Biodiversity Collective

07/29/2026

We are less than two weeks away from the Biodiversity Collective Benefit Dinner in Telluride, and tickets are still available.

Join us on Wilson Mesa for an intimate five-course dinner featuring responsibly foraged wild mushrooms and locally grown seasonal ingredients, prepared by chef and Biodiversity Collective founder Graham Steinruck.

The evening will also include wines from Sutcliffe Vineyards, a custom fungi-inspired beer brewed exclusively for the dinner, and a special screening from Mushroom Wonderland featuring Biodiversity Collective’s expeditions and biodiversity documentation projects.

Tuesday, August 11
4:30–8:00 PM
Alpenglow Ranch on Wilson Mesa
$250 per guest

Every ticket directly supports Biodiversity Collective’s field surveys, specimen vouchering, DNA sequencing, student participation, community science initiatives, and public educational resources.

With only two weeks to go, we would love to fill the remaining seats and share this evening with you. Tickets are available through the link in our bio.

This gathering is independently organized by Biodiversity Collective and is not an official Telluride Mushroom Festival event.

All photos by the very talented Shannon Christine

We also included a flyover video of Alpenglow Ranch, where the event will be hosted.

07/27/2026

A few spots are still available for the free 2026 Colorado Cave BioBlitz!

Join Biodiversity Collective and Andrés Better as we explore and document the often-overlooked organisms that live in and around Colorado’s cave environments.

Participants will learn how to use iNaturalist to photograph, identify, and record cave biodiversity while contributing observations to a community science project. We will be looking for fungi, insects, plants, and other forms of life found above and below ground.

No previous iNaturalist experience is necessary. The event is free, but registration is required and space is limited.

Register through the link in our bio or visit:

https://www.biodiversitycollective.org/event-details-registration/colorado-cave-bioblitz-2026

All photos by Andrés Better

06/22/2026

On Tuesday, August 11 from 4:30–8 PM, join Biodiversity Collective on Wilson Mesa near Telluride, Colorado, for an unforgettable evening celebrating wild mushrooms, fine food, wine, and biodiversity.

Chef and Biodiversity Collective (Biodiversity Collective) founder Graham Steinruck will prepare a five-course dinner featuring locally sourced seasonal ingredients and wild foraged mushrooms, showcasing their diversity through creative and unexpected preparations.

Guests will enjoy wines from Sutcliffe Vineyards (Sutcliffe Vineyards), along with a custom beer brewed exclusively for the evening using fungi-inspired ingredients. The night will also feature a special screening from Mushroom Wonderland (Mushroom Wonderland) highlighting Biodiversity Collective expeditions and biodiversity documentation projects.

More than a dinner, this is a gathering in support of biodiversity documentation and exploration. Proceeds support Biodiversity Collective’s expeditions, specimen vouchering, DNA sequencing, student participation, community science initiatives, and collaborations with scientists, land stewards, and local experts working to document overlooked fungi and other understudied organisms.

Share a table with mycologists, foragers, scientists, naturalists, artists, and fellow mushroom enthusiasts while helping support the discovery and documentation of biodiversity.

This event is independently organized by Biodiversity Collective and is not affiliated with or an official event of the Telluride Mushroom Festival.

Seats are limited. Tickets available through the link in bio.

📸 Photos 1–4, 6, and 7 feature some of Graham’s wild mushroom dishes from past years, photographed by the talented Trent Blizzard (Trent Blizzard). Be sure to check out *Wild Mushrooms* by Trent and Kristen Blizzard, featuring preparation and preservation techniques, recipes from a diverse community of mushroom enthusiasts, and several recipes from Graham as well.

Photo 5 of Graham holding a large white matsutake.

06/02/2026

Leucocoprinus sp. ‘HI04’ - a NEW temp code was created for this collection from our survey in Kaua'i, Hawai'i this past January. It was found in a crevice of highly decomposed wood by Biodiversity Collective founder Graham Steinruck.

Curious what we mean by a temp code? Temporary codes (also called ITS taxa) are placeholder names used for when DNA sequencing reveals a distinct fungal lineage that may not yet have a formal scientific name.

Instead of forcing observations into an existing species concept, the validation team assigns a standardized temporary code so records can be consistently tracked across observations, specimens, and DNA sequences 🧬

These names help researchers communicate about potentially un-described or poorly understood fungi while taxonomic work is underway.

If you would like to learn more about this project or this collection, visit our Kaua'i Fungal Biodiversity Survey project page on our website or visit the link in our bio. There you can find links to our project page to view all of the amazing fungi our team.

05/06/2026

Favolaschia manipularis, photographed in January during our recent Kauaʻi survey by assistant researcher Tyler Brunner, capturing the mushroom’s characteristic green bioluminescence.

This mushroom is a bit of an unusual one. Despite having a poroid spore-bearing surface, it is part of the Mycenaceae, a group more commonly associated with gilled mushrooms.

The glow is produced through a luciferin–luciferase reaction, where a light-emitting compound (luciferin) reacts with oxygen, catalyzed by the enzyme luciferase.

This species has also been reported as a culinary mushroom in parts of Southeast Asia.

It is likely introduced to Hawaiʻi, but is now becoming widespread and can be found across many habitats, typically growing on decaying wood.

The recent Kauaʻi Fungal Biodiversity Survey conducted by focused on documenting fungal diversity across a range of habitats on the island, from native forest systems to more disturbed environments.

If you would like to learn more about the project or see additional observations, you can visit our website or check the link in our bio:
https://www.biodiversitycollective.org/projects/kauai-biodiversity-survey

📸: Tyler Brunner

03/11/2026

As the dust settles after the Kaua‘i Mushroom Summit 2026, we are finally taking some time to look through photos and reflect on what an incredible event this year’s summit was, and on all of you who joined us. It was a full few days of learning, conversation, and quality time together, and we are grateful for the energy and care that surrounded the event.

Mahalo nui loa to everyone who attended, volunteered, or presented. We are so grateful for all your enthusiasm and kindness you brought to the event this year. We could not have done it without you.

We want to give a huge thanks to Hui o Laka and the Koke‘e Civilian Conservation Corps Camp for hosting us and providing such a meaningful setting for the summit, and to the community of Kaua‘i for welcoming us and sharing your knowledge and support.

The Kaua’i Mushroom Summit continues to support our ongoing effort to catalog and document the fungal diversity of Kaua‘i. While the field survey is carried out by our research team, the summit brings the community together and helps make this work possible.

We are reviewing this year’s survey results now and look forward to sharing updates in the coming weeks. And if you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to our mailing list on our website to stay up to date on our upcoming events.

06/17/2025

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11/14/2024

The report for the Kaua'i Fungal Biodiversity Survey is now available! Here are some key findings:

During our time on the island last year we recorded over 480 observations of fungi and made 300 collections the be deposited at the Bishop Herbarium (BISH), representing 86 families and 127 genera. Of these 300 collections, 142 collections have been identified to species level so far.

As part of the survey we also DNA sequenced samples from the collection directly from the field. To date, 155 sequences have been validated and added to NCBI GenBank, 30 of which were sequences never before added to the database.

Of the 125 collections that were assessed for their range and records, 49 taxa are first records for Kaua'i, 24 entirely new to the Hawaiian Islands, with the remaining 25 species new to just the island of Kaua'i!

To read the full report visit: https://tinyurl.com/mhkkh8y7

A three-day series of workshops covering various aspects of fungal biology and conservation also took place at the C.C.C Camp in Koke'e State Park. If you or someone you know is interested in learning how to document fungi and help support this important research, we will be hosting another workshop series at C.C.C. Camp in Kaua'i, Nov. 2025. Visit our website to RSVP! www.biodiversitycollective.org

10/08/2024

We have an exciting announcement! This year the Olympic Peninsula Fungi Festival has graciously sponsored a fungal survey of the former Lake Aldwell restoration site along the Elwha River in Olympic National Park. Coordinated by Biodiversity Collective, this project is a collaborative effort involving the support of multiple institutions and organizations, including Oregon State University, the University of Washington’s Burke Herbarium, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe's Natural Resources Department. Together, we bring diverse expertise and resources to ensure the success of the research and its impact on conservation efforts.

Lake Aldwell was once a reservoir created by the Elwha Dam, which was built in the early 20th century. In a monumental effort to restore the Elwha River ecosystem, the dam was removed in 2012, allowing the river to flow freely for the first time in over a century. The lake bed has since been undergoing a natural restoration process, with native vegetation gradually returning and wildlife reestablishing their habitats. This area provides a unique opportunity to study ecological recovery and the role of fungi in ecosystem restoration.

Did you know that less than 5% of the world’s fungal species have been documented? Our project seeks to bridge this knowledge gap by thoroughly documenting the fungal biodiversity in this unique and ecologically significant area. By conducting both above-ground and below-ground surveys, we will capture a comprehensive picture of the fungal community. Our above-ground surveys will focus on visible fruiting bodies, while below-ground surveys will examine fungal DNA found in soil.
If you or someone you know is looking for an opportunity to learn how to help document fungi for research, there are still tickets available to participate! Don’t miss this chance to help contribute to our understanding of these important organisms.

We are so excited to collaborate with the amazing team at the Olympic Peninsula Fungi Festival. This event is a fantastic opportunity to learn about fungi, from cultivation, medicinal applications, to art, music, food and more! For information and tickets visit their website: https://www.opfungifestival.com.

https://www.biodiversitycollective.org/elwha-river-fungal-survey

This project aims to uncover the hidden world of fungi in the former Lake Aldwell restoration area along the Elwha River. Fungi are an essential yet often overlooked component of our ecosystems, playing vital roles in soil health, plant growth, and nutrient cycling. Despite their importance, less th...