What: Join us for our free October General Meeting with Damon Tighe. We will hear about the Fungi of Western Australia & Queensland.

Description: The land down under is quite a stunner when it comes to fungal diversity. A wide array of landscapes coupled by equally fascinating plants and animals has pressured fungi into some unique forms and niches. This presentation will focus on fungi found in Western Australia, the Daintree area of Queensland, and the adjacent Tablelands. Logistics, time of year, and what animals not to pet will all be covered.

Where: Sebastopol Grange on Highway 12. 6000 Sebastopol Ave.

When: Doors open 530-545pm. Potluck begins at 6pm. Presentation starts around 630/645pm.

Bio: Damon Tighe is biotech educator in the San Francisco Bay area, was involved on the first draft of the Human Genome and fell head over heels for fungi after running out of food on the John Muir Trail where he saw large mushrooms and wondered "could I eat that?" He has been a collector for the California Fungal Diversity Survey project with over 1,000 sequenced vouchers and has helped many high schools build programs to sequence their local fungi. Fungi became the gateway for an obsession with biodiversity, which is easiest to see through Damon’s 100k+ iNaturalist observations to date.