Our 2025-2026 season is fast approaching! We have so many amazing members with incredible talents, and we would love to get you all more involved! There are opportunities across the organization that fit a wide range of skills and interests. Everything from our core officer roles, to a wide variety of committee chairs and members, or even ad hoc help at events. If you are interested in getting involved, please fill out the elections form here.
Elections Process Update
This year, we will be piloting a new Elections format. In the past, we have typically done elections in person during our November public meeting. This suited us at the time, when we had a smaller group, and most of the attendees were members. However, our little group has grown quite a bit, and there are a lot of non-members who show up at the public meetings.
We will be trying an online election process this year. We will send out a link to the election form via email. If you are having trouble with the form, we will also have an email option to submit your ballot.
6:45pm Identification
7:00pm Lecture + Q&A with Arik Joukhajian, PhD – Microbiology Award for Excellence in Mycology recipient
Arik Joukhajian, PhD, is a microbial ecologist and co-founder of the International Congress of Armenian Mycologists. Arik earned his BSc in Microbiology at UCLA in 2016 and began his PhD work at UCR in 2020, studying the undescribed arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of Eastern Joshua trees and the impacts of desert wildfires on the soil microbiome.
A crash course including both straw mushroom production and pellet tec/hardwood loving mushrooms!
Friday, September 5th
6:30pm Check-in
7-9pm Workshop
$50/person
Casa del Prado, Room 104 in Balboa Park
Eric is a self taught mycologist. He started cultivating mushrooms professionally for a number of restaurants in 1998 from a wild indigenous oyster mushroom he cloned and identified. In 2010 Eric started formulating mushroom tinctures for other companies and since then has been featured in multiple podcasts and recently the L.A. Times. Eric is a mushroom educator and is known to speak at schools about the Marvels of Mycology, Eric is a certified producer with the CA Ag. department and has a commercial kitchen in El Cajon where he produces his line of Medicinal Mushroom Tinctures, Mushroom Jerky. Known for his tabletop mushroom farms, Eric can be found every Saturday at the Vista Farmer’s Market, 8-12am or at Muellersmushroom.com
We are—quite literally—raising the roof. The Museum is embarking on a major construction project that will replace its aging Atrium skylight panels with a new and improved solid roof design that allows for solar panels and better climate control.
Learn how to dye with lichens and take home a scarf!
Monday, August 4th
6:30pm Check-in
7-9pm Workshop
$50/person
Casa del Prado, Room 101 in Balboa Park
Cassandra Ablola has been a member of SDMYCO since 2014 and served as the Treasurer from 2017 – 2021 and since then, has served as the President.
She earned her bachelor’s degree at San Diego State University in Applied Design with an emphasis in Jewelry and Metalwork and was a recipient for the San Diego Creative Weaver’s Guild Scholarship in 2013.
Lichens have been prized for their ability to dye! Let’s learn about their qualities and dye a scarf to take home!
Now that summer has arrived in sunny San Diego, everyone wants to come out to enjoy the heat. You might encounter one on a hike or walk, in a local park or canyon, or even your own backyard, so make sure to brush up on your snake ID skills! This guide will help you quickly recognize some of San Diego’s most common snakes.
Macrophotography, the art of taking close-up photos of small subjects, can help us see things from a different perspective. Dr. Shahan Derkarabetian's detailed photos are helping us learn and appreciate our mission region’s small invertebrates, are contributing to research, and are just plain cool!
A dedicated team of scientists at The Nat is leading meticulous detective work by identifying species using only the decayed animal remains and loose bones found in the Mojave Desert. The reason for the deaths? A notorious serial (wildlife) killer you would have never expected.
A dedicated team of scientists at The Nat is leading meticulous detective work by identifying species using only the decayed animal remains and loose bones found in the Mojave Desert. The reason for the deaths? A notorious serial (wildlife) killer you would have never expected.
