Event Registration - Puget Sound Mycological Society
Category View
If you have the box "Exclude All info from Member Directory" checked in your profile, you will need to uncheck that box before registering for any PSMS events. We require our event organizers to have PSMS member contact information as well as payment status for PSMS events. By unchecking the box, you have given permission for them to have your contact information as well as payment status for the event.
2025 Ben Woo Memorial Foray Registration
10/17/2025 - 10/19/2025
The 2025 Ben Woo Memorial Foray will once again be held at the Cispus Learning Center, 2142 Cispus River Road in Randle. Surrounded by the magnificent Gifford National Forest, it is the perfect location with unlimited habitat within easy driving distance and mushrooms just outside your door!
Participation is limited to current PSMS members only. Pre-registration and payment for each person is required to attend; no registration at the door. All attendees must be at least 12 yrs of age.
Accommodation options include dormitory, tent or car camping, RV’s and off campus. Same price for any choice. Dietary options are regular, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free or dairy free. A sack lunch is available with pre-registration for those foraging all day Saturday. Make a note of your choices on your registration.
Pets are allowed, must be kept on leash and ONLY service animals are permitted in buildings on Cispus campus. Alcohol is allowed for those over 21 if consumed responsibly so feel free to bring your favorite bottle of wine to dinner!
Sunday morning after breakfast, we will conclude with a discussion of the specimens collected, led by our team of expert identifiers.
We are excited to offer several ‘“hands-on” workshops. Advance registration is required. There is a listed fee for participation, 1 afternoon workshop per person. Workshops take place after lunch from 1:30 to 4:30 or 5:30 and the cultivation workshop is from 5:00 to 6:00pm. You can attend a morning foray and an afternoon workshop, or you can do an all-day foray and still be back in time for the cultivation workshop. Below is a description of the workshops offered. Space is limited in all but the Cultivation workshop and these fill quickly!
DNA Workshop
Microscopy Workshop
Friday Evening & Saturday Evening Presenter's Biographies
Location: Cispus Learning Center
2142 Cispus Road
Randle, WA 98377
Ben Woo Memorial Foray Oct 25-27, 2024 information and sign-up
If you have the box "Exclude All info from Member Directory" checked in your profile, you will need to uncheck that box before registering for any PSMS events. We require our event organizers to have PSMS member contact information as well as payment status for PSMS events. By unchecking the box, you have given permission for them to have your contact information as well as payment status for the event.
2025 Ben Woo Memorial Foray Registration10/17/2025 - 10/19/2025
Ben Woo Memorial Foray 2025
Friday, October 17 thru Sunday, October 19
September 17th is the Cispus required cutoff date! No refunds after Sept 17th at 10pm.
The 2025 Ben Woo Memorial Foray will once again be held at the Cispus Learning Center, 2142 Cispus River Road in Randle. Surrounded by the magnificent Gifford National Forest, it is the perfect location with unlimited habitat within easy driving distance and mushrooms just outside your door!
Participation is limited to current PSMS members only. Pre-registration and payment for each person is required to attend; no registration at the door. All attendees must be at least 12 yrs of age.
Foray Description
Total package is $230 per person. This includes Friday and Saturday nights accommodations, five meals, engaging presentations and guided forays. This year's evening presenters will be Dr. Steve Trudell , Kate Mohatt, Sigrid Jakob, & Chef Chad Hyatt. Expert mushroom identifiers will label specimens and answer your questions. Workshops are available on Saturday afternoon from 1:30 to 4:30pm or 5:30pm for $30-$35 extra to cover supplies and instruction costs. On Saturday evening, after the evening presentations, we will be hosting a “Mushroom Happy Hour”, it will be a great opportunity to socialize with other mushroom enthusiasts and enjoy snacks and beverages. In all, it will be a wonderful weekend filled with friends, good wholesome fun and adventure.Accommodation options include dormitory, tent or car camping, RV’s and off campus. Same price for any choice. Dietary options are regular, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free or dairy free. A sack lunch is available with pre-registration for those foraging all day Saturday. Make a note of your choices on your registration.
- Dorms are separated into mens and women facilities. Each has a common sleeping area and shared bathrooms. The space is heated but otherwise very sparse. Bring your own bedding, pillows, towels, soap, shampoo and any necessary personal items. There are no back-ups so don’t forget anything! All campers have access to the bathroom facilities in the dorms. And don’t forget a flashlight, it gets dark out there.
- Camping is pick a spot you like and pitch a tent. Bathrooms are available.
- A few full RV hookups are available for your stay at Cispus and must be selected in the registration process. A number of non-hookup sites are also available.
Pets are allowed, must be kept on leash and ONLY service animals are permitted in buildings on Cispus campus. Alcohol is allowed for those over 21 if consumed responsibly so feel free to bring your favorite bottle of wine to dinner!
Sunday morning after breakfast, we will conclude with a discussion of the specimens collected, led by our team of expert identifiers.
Other details
Check-in at Cispus begins from 3:00pm until 6:00pm Friday, October 17. Check-out of the dorms Oct 19th Sunday morning by 9:00am.
Meals are served buffet style in the dining hall. Dinner at 6:00pm Friday and Saturday night, breakfast at 8:00am Saturday and Sunday morning, and lunch at noon on Saturday. Make a note of your dietary needs: regular, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free or gluten free on your registration. There is no refrigeration available for individuals to bring and store their own fresh food but do bring an ample amount of snacks and treats as needed.
We will have 2 half-day and 2 full-day guided mushroom forays to take part in, as well as a Walk-About with Danny Miller on Saturday morning on Cispus grounds after breakfast . You will need to register choosing the package with your preference. We will not have sign ups for field trips at the event. You can also choose to head out exploring on your own (please choose that package). We will have maps with some suggested foraging sites available. Half-day forays meet after breakfast and go until lunch time, return in time to have lunch, and take a workshop. Full-day forays meet after breakfast and stay out till 3:00-4:00ish, back in time ONLY for the cultivation workshop (5:00-6:00pm) and dinner. If you plan on being gone for lunch, either on your own on a full-day foray, sign up for a sack lunch on your registration. Those members who signed up for a full day guided tour will automatically receive a sack lunch.You will not be able to change this selection at the event.Our guides for Saturday
James Nowak, Derek Hevel, Joe Zapotosky, Scott Maxwell, Danny Miller, Wren Hudgins
Workshops and Classes - Saturday Oct 18th
We are excited to offer several ‘“hands-on” workshops. Advance registration is required. There is a listed fee for participation, 1 afternoon workshop per person. Workshops take place after lunch from 1:30 to 4:30 or 5:30 and the cultivation workshop is from 5:00 to 6:00pm. You can attend a morning foray and an afternoon workshop, or you can do an all-day foray and still be back in time for the cultivation workshop. Below is a description of the workshops offered. Space is limited in all but the Cultivation workshop and these fill quickly!
Cultivation Workshop
5:00-6:00 pm
5:00-6:00 pm
Cost $6.00/kit
Instructor: Milton Tam
Assistant: Andy Iwata
Instructor: Milton Tam
Assistant: Andy Iwata
The mushroom cultivation workshop will cover the basics of growing oyster mushrooms and everyone will be able to make a kit or two or more depending on supplies. Your cultivation host, Milton Tam, will be serving up a oyster mushroom species at the "oyster bar” and guide you through this unique non-sterile process.
Milton Tam is a former PSMS Vice-president & Board of Trustees Member and is currently a Cultivation Committee co-chair, and a recipient of the PSMS Golden Mushroom Award for Lifetime of service.
Andy Iwata is a PSMS Board of Trustees member, has been a member of PSMS for many years and is one of our most dedicated volunteers!
Milton Tam is a former PSMS Vice-president & Board of Trustees Member and is currently a Cultivation Committee co-chair, and a recipient of the PSMS Golden Mushroom Award for Lifetime of service.
Andy Iwata is a PSMS Board of Trustees member, has been a member of PSMS for many years and is one of our most dedicated volunteers!
DNA Workshop
1:30-5:00pm
Cost: $35.00
Instructors: Sigrid Jakob & Danny Miller
Limit: 20
Unraveling fungal diversity: an in-depth look at DNA sequencing and its applications. Join us for an exploration into the world of fungal DNA sequencing. This session will cover the entire pipeline, from what happens during sequencing to the vital process of validating sequences. We'll discuss the immense importance of sequencing fungal specimens, the wide array of uses for sequence data, and how to overcome data quality challenges. Additionally, we'll delve into topics like provisional names, the discovery of novel species, the evolving nature of fungal sequencing, and how you can contribute to this exciting field. This workshop occurs in the same time slot as the Mushroom Cooking, Microscopy and Mushroom Dyeing workshops. However, you may still register for the Cultivation workshop which is from 5:00-6:00pm.
Sigrid Jakob is a community scientist from Brooklyn, New York. She is a former president of the New York Mycological Society, co-founder of a project to document the fungi in her local cemetery, a board member of FUNDIS (Fungal Diversity Survey) and member and sequence validator for the Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab. She's co-authored a couple of new species descriptions of fungi growing on dung and is in the middle of describing several new Inocybaceae.
Danny Miller is an expert Mushroom Identifier, PSMS ID coordinator, Education chairperson, and Librarian. He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Key Council, a Citizen Scientist and has contributed to the study of PNW fungi. His online Pictorial Key to Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest and Danny's DNA Discoveries are used extensively by those studying fungi. He is also a recipient of the PSMS Golden Mushroom Award for Lifetime of service.
Sigrid Jakob is a community scientist from Brooklyn, New York. She is a former president of the New York Mycological Society, co-founder of a project to document the fungi in her local cemetery, a board member of FUNDIS (Fungal Diversity Survey) and member and sequence validator for the Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab. She's co-authored a couple of new species descriptions of fungi growing on dung and is in the middle of describing several new Inocybaceae.
Danny Miller is an expert Mushroom Identifier, PSMS ID coordinator, Education chairperson, and Librarian. He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Key Council, a Citizen Scientist and has contributed to the study of PNW fungi. His online Pictorial Key to Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest and Danny's DNA Discoveries are used extensively by those studying fungi. He is also a recipient of the PSMS Golden Mushroom Award for Lifetime of service.
Microscopy Workshop
1:30-5:00 pm
Cost $35
Limit 8
Instructor: Dr. John Haines
Assistant: Dennis Oliver
A four hour workshop on how to choose, use, and maintain a microscope for mycology.
Get familiar with spores cystidia and hyphae and be able to measure and even photograph them. The first part of the class will be devoted to the microscope, and the rest of the time will be how to prepare specimens and interpret what you see. We will also take a very brief field trip to find some tantalizing specimens. Our goal is to make you comfortable and enthusiastic about exploring the microworld of fungi. This workshop occurs at the same time as the Mushroom Dyeing, Mushroom Cooking and DNA Sequencing workshops, but you can still sign up for the Cultivation workshop as well that is from 5:00-6:00pm.
Get familiar with spores cystidia and hyphae and be able to measure and even photograph them. The first part of the class will be devoted to the microscope, and the rest of the time will be how to prepare specimens and interpret what you see. We will also take a very brief field trip to find some tantalizing specimens. Our goal is to make you comfortable and enthusiastic about exploring the microworld of fungi. This workshop occurs at the same time as the Mushroom Dyeing, Mushroom Cooking and DNA Sequencing workshops, but you can still sign up for the Cultivation workshop as well that is from 5:00-6:00pm.
John Haines is a Daniel Stuntz student with more than 50 years experience as a mycologist and aerobiologist in New York state who has moved to Port Townsend.
Dennis Oliver is a long time PSMS member who is a member of the Pacific Northwest Key council, has served as PSMS secretary and a 2025 recipient of the PSMS Golden Mushroom Award for lifetime service volunteering. Dennis also studies Lichens.
Dennis Oliver is a long time PSMS member who is a member of the Pacific Northwest Key council, has served as PSMS secretary and a 2025 recipient of the PSMS Golden Mushroom Award for lifetime service volunteering. Dennis also studies Lichens.
Mushroom Cooking Class
1:30-5:00 pm
Cost $35
Instructor: Chef Chad Hyatt
Assistant: Rosa Fernandez
Assistant: Rosa Fernandez
A mushroom cooking class by Chef Hyatt will give cooks the opportunity to work with a master chef creating unique preparations to add to your quiver of recipes. This workshop offers you the rare opportunity to explore creative and unusual mushroom preparations. Open to all levels of cooking experience. Chad Hyatt is both an expert forager and classically trained chef, he has cooked in a variety of restaurants and private clubs around the San Francisco Bay area. This workshop occurs in the same time slot as the DNA Sequencing, Microscopy and Mushroom Dyeing workshops. However, you may still register for the Cultivation workshop which is from 5:00-6:00pm.
Chad Hyatt is a classically trained chef that has spent the last decade working in restaurants and private clubs around the San Francisco Bay Area.
Rosa Fernandez is part of this dynamic duo in teaching and creating amazing mushroom dishes!
Chad Hyatt is a classically trained chef that has spent the last decade working in restaurants and private clubs around the San Francisco Bay Area.
Rosa Fernandez is part of this dynamic duo in teaching and creating amazing mushroom dishes!
Mushroom Dye Workshop
1:30-5:00 pm
Cost $30
Instructor: Marion Richards
Assistant: Reba Tam
Limit 15
The mushroom dye workshop will be conducted by Marion Richards. Each participant will receive a silk scarf to dye during the class, as well as a sample card that we will all create from yarn dyed during the demonstration. Additional scarves will be available for purchase for $10. Marion asks if you have ever looked at a mushroom while out foraging and wondered “what color it might produce”? Every color of the rainbow can be achieved with some finesse using mushrooms and lichens. This workshop occurs in the same time slot as the Microscopy, Cooking, and DNA Sequencing workshops. However, you may still register for the Cultivation workshop which is from 5:00-6:00.
Marion Richards is a PSMS Board of Trustees Member and former Vice-President of PSMS, is our Arts & Crafts Committee Chairperson and teaches dyeing natural fibers with lichens and mushrooms throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Reba Tam is a long time PSMS member, dedicated volunteer, a past PSMS Board Member and recipient of the PSMS Golden Mushroom Award for Lifetime of service. She is very knowledgeable in dyeing natural fibers with mushrooms and fungi.
Marion Richards is a PSMS Board of Trustees Member and former Vice-President of PSMS, is our Arts & Crafts Committee Chairperson and teaches dyeing natural fibers with lichens and mushrooms throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Reba Tam is a long time PSMS member, dedicated volunteer, a past PSMS Board Member and recipient of the PSMS Golden Mushroom Award for Lifetime of service. She is very knowledgeable in dyeing natural fibers with mushrooms and fungi.
Friday Evening & Saturday Evening Presenter's Biographies
Steve Trudell. Ph.D and Kate Mohatt
“Alaska’s mushrooms and habitats”
An overview of common, interesting, or rare fungi and where they are found in Alaska.
PSMS’s scientific adviser, Steve Trudell, Ph.D., is a forest ecologist and itinerant educator who has been hunting, photographing, and learning about mushrooms for over 40 years. Principal author of the new edition of Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest (the last edition was written with Joseph Ammirati Ph.D) and Tricholomas of North America: A Mushroom Field Guide, and is a co-author of Mushrooms of Alaska, He has taught mycology, botany, and biology courses at the University of Washington, The Evergreen State College, and Bastyr University, as well as classes and workshops for PSMS and at many NAMA and local mushroom club forays.
Kate Mohatt is the forest ecologist for the Chugach National Forest and has been a field biologist on the Forest since 2006. She is founder and co-organizer of the Girdwood Fungus Fair, a long-time key contributor to the Cordova Fungus Festival, founder and president of the Turnagain Arm Mycological Society, and co-author of Mushrooms of the National Forests in Alaska and Mushrooms of Alaska field guide.
Sigrid Jakob
From forager to fungal force: making an impact as a community scientist
Have you ever wondered how you can contribute to the fascinating world of mycology beyond simply observing? This lecture is your practical guide to becoming an active participant in mycological research and outreach. Based on my personal journey, I'll unveil the many different ways you can contribute as a community scientist. We'll explore diverse pathways, from mastering iNaturalist contributions to adopting and thoroughly documenting a specific fungal habitat. Learn about producing valuable local fungi guides and even how you can play a role in the description of new species. Beyond individual efforts, learn how to ignite fungal enthusiasm in your local community. Get ready for a lecture packed with real-world examples and clear steps to empower your journey as a community mycologist.
Sigrid is a community scientist from Brooklyn, New York. She is a former president of the New York Mycological Society, co-founder of a project to document the fungi in her local cemetery, a board member of FUNDIS (Fungal Diversity Survey) and member and sequence validator for the Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab. She's co-authored a couple of new species descriptions of fungi growing on dung and is in the middle of describing several new Inocybaceae.
Chef and Expert forager Chad Hyatt
Chad Hyatt has made a name for himself in Northern California and beyond by sharing his delicious spin on wild mushroom cookery at public and private events. Both an expert forager and classically trained chef, he has cooked in a variety of restaurants and private clubs around the San Francisco Bay area, where he can often be found putting on wild mushroom themed dinners and teaching mushroom related classes. He is the author of 2 mushroom cookbooks, The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen and The Mushroom Hunter's Kitchen: A Culinary Homage to Wild and Cultivated Mushrooms.
Chef and Expert forager Chad Hyatt
I hope you can join us this year. It should be a really fun time. Save the date and register early as enrollment is limited to just 150 people. I look forward to seeing you there, call if you have questions 206-354-9015.
- James Nowak, Ben Woo Foray Chair
If you have problems with registration or membership, please contact Marian Maxwell: outreach@psms.org or Pacita Roberts: membership@psms.org.
Location: Cispus Learning Center
2142 Cispus Road
Randle, WA 98377
Ben Woo Memorial Foray Oct 25-27, 2024 information and sign-up