Lectures
Kyle Canan
Kyle is an avid naturalist, mushroom enthusiast, and lover of trees. Kyle is most fascinated with mushrooms and their incredible properties; medicinal, psychoactive, edible, etc. He collects and documents all the mushrooms he observes , preserving them in his personal 'fungarium', a storage system for dried specimens. He has created his own at-home lab that includes microscopes and DNA extraction equipment for Sanger and Nanopore barcoding/sequencing. Kyle is the owner of Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab where he sequences mushrooms that are sent to him for free as his dedicated job to mycology. He does this to further mycology, and help document the fungal diversity of Ohio and all of the world. He believes there are thousands of discoveries still to be made in this current generation of mycology. Kyle is the Darke County coordinator for the Old-Growth Forest Network and with that he spends his field days in old forests finding new and rare mushroom species.
Alan Rockefeller
Steve Adams
Breath Work: Breathing Your Way Through Life.
Steve Adams is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and has been working as a mental health therapist in Northeast Ohio for the past 6 years. Graduating from Edinboro University (now Penn West University) in 2006 with bachelor's degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology, Steve started his career working in an inpatient mental health facility as a mental health technician. The experience of helping those with severe mental illness inspired Steve to get his master's degree in Social Work, so he can provide mental health services individually on an outpatient basis. He has 15 years of experience in the mental health field providing group therapy and psychoeducation on many topics, such as emotion regulation, mindfulness and distress tolerance. Understanding the mental health benefits that music, community and a full stomach can provide, you can find Steve at local music festivals finding empty bellies to fill with the elaborate meals cooked by his wife Amy.
Mushroom Identification
.jpg)
Nathan can be found foraging the woods of the Northeast U.S. for both plants and fungi alike. He is led by a strong passion for their unique properties and beauty. With a background in optics, biology, chemistry and spices, he is interested in both minutiae and the lattice of connections that all life shares. Over the past several years, he has been studying sclerotia and truffle formations, their roles in the environment, as well as their flavonoid and alkaloid bioactive contents. Nathan strives to foster a general understanding of mycology, and he believes that there should be a strong relationship between the scientific community and the hobbyists of the world. Fascinated by researching choice edibles, rare specimens limited by their conditions, or searching for them; there’s always something novel and exciting to learn about!
Nathan Southwell
Alan is an expert mycologist in high demand at mushroom events where he teaches workshops on DNA barcoding, field photography, and fungal microscopy. In 2022 alone, Alan traveled the continent in synchrony with the mushroom seasons, and spoke at over 50 events in the span of a single year. Committed to his cause, Alan has been studying fungal diversity for more than two decades, and since 2001 he has photographed more than 2,500 species of fungi. In order to discover new fungi, and spark interest in the hearts and minds of those new to the field, Alan regularly leads forays all over North America, including Mexico where he has been studying the mushroom diversity for 15 years and is consequently bilingual. Alan’s contributions to community science have been widespread, and his dedication to teaching thousands of people over several years how to extract and amplify the DNA of their mushroom finds for sequencing is remarkable, and remains unparalleled. Eventually Alan hopes to be able to offer free barcoding services to the mycology community via his newest endeavor into Nanopore sequencing. As of today, Alan has uploaded more than 700 of his own fungal DNA sequences to Genbank, and he is a co-author on several scientific papers, including publications documenting new species of bioluminescent Mycena and Psilocybe. Alan is also devoted to the art of macroscopic mushroom identification and legitimately spends hours each day identifying mushrooms for the general public. Amazingly, he has identified over 250,000 fungi on websites like iNaturalist, Mushroom Observer, and various Facebook Groups. Nothing short of a powerhouse, Alan Rockefeller is an authority on the leading edge of mycology, who is beloved by his community for the knowledge and value he contributes to the field.
Travis Tyler Fluck
Travis Tyler Fluck is an educator, death doula, activist, cultivator, and empathetic witness. He serves his communities as a steward & facilitator as a leader for the Denver Psilocybin Initiative and co-founder of the Denver Mushroom Cooperative The Medicine Path has afforded Travis resolution to existential dilemmas as well as the means to help others heal and tap into true potential. Travis won the Oakland Hyphae Lab's Fall '21 & '22 Cups for Psilocybe Cultivation, the first organization to include objective testing.
As a casualty of the drug war, Travis' life has been peppered with traumatic arrests and periods of incarceration. Fortunately, over the years, Travis has gained the tools and the platform to influence systemic change and work towards a ceasefire to the drug war.
He looks forward to offering his insight and experience to better the world we live in!
Walt Sturgeon
Walt Sturgeon is a field mycologist with over 40 years of experience studying and identifying mushrooms. His photos of mushroom and fungi, some award-winning, can be
seen in numerous mushroom field guide publications, three of which he co-authored: Waxcap Mushrooms of Eastern North America, University of Syracuse Press, 2012;
Mushrooms and Macrofungi of Ohio and the Midwestern States, Ohio State University, 2013.,and Mushrooms of the Northeast, Adventure-Keen Press. He has also written Appalachian Mushrooms, Ohio University Press, 2018, He was a Contributing Author to the Encyclopedia
of Appalachia, University of Tennessee Press. Walt has received the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology, and Northeast (North America) Mycological Federation (NEMF) Eximia Award, both for contributions to the advancement of amateur mycology. He is the past president of the Ohio Mushroom Society and has associations with many other mycological organizations. Walt is married to Trish. He has two children and two grandchildren. He lives in East
Palestine, Ohio and is a retired social worker.
_edited.jpg)
Melissa Ketelsen
Melissa Ketelsen is a passionate individual who has dedicated the past three years to working in the parks system, where she discovered her love for fungi. Inspired by this newfound passion, Melissa began creating short-form educational videos online, which received positive feedback and led her to start organizing her own forays. Through these forays, Melissa aims to bring attention to the wonders of foraging and soil science in her area. As a self-studied enthusiast, Melissa is driven by a deep desire to share her knowledge of fungi with the community in any way possible. She actively volunteers for mycoremediation groups like Mycorising, as she firmly believes that fungi hold the key to solving many of the environmental challenges we face today. Melissa is offering a workshop titled "Make your own oyster mushroom substrate while we learn about foraging and soil science basics!!!" This workshop has been well-received, and Melissa is eager to offer it again. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to learn various aspects related to mushrooms, including identifying mushrooms, understanding their health benefits, learning how to cook them, and exploring the role of fungi in the ecosystem. Additionally, Melissa will delve into topics such as the soil food web and the benefits of mycoremediation. If you're interested in connecting with Melissa and learning more about her work, you can find her on social media: Facebook: Melissa Ketelsen Instagram: @chicory_chickadee TikTok: @chicory.chickadee YouTube: Melissa Ketelsen
Don King
Don King, also known as The Mushroom Hunter, can often be found hiking the forests of Ohio and neighboring states in search of wild mushrooms and other delicious and healthy edibles, which he considers to be the pinnacle of sustainable, local foods.
Don loves to share his knowledge of wild foods and how to prepare them through private and group identification workshops and wild edible hunts, as well as video tutorials and other appearances. He has been featured on NPR's Good Eats with Vivian Goodman and has made over a dozen appearances on Fox 8's New Day Cleveland.
Michael Wilson
Josephine Nakakande
Michael Wilson Michael has been working with entheogens since 2008, and has had a meditation/yoga practice since 2010. He is a permaculture designer, and reiki certified. After completing an organic farm apprenticeship and yoga teacher training he began working with wild foraged mushrooms in 2016 and preparing medicines from them. He began working with Amanita muscaria for personal healing in 2021 and soon after began preparing it for clients. He has a business based around medicinal mushrooms and plants, providing high quality extractions and dried mushrooms, serving retail and wholesale customers world wide, as well as providing: one on one consultations, ceremonies, workshops and lectures. He has international distributors in Canada, UK, and EU and has served over 15,000 individuals world wide with various preparations. You may find him vending his tinctures and his non-alcoholic elixir bar at mushroom festivals and other events. He has an amazing team that all work for the same purpose, getting natures medicine to the people who need it. He is an admin in the largest amanita community online, a Facebook group with over 68,000 members called Amanita muscaria Science and Magic. He is currently working on an Amanita muscaria master class online program. Amanita muscaria has been the main focus of his life since he began working with this amazing mushroom. He has personally explored many of the ways one can commune with this mushroom spirit in various potencies, preparations, and species.Amanita Muscaria: The Original Magic MushroomSpeech description:Amanita muscaria is the most occult mushroom, it is featured in popular media, myths, children's books, holiday greeting cards, and the mushroom emoji on your phone... but what is true about this enigmatic mushroom? Join us in a presentation about what we know about this sacred and mysterious mushroom. Michael will cover some of the history and indigenous shamanic use, as well as the mythology and lore behind the Amanita muscaria mushroom. He will also discuss the identification, chemistry, preparation and safety that must be known before working with this mushroom; also covered will be the dosage and effects of amanita muscaria. Finally he will close with sharing where the market around amanita muscaria is going now and safe places to procure knowledge and products.Thank you and Be Blessed!-MichaelHarmony Acres FarmAll Things AmanitaFarm and Forage LLCLink Tree:https://linktr.ee/Harmony_acresBook a consultation:ConsultationsCustomer Service:+1 412-595-5469
Josephine Nakakande Executive Director Environmental Conservation and Agricultural Enhancement Uganda (Eco-Agric Uganda) Josephine Nakakande is one of the founders and currently the Executive Director of Environmental Conservation and Agricultural Enhancement Uganda (Eco-Agric Uganda), a Ugandan community member based organization. She started community work in 1996 as a free lancer veterinarian. After one year, she started working as a civil servant with Hoima district Local Government, where she worked for sixteen years. While as a civil servant, she worked as an Assistant Animal Husbandry Officer, Extension worker and a sub county National Agricultural Advisory Services Program Coordinator. It is during this time she got the vision and established Eco-Agric Uganda that she has worked with for the twelve years. Born in Hoima District, Josephine attended her lower level education in Hoima district, attained a certificate and diploma in Animal Husbandry; a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture; a post graduate diploma in biodiversity wild life Ecosystems Health a Masters degree in International Human Resource Management and a doctorate in organizational management. She is a Common Wealth Scholar alumni, a Ford Foundation Fellow (2019) and a World Literacy Ambassador 2020. Though she is among the founders of Eco-Agric Uganda, she has worked as a volunteer, Field Officer, Project coordinator, Programs Manager and currently the Executive Director. With support from the USAID, Civil Society Fund, AmplifyChange, the Vibrant Village Foundation, WWF, UNDP, the Murr Munning Trust plus many other civil society organisations and individuals, she has supported over 6480 women, children and girls improve their livelihoods Education, Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and Financial management improvement, advocacy, Health and Sanitation plus environmental conservation .
Christine operates at the intersection of regenerative organic agriculture and social justice. For five years she’s been designing a highly-effective organic cultivation model and managing operations for Galenas Cannabis in Akron, Ohio. Prior, she worked in food justice, ran a farm for Great Lakes Brewing Company, functioned as campaign coordinator for Marijuana Policy Project, and co-founded the Midwest CannaWomen. She was featured in the documentary “Food Where We Live,” with Michael Pollan, and at the “My Global Kitchen” exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Christine is a creative writer, a columnist for Cannabis Business Times magazine, and holds degrees from Kent State and the University of Pittsburgh. In her current role, she focuses on keeping plants, people, and relationships healthy and productive while delivering top-tier quality cannabis flower to Ohio consumers.
Christine DeJesus