Friday, March 20, 2009

Emiquon Field Station presents "Spring Mushrooms and Morels" lecture and nature walk

“Spring Mushrooms and Morels,” a public lecture and nature walk, will be presented at the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Emiquon Field Station on Wednesday, March 25, beginning at 6 p.m. The program is free and open to the public; reservations are not required.

The program will be led by Dr. James Veselenak, UIS associate professor of Clinical Laboratory Science and Public Health. Veselenak is an experienced mycologist, which is a scientist that studies fungus and mushrooms.

“We will offer a primer on hunting spring mushrooms including the elusive morel,” Veselenak said. “We will learn about the varieties of spring mushrooms seen in this area. Discussed will be tips for hunting - where, when, and more - and the basics of identification.”

The Emiquon Field Station is at The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana and Lewistown. The entrance to the field station is on Prairie Road, located off Illinois Routes 97/78, approximately one-and-a-half miles north of the Dickson Mounds turnoff. A sign will be posted, and a map is also available online at www.uis.edu/emiquon/about/images/mapToTNCEmiquon.jpg.

For more information, contact Mike Lemke, Emiquon Field Station Director, at lemke.michael@uis.edu or 217/206-7339.