NYT Mushroom article mentions iNat

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/science/mushroom-hunters-dna.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE0.KL0J.rBEUpiMMBWZc&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

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So interesting! I wish something like that was happening in Oregon.

Oregon absolutely has an active sequencing effort. Reach out to Danny Miller https://www.alpental.com/psms/ddd/

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I was thinking that if it existed, saying that it doesn’t (here on the forum) would be the easiest way to find out if it does! LOL! Thanks so much for the info!

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I clicked on that link but the first step to participation is to collect AND IDENTIFY a mushroom. I was assuming that DNA sequencing was a way to identify (and thus learn how to visually identify) mushrooms. I guess it makes sense that since sequencing requires money the process would start with identification, rather than have it as an end goal. I don’t know anything about fungi so getting enough introductory data to start making IDs is difficult (enough data to say, OK, it a mushroom but not this one and not that one and not that one over there). I saw sequencing as a boost for that, but that was my mistake.

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Identify doesnt really mean ‘know exactly what species’ - just do your best. Danny is pretty active on iNat (dannymi), you could probably just send him a message if you have any questions

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