What's Happening

Registration is now available for the 2017 certification in macrolichens west of the Cascade crest.  This year it will be in western Washington. This is always a fun event -- sign up for either the training side or the certification itself. See Events for more information.

Discovering Lichens

Lichens are a vital yet overlooked part of the ecology in our local environment.  Dr. Katherine Glew is the Associate Curator of lichens at the University of Washington Herbarium, Burke Museum. She will discuss lichens; explain what they are, how they grow, and provide a list of the common types found in our forests.  She will also address common urban lichens and what their presence/absence can tell us about plants and air quality.

Location:
Chico Alliance Church, 3670 Chico Way NW Bremerton, WA.

LICHENS: MYSTERIOUS FUNGI OF THE FOREST

Dr. Katherine Glew will lead a lichen tour in the Cedar River Watershed, east of Seattle to introduce you to the fascinating lichens of the forest. If you have wondered about what a lichen is and why they are in the forest, this will be a great opportunity to view the lichen diversity in the watershed and learn the names of our most common species. There will be a short classroom session, followed by visits in the watershed, identifying and studying specimens collected from various forest habitats.

Date: Sunday, June 11, 2017

Time: 10am to 3pm

Bring: a hand lens and a few paper bags for collecting.

Talk presented by Katherine Glew.

Katherine will discuss what lichens are, how they grow, where they are found, and the common types found in our urban and wild habitats.

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos for the Lichens and People photo contest of 2017.

The winner is the Lichen Desperados in the Blue Mountains by Terri Knoke, who will receive our Letharia-logo hat and cloth patch. First runner-up: Children admiring saxicolous lichens by Rabah Khedim. Second runner-up:Lichen mandala by Nathanial Stewart.

See the winning photos at the bottom of the NW Lichenologists main page.

The latest issue of Kelseya (journal of the Montana Native Plant Society, spring 2017) has a report on our activities at the Milton Ranch in eastern Montana, "Exploring Mosses and Lichens in Musselshell County" by Andrea Pipp. Andrea organized a great event for us in an ecosystem that was unfamiliar to many of us but rich in lichens.

Eventually this issue will be freely available at the MNPS website:

http://www.mtnativeplants.org

Support your Native Plant Societies! They support us.

Printing more Letharia shirts!

Pre-orders due by March 3, 2017.

If you want to be sure you get what you want, please contact Daphne Stone at daphstone@gmail.com and let me know size, color and style.

The styles we will be reprinting are:

regular T in black and blue, sizes S-XXL

women's T (narrower ribbing and slimmer cut) sizes S-XL

black hoodie, zip-front  sweatshirts. sizes S-XXL

women's black zip-front hoodie S (one size smaller than men's S)

Also, if you want something different, for instance a green shirt or a long-sleeve, I can order whatever you want. Most shirts will cost the same as our T's, and I can let you know if the price is different before we order.

We will not be reprinting the Lycan design but still have limited stock.

Daphne Stone will be teaching about the genus Cladonia at Siskiyou Field Institute, 11-12 April 2017.  Join us in exploring the magical, diverse and complex genus Cladonia, sometimes known as the pixie lichens. We will discuss the vocabulary of this genus, learn how to use the Cladonia key in McCune & Geiser, and try
to identify collections found on local field trips. We’ll then test specimens with chemical spot tests and learn how to interpret the results. Class will emphasize common species in all their diverse forms; a slow pace of learning will be encouraged. Students will have time to enhance their Cladonia studies with drawing
and photography.

For information on location and cost, please go to SFI website.

Daphne Stone will lead a Wetland Wander focusing on lichens for WREN on 8 March, 9-11 am. The walk will be at Wild Iris Ridge. For directions, go to the WREN website and look for the walk announcement listed as Jan 10 2017. Walk was postponed until March due to weather. All are welcome.

Daphne Stone will lead her annual lichen walk at Mount Pisgah near Eugene, on 18 February, 10-noon, rain or shine. Free to members, small fee or donation from non-members.