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Fungimap Newsletter Issue 1 -- May 1996 |
Fungimap of Victoria Project
FNCV 1 Gardenia Street
Blackburn 3130
At the March Council meeting of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, the FNCV agreed to act as the auspice body for the Australian Fungi Mapping Scheme.
This important step means that the project now has a formal auspice and is able to start work in earnest. Having an auspice body means that the group is able to apply for grants, has insurance coverage, a means of banking funds and so on.
The National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens; the School of Aquatic Sciences and Natural Resources Management at Deakin University and the FNCV have all agreed to assist the project with nonfinancial resources.
This means that the group is now able to formally commence its pilot mapping scheme looking for eight species of fungi.
The group has applied for funding and it is hoped that funds will be available later in the year. These funds will be used to publish material for identification purposes (i.e. coloured photographs of fungi) and to assist in volunteer co-ordination.
Currently we are operating on a "shoestring" with no staff and no money, not even for stamps. This newsletter will be the main communication tool for the project. The newsletter will advise people of the project's status, provide further identification advice on the targeted species, summarise results and pass on general information about fungi.
Initially, the mapping scheme will be limited to eight species to ensure it is manageable.
The pilot scheme is now up and running and we would like to thank those people who have already sent in fungi records.
The project has printed 100 copies of a brochure with colour photographs of the eight target species.
A small charge of $3.00 means that we will be able to keep printing copies of the brochure to maintain supply.
The brochure includes descriptions of the target species and what to record.
It is hoped that later in the year the target list will be expanded and if funding is available, resource material will be provided to volunteers, free of charge.
We sincerely thank Bruce Fuhrer who provided the photographs at no cost.
The eight target species are:
Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric)
Amanita xanthocephala (Vermilion Amanita)
Aseroë rubra (Anemone Fungus)
Battarraea stevenii (Drumstick Fungus)
Dermocybe austroveneta (Green Dermocybe) (= Cortinarius austrovenetus)
Mycena interrupta (Pixies Parasol)
Omphalina chromacea (Chrome Omphalina) (= Omphalia chromacea)
Omphalotus nidiformis (Ghost Fungus) (= Pleurotus nidiformis)
The "Fungi Kit" is now available through the FNCV at a cost of $5.00.
The Kit includes:
1. A guide to making permanent collections of fungi.
2. A checklist of Australian macrofungi illustrated in field guides.
3. Labels for collections of fungi
4. Leaflet on poisonous fungi
You can obtain publications by writing to the FNCV, Locked Bag 3, Blackburn
3130 or by contacting John Julian on 041 989 5873
The colour photograph of Dermocybe austroveneta in the brochure is an unusual colour for this species. It is more often found with a bright bottle green colour. Refer to Bruce Fuhrer's A Field companion to Australian Fungi for a photograph of the more common colour.
Some records have been forwarded with inadequate mapping references given. It is vital that you give the map number and the complete map reference number, using both small and large numbers if you are using the Australian Grid Reference System.
The best and easiest way for us to validate that you have found the targeted species is to supply a good photograph of the species.
Who's who on the Fungi Mapping Scheme committee?
The Committee which guides the project is made up of the following people:
Dr Tom May - National Herbarium of Victoria (Convener)
Professor Rob Wallis, Deakin University, School of Aquatic Science and Natural Resource Management
Bruce Fuhrer - Monash University/National Herbarium of Victoria
Cheryl Grgurinovic - Australian Biological Resources Study
Dr Noel Schleiger - Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
Jack Simpson - State Forests of New South Wales
John Julian has been appointed as Executive Officer (currently in an honorary capacity).
In each edition of this newsletter, notable volunteer effort will be recognised and congratulated!
As the project has been going for several months, in this first edition we recognise several individuals who have each sent in more than 10 records. They are:
Cecily Falkingham 37 records
Heino Lepp 18 records
Ilma Dunn 11 records
John Eichler 11 records
Well done!
Each month we will also make note of the most interesting record(s) sent in.
We have now received 20 records of Aseroë rubra from the alpine areas, especially the Bogong High Plains.
In the near future we will be able to publish an initial map showing records to date.
All fungi records should be sent to the Fungimap Project, National Herbarium of Victoria, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra 3141
All administrative and general enquiries should be sent to John Julian, c/- FNCV, Locked Bag 3, Blackburn 3130. John can be contacted on (03) 9830 4795.
Fungimap Newsletter 1 is © 1996 Australian Fungi Mapping Scheme, Fungimap and Dr. Tom May
Last modified on 7 August 2003
Copyright © 1996-2003 Fungimap
