We've been hearing lots of requests from our Southern Arizona membership for a local meet-up, and we're happy to announce that we'll be doing so on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at the Gilbertson Fungal Herbarium in Tucson. This is located in the historic Herring Hall at the intersection of 4th St. and Santa Rita on the U. of Arizona campus.

We will be the guests of Dr. Betsy Arnold, a professor in the School of Plant Sciences at the University, and the director of the Gilbertson Herbarium. She will be speaking to us about the important role that amateur citizen-scientists play in mycology, teaching us the proper techniques for preserving our collections and creating vouchers for submission to the Herbarium, and showing us some interesting specimens on her laboratory microscopes.

Dr. Arnold's presentation will begin at 6:30 pm, and finish at 8 or so. Afterwards, we'll address any questions or concerns from the membership, and plan a meet-up for a late-season outing to Mt. Lemmon, Mt. Graham, or Madera Canyon if conditions warrant. If there is any particular topic you wish to be discussed at the meeting, please contact us directly or leave a comment when you register.

Note that there will also be a workshop on mushroom cultivation from 1:00 to 5:00 PM on the same day as our evening meeting, presented by the Arizona Mushroom Growers Association, the Pima County Cooperative Extension, and Prof. Barry Pryor of the U. of A. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Out of town members looking for an excuse to make the long trip may want to make a day of it.

The meeting is free of charge, but please register yourself and any guests so we have an idea how many people to expect.