Update Summer 2020:
Greetings, CoRenewal friends and supporters~
We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well. As our global community continues to grow, we are learning from our fungal communities about how to adapt to our changing environment and build an even stronger network of connection. It is our hope that our mycelial network can bring research, education and resources to the places where it is most needed during this time. We are holding all of you in our hearts. We would love to hear from you and stay connected.
Fire and Fungi Study Group and Project Support Group
From April 16th until July 16th, we ran the Fire and Fungi study group, which is now transforming into a Fire and Fungi Project Support Group. These are part of an online community for people interested in learning more about the role of Fungi in fire ecology, post-fire ecological regeneration, post-fire mycoremediation of toxins, and related topics. Our goal is to learn more about both fire and fungal ecology, as well as connect with others to build capacity for implementing regenerative practices to mitigate threats posed by catastrophic wildfire.
We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well. As our global community continues to grow, we are learning from our fungal communities about how to adapt to our changing environment and build an even stronger network of connection. It is our hope that our mycelial network can bring research, education and resources to the places where it is most needed during this time. We are holding all of you in our hearts. We would love to hear from you and stay connected.
Fire and Fungi Study Group and Project Support Group
From April 16th until July 16th, we ran the Fire and Fungi study group, which is now transforming into a Fire and Fungi Project Support Group. These are part of an online community for people interested in learning more about the role of Fungi in fire ecology, post-fire ecological regeneration, post-fire mycoremediation of toxins, and related topics. Our goal is to learn more about both fire and fungal ecology, as well as connect with others to build capacity for implementing regenerative practices to mitigate threats posed by catastrophic wildfire.
Fungal Facilitation and Fire Research Update
Our current work looks at the impacts of both "too frequent" wildfires and prescribed fires to inform our methodological approach to promoting post-fire ecological regeneration. We are compare plant, bacterial, and fungal communities before and after prescribed burns, and quantify fire-severity by measuring charred remnants and ash after fire. We extract fungal spores from soil from unburned “reference” sites and experimentally apply them in the burned area, along with a combination of either native seeds or soil, to see how they would affect ecological regeneration. In addition, we are meeting with local land managers and GIS experts to develop our other research project. This project is examining the effects of “too frequent fires” and severe “mega-fires” on soil fungal communities and a suite of ecosystem functions, including habitat for wildlife and native mammals. Although our research in the lab has slowed down while we shelter in place, we are grateful for the opportunity to video conference with our collaborators to develop a robust experimental design for these fire-affected landscapes. These projects will help us define and design our protocols and recommended best practices for allying with fungi to restore the balance within fire-affected landscapes. With more financial support, we can expand our research and education, build a more global network, and implement our strategies on a larger scale.
Introduction to MycoRenewal: Regeneration and Resilience was a success! In March 2020, CoRenewal successfully completed a 7-week online course series called, "Introduction to Mycorenewal: Regeneration & Resilience". Maya Elson, our Executive Director, facilitated the series and co-taught weekly sessions along with seven other talented mycologists, ecologists, and citizen-scientists including Dr. Mia Maltz, Leila Darwish, Willoughby Arevalo, Brendan O'Brien, Danielle Stevenson, Jacquelyn Burmeister, and Taylor Bright. Participants joined from all over the world, and from a wide variety of backgrounds. The topics included from Fungal biology, Mushroom cultivation, Fungi in food systems, Mycopsychology, Environmental Justice, Bioremediation, Toxicology, Mycofiltration, and Fungal facilitation post-fire. The response from participants was very positive and CoRenewal is already beginning to plan our next online course offering, dates and syllabus to be announced in the weeks ahead! If you missed this recent course, the whole curriculum was recorded and is available for purchase up until May 20th. Package includes recordings of all presentations, a comprehensive online folder of reading materials, home study assignments, and a week-by-week guide to studying MycoRenewal. It is a great affordable way to learn at your own pace, and get a better idea of how you can work with fungi for social and ecological healing.
New Grant Project being developed! An outgrowth of our online applied mycology courses includes the development of a Mycorenewal Community Micro-grant program, cosponsored by North Spore mushroom company and CoRenewal. The goal of this grant program is to offer bioremediation project design and materials support to eligible applicants, facilitating more community-led grass-roots, bioremediation projects all over the US and beyond. Stay tuned to our newsletters and website for more updates as this grant program is announced to the public!
Despite some COVID-19 related setbacks and financial impacts, we are still expanding our foundational programs. We will continue to advance our research, education and outreach in this new landscape.
Thank you for your charitable donations, and for reminding us that we truly are in this together.
If you haven’t had a chance to give yet, you can donate here.
Sincerely,
Maya Elson and the CoRenewal Crew
Update 10/30/19
We are thrilled to announce that CoRenewal is currently engaged in a series of research projects to support our work on Fungi and Ecosystem Function! Our goal is to better understand the fungal community in various degraded landscapes in both Ecuador and the US. This is one step towards developing robust mycological approaches for restoring contaminated ecosystems. Specifically, we will explore the fungal community in the following types of soils: Petroleum contaminated systems, post-fire sites, and crop soils contaminated by heavy metals.
We will be working in collaboration with various universities, non-profits, community groups and government agencies. These projects were made possible through the generous support of Metabolic Studio.
Want to contribute to the effort? Donate here!
- Petroleum contaminated soils: We will identify, characterize, and physiologically profile fungi and bacteria that may be capable of digesting petroleum and providing ecosystem services to rehabilitate petroleum-contaminated landscapes in Eastern Ecuador. This research provides crucial baseline data for advancing our goal of cleaning up petroleum contamination throughout the Amazon Basin.
- Post-fire sites: This study will investigate the use of different inoculation techniques, including mycorrhizal fungal spores, in post-fire ecosystems to promote regeneration in post-fire landscapes. CoRenewal’s Dr. Mia Maltz is leading this California-based research to determine how sensitive fungal communities are to fire and explore the extent to which fungal traits support ecosystem multifunctionality. Moreover, our work will elucidate the role that fungi play in regenerating soils and biotic communities affected by fire.
- Crop soils contaminated by heavy metals: We will explore how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can be applied to improve the restoration of degraded and heavy metal contaminated agricultural soils. Indeed, AMF may limit heavy metal uptake into food crop. This research, led by Board Member Danielle Stevenson, will help us better understand how we can use fungi to expand the kinds of sites that are available for farming.
We will be working in collaboration with various universities, non-profits, community groups and government agencies. These projects were made possible through the generous support of Metabolic Studio.
Want to contribute to the effort? Donate here!