ABOUT US
The Mushroom Society of Utah is a volunteer-led 501(c)(7) non-profit organization dedicated to helping our community build a deep connection with the funga of Northern Utah through the practice of safe mushroom foraging, environmental stewardship, and citizen science. We strive to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills to identify, harvest, and enjoy wild mushrooms for the table, for personal study, and for the advancement of mycology. Through education, collaboration, and community-building, we aim to cultivate a more engaged and scientifically informed community.
To encourage the understanding and enjoyment of mushrooms in our local area, we aim to emphasize the following objectives:
● Education and Mentoring
● Community and Social Interaction
● Culinary Applications
● Awareness and Appreciation
● Scientific Contribution
KSL Special on our 2019 Fall Foray.
How Does it Work?
As a non-profit organization, our society is supported by household membership dues. See our join page to learn more.
OFFERINGS
EDUCATION
We offer a handful of lectures, workshops, demos, and/or classes throughout the year. These opportunities range from beginner-level material to new advancements in niche corners of the fungal world.
SOCIALS
In the mushroom world, the best resource is your community. We aim to provide opportunities to spend social time together in order to build these bonds.
FORAYS
Throughout the foraging seasons, our knowledgable leaders take small groups out on mushroom expedition to learn how to locate, identify, and appreciate our funga. We host forays with a variety of purposes: to hunt for edibles, enjoy the beauty and diversity of fungi, or collect data and specimens for scientific study.
See our events page to learn more about our organization's activities.
HISTORY
The Mushroom Society of Utah was founded in 1993 by Ardean Watts and several charter members who shared an interest in mycology (the study of fungi).
The group started as a social club of friends who would gather in the mountains and around dinner tables to enjoy mushrooms together. Soon after its establishment, MSU lead their first ever foray—in partnership with the Utah Native Plant Society—to mentor
KUER's RadioWest short film starring our founder, Ardean Watts, in 2015.
and spread the word to newcomers. Charter member and proceeding president, Don Jonhston wrote and self-published the only Utah-specific mushroom field guide through MSU's newsletter to further build the knowledgable community we have today. Our organization's leaders and many of our members attribute our passion and understanding of fungi to the mentorship of our founders. Now, with our society's membership in the hundreds, we strive to carry on Ardean and Don's vision by providing a welcoming community of folk that share enthusiasm and knowledge for all things fungi.
OUR BOARD
Aimée Nguyễn, President
Aimée’s journey with fungi began in 2020 with an interest in local edibles in an attempt to reconnect with her mother's history of foraging in France. Once her learning began, this quickly evolved into a passion for studying and appreciating fungi in all aspects, largely thanks to the mentorship of the Mushroom Society of Utah. From the knowledge she gained through her amateur studies, she began an after-school Intro to Mycology enrichment course for 7–8th graders in 2022. In creating the curriculum, she was challenged with the fact that the field of study is not readily accessible and decided to expand her teachings by serving as a general member on the MSU board in 2023, moving into the presidency the year after. She holds a Masters degree in The Art of Teaching and undergraduate degrees in Biology and Creative Writing. Her current projects for the society are focused on educational programing.
Jesse West, Vice President
Jesse was born and raised in East Tennessee. He grew up enjoying nature and began taking an interest in fungi after moving to Knoxville. After graduating from college, Jesse started working as an advocate for the hemp industry and other natural resources. Jesse moved to Utah in 2022 and attended an MSU foray. Elected as vice president in 2023, he has enjoyed connecting with the community and is happy to help be a voice for mushrooms. Jesse is currently working on vamping up the social aspect of our society to help build community and connecting our members with nature through meditational forays.
Ashley Simon, Past President
Ashley got involved with the Mushroom Society of Utah in 2017 after finding a mysterious mushroom in her lawn. This expanded into learning mushroom identification and moderating online discussion groups on the topic. Since then, she has served as a general board member in 2020 and as president of MSU from 2021–2023. She holds a Master's degree in Middle East Studies and Linguistics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her interests include leading forays, understanding fungi as part of a larger ecology, community science and conservation.
Dmitri Smirnov, Treasurer
Dmitri grew up in Russia where foraging for edible mushrooms is a national sport. After moving to the US, he discovered that fungi are not that different in this part of the world. He got involved with the Utah Mushroom Society in 2020 and became the society's treasurer in 2023. Upon retiring from his corporate career in finance, he now enjoys travelling, skiing, sailing, fishing, gardening, and, of course, mushroom hunting in the local mountains.
Logan Seat, Secretary
Logan was born and raised in Salt Lake City, where he lived until heading out to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University where he studied Psychology and Management and learned to surf! After college, he came back to Salt Lake to be around his family (and the mountains) and started a job with Intermountain Research as an Administrative Coordinator. In his free time, he loves any and all outdoor activities, but lately has been especially into wildlife photography. He also plays the guitar and is an avid reader, which keeps him occupied when the weather is bad. Recently, he moved into an old church building in Sugarhouse and has thus been busy buying lots of furniture and art for the new place!
Chris Kleine, General Board Member
Chris has been interested in fungi ever since he took a mycology class at Oregon State University. He completed a BS in botany at OSU and an MS at the University of Wyoming. Since then, he has been studying fungi throughout Western North America, often traveling to attend different fungi convergences. He has served on the MSU board since January of 2023, leads forays & lectures, serves on the scientific contributions committee, and frequently ID’s in Mushroom Observer and iNaturalist—he's the top identifier in our NUF Project!
Brennen Schultz, General Board Member
Brennen was born and raised in Salt Lake City. After graduating from The University of Utah with a B.S. in Urban Planning he dove head first into mushroom cultivation. He is interested in the role that mycology can play within urban ecology, architecture, design, and accessibility. He keeps an evolving collection of liquid cultures and one of his goals for his involvement in MSU this year is to organize an event geared towards cultivation enthusiasts. He joined MSU in 2022, became a foray leader the next year, and is excited to be a part of the board this year. Outside of MSU, he enjoys gardening, composting, D&D, and chess.