EUROPEAN MYCOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION News Archives

This web page provides archived items which previously appeared on the EMA activities and news pages.

Late February 2007. Microfungi Conservation Work-group, Kiev, Ukraine. The Microfungi Conservation Work-group, set up by the ECCF at its meeting in Córdoba in November 2005, will hold its first meeting in Kiev this spring - the meeting has been delayed from its originally planned date of November 2006. Further information will be posted soon. [activity posted 23 March 2006; most recent update 7 January 2007; archived 18 October 2007]

20-28 April 2007, Nivicolous Myxomycetes, Carpathians, Ukraine. The Fédйration Mycologique Botanique Dauphiné-Savoie and the Associazione Micologica Bovesana e delle Alpi Cuneesi “Ugo Maria Cumino” have, for many years, organized an annual event entitled “International Days of Research & Study of Nivicolous Myxomycetes”, which surveys nivicolous myxomycetes. Now the EMA is joining those two societies in organizing the nineteenth meeting of the series, to be held in the Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine in late April 2007. EMA Member Ms Tetiana Krivomaz is organizer. She has already made an exploratory visit to the area with Marianne Meyer and Alain Michaud in May 2005, and their discoveries (in press) indicate that the 2007 foray will be sure to generate many exciting new records. The work base will be Kermanichi, near Yaremcha, and nestling under Hoverla, Ukraine’s highest mountain, where snow regularly lies until mid-summer. This is a superb and extensive area of mountain, forest and upland meadow. After the delights of the XIV Congress of European Mycologists in Crimea, EMA Members will hopefully be inspired to visit another part of this wonderful and mycologically rich country. If you wish to participate, please download, fill in and submit the registration form. [activity posted 23 March 2006; most recent update 7 January 2007; archived 18 October 2007]

25-28 April 2007. Spring Foray, Northern Greece. The EMA‘s first Spring Foray will be held in northern Greece in early April 2007. EMA Treasurer Dr Stephanos Diamandis, and EMA Member Dr Charikleia Perlerou have kindly agreed to provide a rare opportunity for mycologists to gather in this mycologically rich part of Europe (the last time was the British Mycological Society’s overseas foray in 1988, also organized by Steph, when three new species and two new genera were described - including Zeus, an endemic on Mount Olympus). Dr Diamandis is currently completing the second edition of his book on the fungi of Greece, which should be available before this foray - the first edition sold out long ago. He comments that the microfungi component of the Greek mycota remains very poorly covered and that Members specializing in such groups will be particularly welcome. The programme is currently being set up, with a mouth-watering range of potential sites. If you wish to participate, please download, fill in and submit the registration form. [activity posted 23 March 2006; most recent update 7 January 2007; archived 18 October 2007]

14-18 May 2007. Linnaeus Jubilee. In May 2007, Sweden celebrates the tercentenary of the birth of Linnaeus, its most famous son. One of the events connected with that celebration will be an EMA meeting, kindly hosted by the University of Uppsala, which will focus on the enormous contributions to world mycology made by Swedish scientists. Dates are happily timed for the days immediately leading up to Linnaeus’ birthday, so that Members have the opportunity, if they wish, to remain in Sweden after the meeting and participate in the other celebrations. If you wish to participate, please download, fill in and submit the registration form. [activity posted 23 March 2006; most recent update 7 January 2007; archived 18 October 2007]

16 – 21 September 2007. XV Congress of European Mycologists, St Petersburg, Russia. Visit the Congress website for further information. [activity up-dated 23 March 2006; archived 18 October 2007]

26 – 29 August 2007. International Conference: Biodeterioration of Wood and Wood Products BWWP 2007, Riga, Latvia. For further information, see the first announcement of this conference. [activity posted 7 January 2007; archived 18 October 2007]

New International Mycological Websites. Two big websites have recently been set up to deal with mycological publications. Cyberliber and LibriFungorum together provide access to over 85,000 bibliographic references to published mycological works. Cyberliber is relatively strong in earlier publications and literature in the Cyrillic alphabet. Both of these websites are trying to build an electronic library of scanned mycological literature freely available on the internet through collaboration to avoid duplication of effort. Already more than half of the volumes of Saccardo, 40 volumes of Mycotaxon, all of Catathelasma, all of Grevillea, all of Michelia, and all of the sanctioning works by Fries and Persoon can be viewed in this way. The availability of such literature through these two websites has already resulted in major enhancements to the IndexFungorum website. Another website which may be of interest is Cybertruffle’s Fungal Valhalla, which provides information about dead mycologists, in some cases linking entries to photographs or other portraits, biographies, obituaries, and lists of publications (these are made through a direct link to Cyberliber). An upgrade enabling the user to find fungal taxa established by each of those mycologists is planned for later this year. [news item posted 1 April 2005; most recent update 7 January 2007; archived 18 October 2007]

New Books, Including Special Offer to EMA Members. See Mycorrhizas: Anatomy and Cell Biology (R.L. Peterson, CABI Publishing, 20% discount to EMA members) and Die Pilzflora des Ulmer Raumes (M. Enderle). [news item posted 15 September 2004; archived 18 October 2007]

Early October 2006. Autumn Foray: Temperate Rainforest Fungi, Western Scotland. The objective of this mini-meeting is to foray for fungi growing in the moist Atlantic airstream which bathes the Scottish highlands. All are welcome, but because the accommodation will be very basic (you will need to bring a sleeping bag and rain-ware), this event may appeal more to the more adventurous and spartan elements of the EMA. Members from central, eastern and southern Europe are particularly invited to enjoy a taste of something different. EMA President Dave Minter will lead. The foray will be informal in character, and will use very simple self-catering accommodation to keep costs to a minimum. For further information contact Dave Minter. [activity posted 23 March 2006; archived 7 January 2007]

4 – 7 September 2006. Workshop on Hypogeous Fungi, Poland. You can download the first announcement of this workshop. To participate, you will need to fill in and submit the pre-registration form by 1 May 2006. [activity posted 23 March 2006; archived 7 January 2007]

VIII International Mycological Congress. 21 – 26 August 2006. Australia, Cairns. Chairman: Wieland Meyer. Vice-chairman: Ceri Pearce. For further information, see the congress website. [news item posted 18 May 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

V International Congress on the Systematics & Ecology of Myxomycetes. 15 – 19 August 2005. Mexico, Tlaxcala. For further information, contact Arturo Estrada Torres (arturomixo@hotmail.com). [news item posted 18 May 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

V Congreso Latino-americano de Micología [V Latin-american Mycological Congress]. 1 – 5 August 2005. Brazil, Brasilia. For further information, see the Asociación Latino-americana de Micología website. [Spanish, Portuguese, English] [news item posted 18 May 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

New Logo Emphasizes Importance of Fungi. The National Botanic Garden, Havana, Cuba [Jardín Botánico Nacional, Havana, Cuba] recently adopted a new and rather cheerful logo for its public education programme aimed at emphasizing the importance of fungi. The logo was launched with a British Council supported national exhibition on "Fungi in the Natural Environment", on view in the Havana Museum of Natural History Museum until mid-May 2005, then touring the country. The logo adapts an earlier version which showed a tree in human form with a happy smile. In the new version, a toadstool in human form has been added, also smiling and holding hands with the tree to indicate the beneficial nature of mycorrhizal symbioses. [news item posted 18 May 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

Third International Medicinal Mushroom Conference. 12 – 17 October 2005. USA, Port Townsend, Washington. Organizers: Steven Cividanes, James Gouin, Omon Isikhuemhen, Paul Stamets, David Sumerlin, Solomon Wasser, Dusty Wu Yao. Approximate cost not known. For further information, see the Advance Notice page of the Fungi Perfecti website. [English] [news item posted 23 May 2004; archived 7 January 2007]

Līgatne, Latvia. XVI Symposium of Mycologists and Lichenologists of the Baltic States. Deadline for Submission of Papers: 30 June 2005. The XVI Symposium of Mycologists and Lichenologists of the Baltic States will be held in Līgatne, Latvia from 21 – 25 September 2005. The meeting is expected to cover the following themes: 1. Systematics & Taxonomy; 2. Ecology & Diversity; 3. Conservation; 4. Applied Mycology. The location, about 70 km from Riga, will be the Līgatne Hotel. Līgatne is one of the most picturesque places on the Gauja River, the village of Līgatne having evolved in the 19th century by the Līgatne River, around the Līgatne paper mill. Līgatne itself is situated in the Gauja National Park. The second circular and instructions for authors are now available. Those wishing to participate should complete the pre-registration form (note, this should have been submitted by 28 February 2005 so it's now late). Abstracts, which should be submitted by the same date, should be in English, one (A4) page maximum, including title, author(s), address(es) and text, up to a maximum of 250 words. Authors should indicate the topic area and whether they would like to make an oral presentation or a poster. The final decision will be made by the Scientific Committee. Abstracts may be sent as e-mail attachments to Diāna Meiere (e-mail: miko @dabasmuzejs.gov.lv). [news item posted 17 May 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

New Initiatives in Fungal Conservation. 11 March 2005. London. EMA President, Dave Minter and EMA Member, Anders Dahlberg, were invited to participate in a workshop organized by the IUCN (World Conservation Union). The objective of this workshop was to discuss establishment of "Sampled Red Lists" for key groups of organisms. As a result of the workshop, fungi will be represented in the IUCN scheme through three groups: Basidiomycetes (organized by Anders Dahlberg), lichen-forming species (organized by Swiss lichenologist, Christoph Scheidegger), and all other species (organized by Dave Minter). A website for the third of these groups has now been set up. To facilitate the work of that group, and to help the IUCN to move towards better coverage of the fungi in its specialist groups, three informal specialist conservation groups have also been proposed, dealing respectively with rusts & smuts, non-lichen-forming ascomycetes (including anamorphic fungi) and chromistans, chytrids, myxomycetes and zygomycetes. [news item posted 17 May 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

24 – 28 April 2005. St Petersburg. Fungi in Natural and Man-made Ecosystems. A special conference was held in the Komarov Botanical Institute, St Petersburg, in April 2005. In 1905 Apollinary Semenovich Bondartsev, one of the founders of mycology and plant pathology in Russia, joined staff of the Imperial Botanic Garden (now the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences). All his subsequent scientific activity through almost 60 years was connected with that Institute. Mycologists in St Petersburg celebrated the centenary of the event with this anniversary conference Fungi in Natural and Man-made Ecosystems. The following themes were treated: systematics, biodiversity, ecology, geography, physiology and biochemistry of fungi and lichens, fungus indicators (including lichen indicators), symbiosis of fungi with other groups of organisms (lichens, mycorhizas, mutualistic endobionts etc.). The language of the Conference was Russian but, where appropriate, translation to English was provided. [news item posted 17 May 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

8 – 13 November 2005. Meeting of the European Council for Conservation of Fungi. Spain, Córdoba. In addition to the ECCF's scheduled business meeting, this event will include a workshop on preparing red lists of fungi. For further information contact the EMA's Conservation Officer, Anders Bohlin [activity posted 17 May 2005]

The new Mycology Building at the Komarov Institute, St Petersburg, Russia

New Mycology Building in St Petersburg Nears Completion. The new Mycology Building at the Komarov Institute in St Petersburg is nearly finished and will be ready for occupation by St Petersburg's lucky mycologists by the end of April 2005. The EMA congratulates Sasha Kovalenko and his colleagues on this singular achievement. [news item posted 2 April 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

New Slovenian Mycological website. Slovenian mycologists have just set up a website providing an inventory of their country’s fungi, with distribution maps, a red list, and a downloadable recording package. The address of the English language version is: http://www.gozdis.si/departments/forestprotection/boletus/arealnekarte/eng/bi.htm. [news item posted 2 April 2005; archived 7 January 2007]

4 – 9 October 2005. First Autumn Foray of the EMA. The EMA will hold its first Autumn Foray, jointly with the Slovak Mycological Society, in northeastern Slovakia, at the beautiful resort of Podskalie, near Pružina, at the western end of the spectacular High Tatra Mountains. The EMA is most grateful to the Slovak Mycological Society for hosting this event which is, simultaneously, their 9th Foray. The Foray will include excursions to a superb range of collecting sites in Strážovské Vrchy, and the Javorníky and eventually Biele Karpaty Mountains. Alongside the Foray, there will be a one-day meeting comprising papers and reports devoted to Fungi of the Western Carpathians. This meeting is being organized jointly with the Slovak Mycological Society, the Strážovské Vrchy Landscape Protected Area, the Institute of Botany of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum (Slovak National Museum). The papers and reports will focus on biodiversity and taxonomy of fungi great and small. Full information about the Foray, the full programme of the one-day meeting, and details of the accommodation will be provided in the second circular. Those interested in participating should download and fill-in the first circular sending it to the e-mail address included within the document. [activity posted 15 March 2005]

1 May 2005. EMA Endorses New Initiatives in Fungal Conservation. EMA President, Dave Minter and EMA Member, Anders Dahlberg, were invited to participate in a workshop organized by the IUCN (World Conservation Union) in London on 11 March 2005. The objective of this workshop was to discuss establishment of "Sampled Red Lists" for key groups of organisms. As a result of the workshop, fungi will be represented in the IUCN scheme through three groups: Basidiomycetes (organized by Anders Dahlberg), lichen-forming species (organized by Swiss lichenologist, Christoph Scheidegger), and all other species (organized by Dave Minter). A website for the third of these groups has now been set up. To facilitate the work of that group, and to help the IUCN to move towards better coverage of the fungi in its specialist groups, three informal specialist conservation groups have also been proposed, dealing respectively with rusts & smuts, non-lichen-forming ascomycetes (including anamorphic fungi) and chromistans, chytrids, myxomycetes and zygomycetes. Along with the International Mycological Association and several other continental-level mycological societies, the EMA has endorsed all of these initiatives. [activity posted 17 May 2005]

24 – 28 April 2005. St Petersburg. Fungi in Natural and Man-made Ecosystems. A special conference will be held in the Komarov Botanical Institute, St Petersburg, in April 2005. In 1905 Apollinary Semenovich Bondartsev, one of the founders of mycology and plant pathology in Russia, joined staff of the Imperial Botanic Garden (now the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences). All his subsequent scientific activity through almost 60 years was connected with that Institute. Mycologists in St Petersburg plan to celebrate the centenary of the event with this anniversary conference Fungi in Natural and Man-made Ecosystems. The following themes will be treated: systematics, biodiversity, ecology, geography, physiology and biochemistry of fungi and lichens, fungus indicators (including lichen indicators), symbiosis of fungi with other groups of organisms (lichens, mycorhizas, mutualistic endobionts etc.). The language of the Conference will be Russian but, where appropriate, translation to English will be provided. Although no expenses can be covered by the Conference, members of the EMA are invited to participate, and suitable papers will be considered for inclusion in the programme. Those wishing to participate are urged, as soon as possible, to contact the Organizing Committee with the title of any offered presentation. Further information will then be sent in response to that message. Please contact Professor Margarita A. Bondartseva, DSc, President of the Organizing Committee or Dr Vera M. Kotkova, Secretary of the Organizing Committee (e-mail: mycoconf @mail.ru). [news item posted 2 April 2005, archived 17 May 2005]

28 February 2005. Līgatne, Latvia. XVI Symposium of Mycologists and Lichenologists of the Baltic States. Closing date for Pre-registration. The XVI Symposium of Mycologists and Lichenologists of the Baltic States will be held in Līgatne, Latvia from 21 – 25 September 2005. The meeting is expected to cover the following themes: 1. Systematics & Taxonomy; 2. Ecology & Diversity; 3. Conservation; 4. Applied Mycology. The location, about 70 km from Riga, will be the Līgatne Hotel. Līgatne is one of the most picturesque places on the Gauja River, the village of Līgatne having evolved in the 19th century by the Līgatne River, around the Līgatne paper mill. Līgatne itself is situated in the Gauja National Park. Those wishing to participate should complete the pre-registration form and submit it by 28 February 2005. Abstracts, which should be submitted by the same date, should be in English, one (A4) page maximum, including title, author(s), address(es) and text, up to a maximum of 250 words. Authors should indicate the topic area and whether they would like to make an oral presentation or a poster. The final decision will be made by the Scientific Committee. Abstracts may be sent as e-mail attachments to Diāna Meiere (e-mail: miko @dabasmuzejs.gov.lv). [news item posted 1 February 2005, archived 17 May 2005]

21 February 2005. Second Electronic Newsletter Issued. The EMA's first Electronic Newsletter has been issued, and is now available on the Association's website (Electronic Newsletter 2, 21 February 2005). [activity posted 21 February 2005, archived 17 May 2005]

29 – 30 January 2005. Prague. EMA Governing Committee Meeting. The first meeting of the EMA Governing Committee was held. [activity posted 1 February 2005, archived 17 May 2005]

15 September 2004. First Electronic Newsletter Issued. The EMA's first Electronic Newsletter has been issued, and is now available on the Association's website (Electronic Newsletter 1, 15 September 2004). [activity posted 15 September 2004, archived 17 May 2005]

Prof. Alina Skirgiello, at the XIV Congress of European Mycologists in September 2003 [photo Anna Ronikier]

15 September 2004. Prof. Alina Skirgiello becomes EMA's first Honorary Member. Prof. Alina Skirgiello is an exceptional Founder Member of the EMA. She is the only person to have attended every Congress of European Mycologists. Moreover, she has been not only a representative of Poland; but she also, for many years, played a key rôle as the contact person in co-operation between mycologists of western and eastern Europe. She always reported thoroughly the content of Congress sessions, shared Congress materials and information about the current trends in mycology with those mycologists who could not themselves attend Congresses for political or financial reasons. In September 1966 Prof. Skirgiello organized the IV CEM in Poland: 150 mycologists took part, half coming from the so called “socialist countries”, especially the Soviet Union. That Congress was a milestone in integration of European mycologists. In 1956 Prof. Skirgiello also founded the Mycological Section of the Polish Botanical Society. Up to the present, for almost 50 years, she has been its President and soul. She also established the journal Acta Mycologica and was Editor-in-Chief for 37 years. She is still an Honorary Editor. Prof. Skirgiello has been conferred honorary membership of the Polish Botanical Society and the Committee of Botany (Polish Academy of Sciences). For scientific achievements she has received medals of the University in Bologna, the University of Lodz and Warsaw University. All members of the EMA send her their congratulations and warm wishes. [activity posted 15 September 2004, archived 17 May 2005]

19 November 2004. Giornata di Studio sulla Tartuficoltura [Session on the Study of Culturing Truffles] (Società Botanica Italiana [Italian Botanical Society]). Italy, Ascoli Piceno o Sarnano. Organizer: Mattia Bencivenga. Approximate cost not known. For further information, see the Appuntamenti page of the SBI website [Italian]. [news item posted 23 May 2004, archived 17 May 2005]

23 – 30 October 2004. Upland Foray of the British Mycological Society. High Peak. Organizer: Carol Hobart. Approximate cost UK pounds sterling 200-250 (still to be finalized). For further information, see the Meetings and Forays page of the BMS website [English]. [news item posted 23 May 2004, archived 17 May 2005]

8 – 15 October 2004. Autumn Foray of the British Mycological Society. East Sussex, Ashburnham Place. Organizer: Patrick Leonard. Approximate cost UK pounds sterling 190-305 (sharing rooms). For further information, see the Meetings and Forays page of the BMS website [English]. [news item posted 23 May 2004, archived 17 May 2005]

17 – 25 August 2004. Overseas Foray of the British Mycological Society. Finland. Organizers: Ern Emmett & Seppo Huhtinen. Approximate costs UK pounds sterling 310-350 depending on exchange rates. For further information, see the Meetings and Forays page of the BMS website [English]. [news item posted 23 May 2004, archived 17 May 2005]