The West Virginia Mushroom Club
The 2024 Lineup
Walt Sturgeon (back center, black shirt) serves as our host mycologist this year. Walt has been a stalwart contributor to the WV Mushroom Club for many years, has over 45 years of experience studying, photographing, and identifying mushrooms, and you just might recognize his name from the must-have Appalachian Mushrooms, among other field guides he has authored and co-authored. We are so honored to honor Walt at this year's foray!
Dr. Brandon Matheny
Brandon is a professor at the University of Tennesse in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He is a fungal biologist with a research and teaching focus on systematics and ecology of mushroom-forming fungi. Brandon was a history undergrad at Oklahoma State, received his PhD in Botany at the University of Washington, did a five-year postdoc at Clark University working on the fungal tree of life, and has been a professor at Tennessee since 2008. He is currently working on a systematic revision of the mushroom family Inocybaceae in North America and a floristic treatment of mushrooms in the southern Appalachians.
Jay Justice
Jay Justice became enthralled with mushrooms and fungi while pursuing a graduate degree many years ago. After completing his graduate degree, Jay joined the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) in 1980. In 1982, he was instrumental in forming the Arkansas Mycological Society and participated in his first NAMA foray in 1985. He has been a prominent member of NAMA, and a well-known mycologist in the decades since.
In 2011, Justice was the recipient of the Gary Lincoff Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology, an award that is given each year by NAMA to recognize service performed by selected amateur or professional mycologists.
He has been listed as a co-author on several research papers in mycological journals and he serves as one of the chief mycologists for the Missouri Mycological Society as well as a scientific advisor for the Arkansas Mycological Society, the Cumberland Mycological Society, and the Gulf South Mycological Society. Jay continues to serve as a lecturer and mushroom foray leader for mycological societies and mushroom clubs, particularly in the Southeast.
He has recently co-authored the book Amanitas in North America, which was published in June of 2020.
Hannah Huber
Hannah is exploring a plan for fungal conservation with the mycology community in Pennsylvania. She was born into a Michigan morel hunting family and introduced to the broader field of mycology in 2010 in the Adirondacks by mushroom dye artist and New Jersey Mycological Association legend Susan Hopkins. Hannah took courses in mycology throughout her time at Paul Smith's College and SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, including with mycorrhizologist Dr. Tom Horton. She's worked in the lab and fungarium settings, is the secretary for the Northeast Mycological Federation, and the coordinator for the Fungal Diversity Survey's Northeast Rare Fungi Challenge.
Pat Mitchell
Pat Mitchell, President and Co-Founder of the Blue Ridge Mycological Society, started his journey into the world of mycology in 2012. Among other fungal focuses, fluorescence has been an early fascination along his way. In recent years, Pat has been giving mycology talks, leading mushroom walks and UV night walks for his local Parks and Rec and also for various mycology events. Compelled by deep curiosity, he has enjoyed this topic as it explores a world that is otherwise unseen and unoticed. While not in the woods looking for fungi, Pat lives with his wife and 3 kids in Lynchburg VA working in construction fixing slate roofs or remodeling bathrooms.
IN HONOR OF NANCY WARD
Words cannot express what Nancy meant to our club and the greater mushroom community. Nancy had a quiet way of listening with a little sideways smile before letting on what a guru she was at ID. This, along with her gentle demeanor made her so approachable and easy to fall in love with. Not only could she ID a mushroom, was incredibly insightful in so many aspects of life, but she could really organize a foray! We are forever indebted to her genuine approach and cultivation of an open-minded, open-armed community. This foray is dedicated to her honor. We will take time to remember her together, so please feel free to bring stories, pictures, and mementos of our dear Nancy to share.