What's Happening

Would you like to learn to identify lichens of the Pacific Northwest and hear the stories they tell? Please join me for one of my fall lichen workshops!

I will be leading a lichen workshop in Seattle on the University of Washington campus with Dr. Katherine Glew October 4-5. 

I will also lead a lichen workshop in Portland at Reed College with Dr. Hannah Prather on October 25-26.

Both workshops will consist of a combination of lectures and discussions, laboratory sessions with dissecting microscopes, and field trips. For a more detailed description of the workshops, see the event pages linked above.

No previous lichen experience is needed, and after attending a workshop you should be able to recognize numerous common macrolichen genera of our region.

Symbiotically yours,

Jesse

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to close the US Forest Service’s 9 regional offices in the USA. Other reorganizational changes are happening as well within the USDA.  If you care to comment to the USDA, public comments are being accepted until August 26^th. 

 Comments on USDA Reorganization due Aug 26, 2025 https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/08/01/usda-opens-public-comment-period-department-reorganization-plan [usda.gov] Feel free to share this! We appreciate your support.

Just one part of the plan:

• The National Agricultural Statistics Service will consolidate its 12 existing regions into five USDA Hubs over a multi-year period.

• The Food and Nutrition Service will reduce its number of regions from seven to five and align locations with the USDA Hubs and Service Centers over a two-year period

• The Forest Service will phase out the nine Regional Offices over the next year and implementation activities will take into consideration the ongoing fire season.

 The Forest Service will maintain a reduced state office in Juneau, Alaska and an eastern service center in Athens, Georgia. The current stand-alone Research Stations will be consolidated into a single location in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Forest Service will retain the Fire Sciences Lab and Forest Products Lab - the former, vital for protection from forest fires and the latter, critical for assessing market development opportunities for timber and other forest products and related industries.

Open until October 3, 2025: Blue Mountains Tri Forest plan comment period. Please review Species of Conservation Concern lists and associated changes from Regional Forester's Sensitive list. This new SCC list only includes species documented and considered rare for each forest as opposed to RFSS list which had included suspected species. If you have documented site data that was overlooked please comment.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/umatilla/planning/blue-mountains-forest-plan-revision

Walk through the Washington Park Arboretum and learn all about lichens and their growth!

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Looking for a Winter activity for those shorter days in Seattle? Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology. Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae. You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Washington Park Arboretum on Saturday, March 8, to get a head start on learning lichens from one of Seattle’s botanic gardens. You can enjoy the late winter/early spring season by looking for lichens, rather than staying inside and missing out on the excitement of being outside.

The walk will cover about 1 mile.

Registration: 

Scroll down to March 8 Lichen Walk.

A second date offered will be February 8.

Bring a hand lens or cell phone with a magnifier to view lichen details. A great field book is: "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest" by McCune & Geiser. There are lots of lichen photos to use for identification. The book can be purchased through Amazon or The University Bookstore.

Registration Fee: $45

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Looking for a winter activity for those shorter days in the Seattle & Bellevue area?

Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology.  Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae.  You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees, fences, Rhododendrons and Azaleas? Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air pollution!  Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Bellevue Botanic Gardens on Tuesday, March 4 to get a head start on learning lichens from one of the Seattle areas botanic gardens. The walk around the gardens is just over 1 mile.

Registration: Lichen Walk - Bellevue Botanical Garden

Fee: $24.50 - $35

Bring a hand lens & a copy of McCune/Geiser "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest". The Lichen book can be purchased through Amazon or the University Book Store.

This from Sophia at Eagle Hill Institute in Maine...

-----

Eagle Hill Institute’s 2025 Lichens and Related Seminars

Eagle Hill is right on the coast of Eastern Maine, between Acadia National Park and Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge. 

Jun 1–7 • Lichens: Biology, Ecology, and Identification • Troy McMullin & Philip Bell-Doyon

Jun 15–21 • Plant Collection and Herbarium Curation • Daniel Atha

Aug 3–9 • Lichens, Biofilms, and Stone • Judy Jacob & Michaela Schmull

For general information, the registration form, seminar flyers, and a complete calendar:

https://eaglehill.us/programs/sems-weeklong/calendar-weeklong.shtml

If you have any questions about the content of the seminar, please reach out to the seminar instructor(s), whose contact info can be found on the seminar flyer. If a seminar you are interested in is full, and you would like to be put on the waitlist, please fill out the application form.

If you have any questions about registering for the seminar, please contact us at office@eaglehill.us.

Walk through the Washington Park Arboretum and learn all about lichens and their growth!

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Looking for a Winter activity for those shorter days in Seattle? Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology. Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae. You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Washington Park Arboretum on Saturday, February 8, to get a head start on learning lichens from one of Seattle’s botanic gardens. You can enjoy the winter season by looking for lichens, rather than staying inside and missing out on the excitement of being outside.

The walk will cover about 1 mile.

Registration: 

Scroll down to February 8 Lichen Walk

A second date offered will be March 8.

Bring a hand lens or cell phone with a magnifier to view lichen details. A great field book is: "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest" by McCune & Geiser. There are lots of lichen photos to use for identification. The book can be purchased through Amazon or The University Bookstore.

Registration Fee: $45

Friday, February 7, 2025

Looking for a winter activity for those shorter days in the Seattle & Bellevue area?

Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology.  Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae.  You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees, fences, Rhododendrons and Azaleas? Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air pollution!  Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Bellevue Botanic Gardens on Friday, February 7 to get a head start on learning lichens from one of the Seattle areas botanic gardens. The walk around the gardens is just over 1 mile.

Registration: Lichen Walk - Bellevue Botanical Garden

Fee: $24.50 - $35

Bring a hand lens & a copy of McCune/Geiser "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest". The Lichen book can be purchased through Amazon or the University Book Store.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 5:30-7:30 pm 

Lichen Illustrated Glossary Workshop

In-person event

Presenter: Tiffa Theden

In this workshop we will combine the science of lichenology with the joy of artistic creativity. We will cover 20 terms that describe the different structures and forms of lichen, illustrating them in a booklet that participants can take home for future reference. We will cover the basic anatomy, forms, reproductive structures, and other specialized structures that are important when identifying lichens. Combining art with science is a great way to learn and retain new information, so if you are lichen-curious, this workshop is a can’t miss! Microscopes, specimens, visual aids, paper, and drawing supplies will be provided. All skill levels welcome!

Location: The Red Barn at the Wenatchee River Institute, 347 Division Street, Leavenworth, WA.

Please join Adrienne from 5-7pm on Thursday, January 30 at the Hundred Acre Woods in Fairhaven in Bellingham, WA for a magical evening walk through the woods with UV lights. We will look at and learn about lichens that fluoresce under UV light, and anything else we find interesting :) 

This event is hosted through the NW Mushroomers Association and the Licheneers of North Puget Sound, but you don't need to be a member of either group to attend.

We will meet here: 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/vvf5D92oQpxAQM8u7?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

where the Interurban Trail meets Cody Ave. There is usually parking along 22nd St around here. We will begin walking south down the Interurban Trail (flat, wide gravel path) and may go into some narrower dirt trails more in the woods too.  

Please dress for the weather, it might be chilly and we will be standing still a lot, not actually walking that far. And please bring a regular headlamp or flashlight, UV lights if you have any, and a loupe or other handheld magnifying glass if you wish to look closely at the lichens or other stuff. 

Please RSVP to alms.adrienne@gmail.com if you will be attending.