Ep. 108: Mushrooms of Cascadia, Mentoring Stamets & the Promise of Psilocybe (feat. Prof. Michael Beug)

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed by the presence of the illustrious Dr. Michael Beug. Dr. Beug taught chemistry, mycology and organic farming at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington for 32 years. He lectures to mushroom enthusiasts throughout the Western US and loves to teach beginners workshops. He is a member of the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) where he serves as Editor of the Journal McIlvainea, Chair of the Toxicology Committee, and member of the Education Committee. Michael has served four terms as President of The Pacific Northwest Key Council, a group dedicated to writing macroscopic keys for the identification of fungi. His specialties are the genus Ramaria and all toxic and hallucinogenic mushrooms. He is also doing research on oak-associated fungi of the Columbia River Gorge, especially Cortinarius species. His newest book is Mushrooms of Cascadia and he regularly writes about mushrooms in McIlvainea, The Mycophile, Fungi, and Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming and he somehow finds the time to be on the editorial board of Fungi magazine. I’m excited to learn from this master mycology educator about the past, present and future of mushrooms.   

TOPICS COVERED:   

• Early Career at Evergreen & Becoming a Mycologist  
• DDT Controversy, Research into PCBs and Heavy Metals  
• Multidisciplinary Teaching Career and Collaboration at Evergreen College  
• Paul Stamets Jeremy Bigwood & Jonathan Ott Introduce Psilocybe  
• Being Paul Stamets’ Professor & Friend  
• Modern Psilocybin History from Wasson, Leary & Alpert to Recent Decriminalization  
• Evolution of Academic Mycology  
• Importance of Amateur Naturalists in Mycology  
• Global Political Theory & Creating Positive Change  
• Averting Disaster, Listening to Nature   
• Rise of Mushroom Culture  
• Psilocybin, Empathy & Hope  
• Mushrooms of Cascadia & Next Book on Regenerative Design  
• Trippy Tales featuring Mushroom Legends at Brightenbush  

EPISODE RESOURCES:   

• Mushrooms of Cascadia Website: https://www.mushroomsofcascadia.com/  
• Mushrooms of Cascadia Book: https://fungi.com/products/mushrooms-of-cascadia  
• Columbia River Gorge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River_Gorge  
• North American Mycological Association: https://namyco.org/   
• Fungi Magazine: https://www.fungimag.com/  
• Pacific Northwest Key Council: https://www.svims.ca/council/  
• MycoMatch: https://www.mycomatch.com/index.htm  
• Hericium erinaceus (AKA Lions Mane): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_erinaceus  
• Trametes versicolor (AKA Turkey Tail): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor