Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

The first of three events on The Advocacy and Alchemy Tour is set for May 16th from 6:30 to 8 pm at the CATALYST Creative Collective in the Tucson Mall. Attendees will learn how to grow their own mushrooms through cultivation, and deepen their understanding of current forest policy. Anyone interested in attending can register here.

“This partnership will allow any member of the public to learn more about mushrooms, mycology, plant identification, and the importance of protecting the landscapes where they grow – the White Mountains and the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in particular,” said Erica Prather, Greater Gila Arizona Advocate for WildEarth Guardians.

The second event will be a mycology discussion led by WildEarth Guardians’ Dr. Lisa Markovchick and a plant identification and forest walk led by Castro on June 11 at the White Mountains Nature Center in Pinetop-Lakeside. The first weekend in August (5th/6th) there will be a camping opportunity at Big Lake in the White Mountains, with fireside chats about the ecology of the Apache-Sitgreaves as well as a day-long mushroom foray with Castro.

Each event will also include opportunities for the public to engage in actions aimed at protecting Arizona’s national forests and public lands. Events are free and open to the public. 

WildEarth Guardians is an environmental non-profit and advocacy group dedicated to protecting and restoring the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.  The Advocacy and Alchemy Tour is aimed at building a deeper knowledge and understanding of the relationship between forest ecology and local communities. 

White mycorrhizal fungi. Photo by Sweeming Young.