Fund-raising for fungi conservation

Perth and Australian Fundraiser for International Society for Fungal Conservation

By Sapphire McMullan-Fisher & Roz Hart

 

We had a successful fund raising day at Star Swamp on Sunday 25 May 2014. Star Swamp is a bushland area close to the coast on Quindalup dunes in the suburbs to the north of Perth. It is managed by The City of Stirling who kindly allowed us to share the use of the Henderson Environmental Centre with the Friends of Star Swamp to hold our lunch and a talk at no charge. This was very generous and allowed all the door takings to be donated to the International Society for Fungal Conservation (ISFC ).

We modified the “Orphans of Rio” graphic to have a more positive spin. Also most people don’t understand the “Rio Convention” (Convention for biological diversity) reference. One Spanish speaker was heard to say “why are they orphans of the river?” as Rio means “river”. Lots of education required!

The T-shirts sales raised money for both ISCF and the local fungi or other conservation group nominated by the purchaser. We managed to raise money for seven Australian groups. The Albany Wildflower Society is supportive of fungi conservation and has some active members who are interested in their lichens.

Fundraising summary:

Group	Raised
ISCF	$34
Western Australian Naturalists’ Club Fungi Study Group	$106
Fungimap	$60
Albany Wildflower Society	$36
Queensland Mycological Society	$18
Field Naturalists Club of Victoria–Fungi Group	$6

Roz Hart, Russell Chambers,Yvonne Broome and Sapphire McMullan-Fisher of the WA Naturalists’ Club at Mt Lesueur, wearing their fungi T-shirts

Take part in research about citizen science

Fungimappers are invited to take a survey looking into media engagement and citizen science by University of Tasmania student Fraser Johnston. To fill out the survey please click here or go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Fungimap

We would appreciate it if Fungimappers can take the survey before 10 October 2014. Read on for further details:

Dear volunteer,

I am writing on behalf of the University of Tasmania to request your help with an important project. As part of an honours project to evaluate engagement of volunteers in citizen science, we are conducting a survey of current Fungimap volunteers to ask about their experiences in citizen science programs.

What is citizen science? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as: 

The collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists.

You have been selected to be part of this project because you are a Fungimap volunteer. Taking time to complete this brief survey will give us a better understanding of the importance of citizen science from the perspective of volunteers. I know that surveys like this can be an inconvenience, but I hope that you will take just a little time to participate in this brief web questionnaire so that we can improve citizen science for everyone.

The survey is anonymous so your answers will be completely confidential. The results of the survey will not be linked to any survey participant. Text comments will be used verbatim so please do not provide any identifying information in your text comments.

Thank you in advance for your participation in this important project. If you have any questions about the administration of the survey, please contact Fraser Johnston, at fgj@utas.edu.au or Kathleen Williams, at kathleen.williams@utas.edu.au 

To fill out the survey please follow this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Fungimap


Sincerely,

Fraser Johnston

University of Tasmania.

By completing and submitting the linked survey you are granting permission for the data collected to be used in this University of Tasmania research.

Survey participants

You are invited to take part in this research that is being carried out as part of an Honours degree for Fraser Johnston under the supervision of Kathleen Williams in the department of Journalism Media and Communications. This study will compare volunteer engagement across different types of citizen science projects by surveying volunteers about their experiences.

The aim of this study is to better understand how different types of citizen science programs engage volunteers though a variety of media and how this affects the experience of volunteers.

Fungimappers are invited to participate in this survey due to their involvement as a volunteer at Fungimap. Involvement in this survey is entirely voluntary and there are no consequences if you choose not to participate. Choosing not to participate will not affect your relationship with Fungimap or the University of 

Tasmania.

We ask participants to spend a few minutes filling out the online questionnaire that is found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Fungimap 

There are a total of 40 questions that are a mixture of multiple choice and short answer. There is no time limit to the questionnaire and participants may fill it out over any amount of time before the 10th of October.

Participation in this study will allow you to have some input into the way that citizen science programs engage their volunteers, this will benefit the organisations directly involved in the study and wider citizen science community by giving citizen science organisations a roadmap to volunteer engagement though different media. 

There are not thought to be any risks associated with participating in this questionnaire.Participants in this questionnaire can withdraw at any time without providing an explanation for doing so however as all questionnaires are anonymous it will not be possible to retrieve data once the questionnaire has been filled out and submitted. The data collected from the surveys during the course of this project will be confidentially and securely stored in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Tasmania. Following a period of five years, the data will be securely destroyed. As participants do not provide their names the survey data will not identify any individual.

Findings of the study will be included in Fraser Johnston’s honours thesis. This will be available by request following grading at the conclusion of 2014. Survey participants will not be identified in the thesis.

If you have any questions about the study please contact Fraser Johnston fgj@utas.edu.au or Kathleen Williams Kathleen.williams@utas.edu.au

“This study has been approved by the Tasmanian Social Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have concerns or complaints about the conduct of this study, please contact the Executive Officer of the HREC (Tasmania) Network on +61 3 6226 6254 or email human.ethics@utas.edu.au. The Executive Officer is the person nominated to receive complaints from research participants. Please quote ethics 

reference number H0014403.”

This information sheet is for participants to keep, consent for involvement is implied by the completion and submission of the survey.

Thank you,

Fraser Johnston, Kathleen Williams

A new fungus poster - Fungi of the Mount Alexander Region

Fungi publication notice #4: Fungi of the Mount Alexander Region poster

by Alison Pouliot

Yesterday a poster tube arrived in the post from Bronwyn Silver.  Inside I found the exciting new poster – Fungi of the Mount Alexander Region.

The new poster was compiled by wonderfully knowledgeable field naturalists who live in the Mt Alexander Shire and are involved in the Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests (FOBIF).

Fungi of the Mount Alexander Region

FOBIF was formed in the late 1990s by people in the local community who work towards highlighting the significance of the Box-Ironbark Forests and Woodlands. Among its various goals FOBIF promotes understanding of the natural values of the Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands, their ecosystems and the threats to their preservation.

The poster, which features nine species that occur in the local Box-Ironbark forests was published by FOBIF, with generous financial support from The Norman Wettenhall Foundation. Photographs were provided by John Ellis, Mitchell Parker, Bronwyn Silver, Bernard Slattery and Alison Pouliot.

 
Further to the fungus poster, these inspired folk have also put together a new book entitled, Mosses of Dry Forests in South Eastern Australia, which was launched by Frances Cincotta on 31 May.  

The poster would be a wonderful addition to every classroom, household refrigerator, or any wall anywhere, to get the message out that fungi are a very important part of our ecosystems including Box-Ironbark forests.

Both the poster and the book are available through the Environment Shop at 325 Barker St, Castlemaine or online at www.fobif.org.au

The poster costs $5- (plus postage).

Special Issue on Fungi in Wombat Forestcare Newsletter

Fungi publication notice: Special issue on fungi in Wombat Forestcare Newsletter

by Alison Pouliot

The members of the Wombat Forestcare collectively hold an incredible wealth of knowledge about the biodiversity of the Wombat Forest, including that of its fungi. Several Wombat Forestcare members are also actively involved in Fungimap and contribute fungus distribution records and participate in Fungimap forays.

There are also those who appreciate fungi in a whole lot of other ways. This special issue of the newsletter contains a collection of encounters with the Wombat Forest's fungi expressed through stories, anecdotes, poetry and images.

The newsletter opens with a contribution by David Minter, the president of the International Society for Fungal Conservation. David commends Wombat Forestcare for its "model of good practice" in "recognising the importance of fungi and the need to protect them".

According to newsletter readers, the Wombat's most alluring fungus is Mycena interrupta, the pixie's parasol. But many other species also attracted interest and readers offered fascinating insights into how and why fungi activate people's interest and curiosity.

For example, Cat Nield chose Mycena interrupta because "These tiny little beauties with their perfect form and amazing colours remind me how much of our forests can go unnoticed and unappreciated. I am fascinated by these delicate miniature fungi hiding in the cracks of a log or perched on a shed piece of bark amongst the litter”.

Kim Percy chose Tremella fuciformis because "The translucent ghost like quality of this fungus takes me to another world. Imagine it as an enormous entity, floating through space or holding it up to the light and seeing the forest through its milky membrane. Its simplicity is its beauty – a spirit being of the forest floor”.

Bronwyn Lay's poetic appreciation of Mycena interrupta beautifully expresses how these tiny forms can so powerfully capture one's heart and imagination.

Mycena interrupta, image: Alison Pouliot

little blue

by Bronwyn Lay

Single small beauty is the forest’s still small voice,

Poised above the earth on crumble wood,

You are turquoise lover trying to give cover.

You bring waves inland so a spot of sea

is seen in the biotic debris.

Petite wonder among the giants,

Your soft canvas holds a regal

head waiting to be taken by the wind.

Until the body breaks its blue

Through soil’s centre.

But for now, in this quiet,

Knowing you will vanish,

I breathe close to spores

Wee colour that feeds the world.

Little friend suspended.

Forgive me,

I think

I might have

Perhaps,

Maybe,

fallen

in love.

Terrific fungus photos were also received from the newsletter's youngest contributor, Ari Scheltema, aged six years. Others told of unexpected fungal discoveries in the Wombat and the many ways in which fungi are appreciated including their ecological roles, aesthetics, medicinal and edible qualities and how for some, encounters with fungi have inspired an ethic of care.

Enormous thanks to all those who contributed their impressions of the Wombat Forest's fungi.

The newsletter is available as a PDF at the Wombat Forestcare website.

Shelbourne Nature Conservation Reserve fungus survey

by Alison Pouliot

Little is known about the fungi that inhabit the box and ironbark forests in north-central Victoria. Only a few records exist in the Fungimap or Living Atlas of Australia databases. Information on the fungi of these ecosystems is therefore very important in contributing to a bigger picture understanding of fungal distributions.

 Piptoporus australiensis. Photo © Kyle Murphy

Keen fungus surveyors from three Landcare groups 

and Bendigo TAFE. Photo © Jane Mitchell

Last week a group of ultra-keen fungus surveyors took to the Shelbourne Nature Conservation Reserver to see what fungi are emerging following the first autumn rains a couple of weeks back.  The group represented three different Landcare groups (Nuggetty, West Marong and Upper Spring Creek) as well as students from the Conservation and Land Management Course at Bendigo TAFE. The students have been looking at different forest management regimes that incorporate burning and ecological thinning as well as mapping exercises of fungal distributions.

Omphalotus nidiformis. Photo: © Jane Mitchell

Austropaxillus infundibuliformis. Photo: © Jane Mitchell

Although the rains hadn't penetrated much beyond the upper leaf litter layer, twelve species were recorded including Austropaxillus infundibuliformis group, Omphalotus nidiformis, Laccaria sp., Crepidotus sp., Stereum hirsutum, Trametes versicolor, Piptoporus australiensis, Pisolithus sp., Geastrum fornicatum and three lichens: Parmelia sp., Flavoparmelia sp. and Cladonia sp.

Despite the precarious future of Landcare it was encouraging to see Landcare members so keen to understand and document the fungi of these forests. The survey followed three fungus workshops held in Lockwood South, Baringhup and Woodstock on Loddon over the last two months.

Huge thanks go to the indefatigable Judy Crocker from the Mid Loddon Conservation Management Network and Upper Spring Creek Landcare Group for recognising the important ecological role of fungi in these forests and for organising the survey.