Let's get together VIRTUALLY! Mark your calendars and get ready to enjoy our June meeting from the comfort of your home! 

• Our Vice-President, April Thompson will start us up with meeting business 
• Membership Director, Tom Moore, will keep us up to date with "Fungi In the News"
• NAMA Representative, Martin Livezy, will give us an overview of what is popping up with our virtual ID table, using some of YOUR observations on our iNaturalist Project
• Culinary Chair, Cindy Conelly Ryan, will delight us with her segment: "From The ID Table to The Kitchen Table
• 2024 Scholarship recipient, Valerie Chen, will delight us with a short presentation: Treasures from a Maryland Forest: Phenology of Macrofungi and Slime Molds. In this presentation, Valerie will discuss her senior thesis work, showcasing 18 surveys throught the 2024 year. Ms. Chen documented the vast diversity of macrofungi and slime molds that inhabit a single location, demonstrating how participatory science in collaboration with local groups can further our collective understanding of the local natural history.
• Featured presentation by Programs Chair, Serenella Linares

Title: Slime Molds of the Mid-Atlantic: Diversity, Lifestyles, and Reproduction

Description: This presentation explores the fascinating world of slime molds found throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Often mistaken for fungi, these unique organisms exhibit a remarkable diversity in form and function. Examine the major types of slime molds: plasmodial, cellular, and dictyostelid while we highlight their distinctive life cycles, ecological roles, and adaptive strategies.  Join us as we uncover the unusual reproductive structures, which vary widely across species, and survival techniques of these captivating organisms that thrive in the forests, leaf litter, and soil of the Mid-Atlantic landscape.

Bio: Serenella Linares is a Puerto Rican biologist and the Facility Director at Mount Rainier Nature Center in Maryland. She is recognized in the DC area for making nature education engaging and accessible, especially in the field of mycology. Serenella launched the “Ask a Fun-Gal” program, creating a partnership with the Mycological Association of Washington DC to bring public-facing DNA research and mushroom education to the community. Formerly the Director of Adult Education at Nature Forward, she developed virtual, bilingual environmental programs and played a key role in expanding access to nature education during the pandemic. With a background in biology and atmospheric science, and several years of graduate level training in mycology, Serenella continues to lead restoration efforts, promote sustainability, and foster public curiosity about the natural world.

Zoom Link:

https://zoom.us/j/96693690911?pwd=YWdyeXh1bHF1N1UyNjNieFovNWFUZz09

Meeting ID 966 9369 0911

Passcode  330827

One Tap Mobile +13017158592,,96693690911#,,,,*330827# US (Washington DC)

Find your local Zoom access number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kQ9hr47WO