The Mycological Society of San Francisco (MSSF) is an amateur club based in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

, "dedicated to promoting the understanding and enjoyment of

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

." Meetings are held every third Tuesday, and the society newsletter, ''Mycena News'', is published once a month during the mushroom season, from September to May.

Activities

In addition to the general meetings, members hold numerous formal and informal fungi-hunting "forays" throughout the year. The Society also hosts an annual "Fungus Fair" aimed at educating the general public with mushroom displays, identification booths, and fungus-oriented activities.

Community

MSSF members often lend their expertise in

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

identification to

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

in possible poisoning cases. Since many of these occur to recent immigrants from countries with edible lookalikes, the Society has also produced a number of posters with pictures and warnings in multiple languages. In line with their goals of promoting the enjoyment of fungi, members often consult with

land management Land management is the process of management, managing the land use, use and land development, development (in both Urban planning, urban and rural settings, but it is mostly managed in Urban places.) of Land (economics), land resources. Land reso ...

organizations and work to maintain the rights of the general public to collect mushrooms for study and recreational purposes on public lands.

Membership

Membership is open to anyone interested in the study of fungi. Differing rates are offered for general membership, seniors, full-time students, and electronic members, who are not mailed the newsletter and instead download a PDF from the website.

References

Mycology organizations Science and technology in California Organizations based in San Francisco {{mycology-org-stub