Conserving Our Wild Fungal Heritage

Over 6,000 species of fungi have been documented from Pennsylvania, but the composition of the list keeps changing and growing. Location data for many fungi are lacking, making it difficult to assess whether their populations are secure or threatened. Some fungi are introduced and spreading. Your fungal observations can contribute meaningfully to our understanding of population health on the state scale. This talk will highlight some target rare species and data needs, the value of DNA barcoding community science collections, the campaign for official state fungi of Pennsylvania, and how we all can promote fungal conservation.

Presenter: Hannah Huber is the conservation mycologist for the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. Hannah strategizes and supports efforts to inventory the fungi of Pennsylvania, assess species’ extirpation risk, and explore what their conservation could look like. She was raised hunting for morels in Michigan, began her wider field mycology journey in 2010 in the Adirondacks and studied mycology throughout her time at Paul Smith's College and SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry. Hannah’s career has alternated with roles in environmental education, community organizing, sustainable agricultural planning, and roles related to mycology as Hannah repeatedly took the advice of Pittsburgh mycologist Gary Lincoff (1942-2018): “Quit your job and devote your life to fungi” until ironically becoming employed as a full-time mycologist. Hannah lives in Harrisburg, PA.