We seek to educate and empower people and communities, by putting cultivation techniques and access to lab space within the reach of the average home gardener, urban farmer, or mushroom enthusiast. We also collaborate with public and private organizations on research projects addressing complex environmental issues.

Fungal outreach is a big part of what we do.

Our members are happy to present at virtual events, but are also thrilled to be out in the world, doing live demos and evangelizing for the fungi. Outreach involves everything from explaining ecosystem dynamics and the vital role that fungi serve, to consultation on small and large projects, to hands-on demonstrations.

If you think at your event or magazine/newspaper/podcast could use some applied mycology, send us an email at contact@bayareaappliedmycology.org. We’d love to talk!

BAAM members regularly get together for “straw cooks” and inoculation projects, often in preparation for outreach events, but sometimes just as a benefit for our members.

Many hands make the work faster, but get-togethers like these are also a great way to catch-up, talk about what mushrooms are coming up where, and share in the bounty of members’ foraging. Why pay a lot of money for a few morels at a restaurant, when you can spend a sunny afternoon in the East Bay, catching up with friends over dishes full of rare and highly sought after mushrooms?

Identification forays are a definite perk for our members. Join us for an afternoon of collecting fungal-fair specimens– make some new friends, learn the ins-and-outs of East Bay mushroom hunting, and possibly find something rare. Also, the academic nature of BAAM’s work sometimes allows our members legal access to places where recreational foraging or forays are usually not permitted. BAAM highly values its partnerships, and treats all foray locations with absolute respect.