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

Sonoma Coast. These guided mushroom walks are about 2.5 hours north of San Francisco in Sonoma. Exact location provided with registration. 

Instructors Include

Taye Bright (she/her, they/them) is a mycologist, naturalist, artist and all-around biophile passionate about fungal ecology, community science, and conservation. Taye holds B.S. in Biology and Environmental Science, certifications in Ecosystem Restoration Design, and is a certified UC California Naturalist. She is currently pursuing her MSc in Mycology at California State East Bay studying fungal biodiversity of rare and threatened ecosystem types in California. Outside of her research, she leads classes, courses, workshops, and walks around California and beyond, focusing on increasing accessibility of mycological and ecological education outside of conventional academia. She is especially interested in allying with fungi to encourage ecological literacy, create life-ways in alignment with bioregional intelligence, and uplift cultural narratives that encourage interspecies reciprocity.

Autumn Summers (she/her) is an avid wild foods forager, herbalist, gardener, and ethnobotanist. Autumn is passionate about sharing her 35 years of experience in an accessible and empowering way.  She teaches botany, medicinal plant cultivation, and how to safely and sustainably gather and use abundant wild edibles, including mushrooms, plants and seaweeds in Northern California. She teaches at several herbal schools in NorCal and is the lead herbal educator for Herb Pharm.

Dean Lyons (he/him) is an all-around lover of biodiversity and the natural world, specifically focused on fungi and plants. Foraging for wild mushrooms was the catalyst that led him down a path of ecological curiosity, and he is continually excited to learn about new creatures and their interactions. Dean primarily works as a field botanist and mycologist in California, and has focused most of his work in the Sierra Nevada. He leads mushroom and plant walks locally and abroad, having traveled as far as New Zealand to lead ecology tours. He believes that cultivating a reciprocal relationship with our non-human neighbors is a beautiful opportunity to engage with one’s senses and become more connected to the natural world.

Nov Teaching Schedule

11/14(FULL) & 11/15 Taye & Dean

11/21 & 11/22 Autumn & Dean

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

•  This site has a limit per person of 2lb per day.

• 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.