Yachats Mushroom Festival talks are opportunities to delve into many aspects of the world of mushrooms. Learn about mushroom foraging and identification basics, hear about cooking techniques, and get a download on the latest scientific research involving mycology. All talks are free!
Saturday Talks
Saturday 10-11:30am - How to Identify Mushrooms: The Basics | Jon Sommer
Location: Lion's Club
Mushrooms: What they are and what do you need to know to reliably identify wild mushrooms.About the speaker: Jon Sommer has led mushroom forays, given lectures on a range of mycological topics, and taught mushroom identification across the United States for more than five decades. He is a well-known speaker and presenter for mycological societies and forays across the country. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Botany at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California and two Master’s Degrees from the University of California, Davis (Botany & Plant Pathology). He has studied mushroom identification with notable mycologists including Drs. David Largent, Orson K. Miller Jr. and Harry D. Thiers. A resident of Colorado for 30 years, and now living on the Oregon coast, Jon has in-depth knowledge of fungi across the US and particularly northern California and Oregon. He is the immediate Past President of the Colorado Mycological Society and is the current Vice President of the Lincoln County Mycological Society in Oregon.
Saturday 1-2pm - Native and Cultivated Truffles in Western Oregon | Dr. Charles Lefevre
Location: Lion's Club
There are seven indigenous truffle species with recognized culinary value harvested in North America. Four of these are found along the west coast in Oregon. Come to this talk to learn more about these native truffles and how cultivated truffles are grown.
About the speaker: Dr. Charles Lefevre is the founder of New World Truffieres, Inc., a pioneering company dedicated to the cultivation of truffles in North America. He is also a co-founder and organizer of The Oregon Truffle Festival. Dr. Lefevre earned his Ph.D. in Forest Mycology from Oregon State University in 2002, where he conducted research on the host associations of the American Matsutake mushroom. You can reach Dr. Lefevre at info@truffletree.com or www.truffletree.com.
Saturday 2-3pm - Legal Psilocybin in Oregon: What the Journey Looks Like | Heather Shelton
Location: Presbyterian Church
Heather will share the journey of EPIC Healing Eugene, the nation’s first licensed psilocybin service center. She’ll reflect on the challenges and breakthroughs of opening the doors to this historic space, and what it means to offer psilocybin services within Oregon’s new legal framework. Heather will guide the audience through what a healing journey looks like at the center—from the first intake conversation and preparation, to the psilocybin experience itself, and the deep work of integration that follows. Her talk offers a rare glimpse into how psilocybin is being practiced legally today, and the possibilities it opens for personal and collective healing.About the speaker: Heather Shelton is a holistic health practitioner with more than 25 years of experience in patient care, spanning the full life cycle. She currently serves as a facilitator, intake specialist, and medical specialist at EPIC Healing Eugene, the nation’s first licensed psilocybin service center, where she played a key role in helping launch the program in 2023. She can be found at www.herbsongfarm.com and www.epichealingeugene.com.
Sunday Talks
Sunday 10-11am - Mushrooms as Medicine | Sherrie Hansen
Location: Lion's Club
Sherrie of mymushroompeople.com has spent many years researching the effects of Mushrooms for Medicine and Health. She has created mushroom extract powder for healing. She will speak on using mushrooms for healing, the benefits of specific individual mushroom species, as well as providing the bigger picture of mushroom energetics.About the speaker: Sherrie of mymushroompeople.com has been in the mushroom business for over twenty years, from researching mushrooms’ many health benefits and effects on disease to harvesting and cultivating, creating mushroom extracts for health and well-being, and sharing her knowledge through speaking engagements and education.
Sunday 11:30am-12:30pm - Mushroom Preservation Techniques | Jon Sommer
Location: Lion's Club
How to preserve that bountiful harvest of your favorite wild mushrooms.
About the speaker: Jon Sommer has led mushroom forays, given lectures on a range of mycological topics, and taught mushroom identification across the United States for more than five decades. He is a well-known speaker and presenter for mycological societies and forays across the country. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Botany at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California and two Master’s Degrees from the University of California, Davis (Botany & Plant Pathology). He has studied mushroom identification with notable mycologists including Drs. David Largent, Orson K. Miller Jr. and Harry D. Thiers. A resident of Colorado for 30 years, and now living on the Oregon coast, Jon has in-depth knowledge of fungi across the US and particularly northern California and Oregon. He is the immediate Past President of the Colorado Mycological Society and is the current Vice President of the Lincoln County Mycological Society in Oregon.
Sunday 1-2pm - Truffle Taxonomy Can Be Tricky! | Dr. Dan Luoma and Joyce Eberhart for the North American Truffling Society
Location: Lion's Club
Learn the characteristics of truffles that will help you identify these underground beauties. We will share images of some of the many species of truffles, and show you what to look for in order to identify your findings. We will have some microscopes available so you can see microscopic features of spores and other structures.
About NATS: Founded in 1978, the North American Truffling Society is a non-profit organization based in Corvallis, Oregon, that brings together amateurs and professionals who are interested in hypogeous (belowground) fruiting fungi. The mission of NATS is to enhance the scientific knowledge of North American truffles and truffle-like fungi, and promote educational activities related to truffles and truffle-like fungi. Learn more at https://natruffling.org/
Sunday 2:30-3:30pm - Mycological research in Oregon, updates from Oregon State University and outlooks for the Pacific Northwest mycological research community | Dr. Jessie Uehling
Location: Lion's Club
Learn about latest in mycology research at Oregon State University and how it relates to the mycological research community in the Pacific Northwest. About the speaker: Jessie Uehling is an associate professor at Oregon State University in The Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, curator of the OSC fungal collection and the mycologist for the Oregon Psilocybin advisory board. You can learn more about her labs research at Uehlinglab.com
