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I was listening to your show this morning, when you had a caller ask about identification of a mushroom. Your response was correct that the Utah Native Plant Society may have someone who could help. I am sorry, but I was at Strawberry Reservoir and about 20 miles from a phone.
A better alternative would be the Mushroom Society of Utah. We are basically a split-off of the Native Plant Society. MSU was founded in 1994 by Ardeen Watts, who is better known for his accomplishments in music with the Utah Symphony, and the University of Utah. Ardeen himself is probably Utah's leading mushroom authority, altho I believe he is in Japan at the present time.
I am available for help with mushroom identification. I am currently secretary of MSU and a past president. My phone is listed with the USU extension service, and I recieve numerous calls from them each year. There is no charge for our service. You may view our web page at
Incidentally the mushroom your caller was describing sounded like an Oyster Mushroom. I wouldn't recommend eating it without my seeing it, but the Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is eminently edible and is in fact sold in many grocery stores. It is very common all around Salt Lake City.
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