transportation, gear, or lodging

•  You will be required to sign a waiver to participate

•  While we usually do, finding edibles is not a guarantee

• Dogs are not allowed at this or any of our classes

More Important Details

These programs are very popular and often fill up very quickly. We encourage you to register right away if you'd like to attend!

You will receive a registration confirmation once we've received this form + your payment + your signed liability waiver. We cannot hold your spot until we've received all 3.