The penultimate Rachel Carson Memorial Lecture hosted by Comox Valley Nature will be delivered by Dr. Shannon Berch. The title of the lecture is “Mycorrhizas – How fungi help plants grow”. The lecture is on Sunday April 21 at 7 pm, at the Filberg Centre.
Dr. Shannon Berch is a Research Scientist with the Government of British Columbia soil conservation, soil biology, and non-timber forest products especially commercially harvested wild mushrooms. She is an adjunct professor with the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and with the Centre for Livelihoods and Ecology at Royal Roads University (RRU) in Victoria. She is a founding member of the Truffle Association of British Columbia (TABC) and part of their research and development program. Recently, she and her husband started a truffle consulting business that independently assesses quality of inoculated seedlings before planting and colonization in the truffle orchard. Both as a lover of truffles and an active member of the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society (SVIMS), she is on the search for edible native truffles in British Columbia.
Shannon has studied mycorrhizae since her graduate school days and over the years has developed expertise with arbuscular mycorrhizae, ericoid mycorrhizae, and ectomycorrhizae. Her work also includes non-timber forest products that are harvested from the forests of British Columbia including chanterelles and pine mushrooms.
Shannon is passionate about introducing beginners to the amazing world of mushrooms and truffles and has for years helped man the mushroom display during the annual SVIMS Swan Lake Mushroom Show in Victoria. In the fall of 2011, she lead a beginners mushroom foray for SVIMS, presented an invited lecture at the inaugural Quadra Island mushroom festival, and taught a 2-day continuing education course at RRU entitled ‘Can I Eat That Mushroom?’
Shannon is carrying out a research and demonstration project aimed at introducing Mediterranean truffle production to British Columbia. This project is assessing oak and hazelnut fine root colonization by ectomycorrhizal fungi, including the target Tuber melanosporum and Tuber aestivum, in truffle orchards on south Vancouver Island, the lower Fraser Valley, and the Okanagan Valley.
Comox Valley Nature is a non-profit society affiliated to BC Nature which fulfills its educational mandate by hosting monthly lectures, organizing free weekly guided hikes and undertaking a variety of environmental projects. Aside from its main activity as a non-profit, Comox Valley Nature also supports specialized groups ( Birding, Botany, Garry Oak Restoration, Wetland Restoration, Photography and Young Naturalists Club) which have separate monthly activities.
Founded in 1966, it is one of the oldest environmental societies on the North Island. Meetings and lectures of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton, Courtenay. Meetings and guided walks are open to the public, including children and youth. Lecture is free, though a $3 contribution from non-members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.
These lectures are part of CVN’s Rachel Carson Memorial lectures honouring women in Environment Studies. The last lecture will be delivered by Dr. Marlene Smith, on the management of Strathcona Park, on May 19th. This is an educational a series not to be missed.
Anyone interested in this lecture or participating in CVNS activities can also contact Loys Maingon (CVN President) at 250-331-0143.
