Videos and Interviews

Michael often does presentations for Mycological Societies and interviews for educational outlets about fungi. Below are a few of his most recent ones. If you would like to interview Michael or have him speak to your organization, you may contact him at [email protected].

Dr. Michael Beug gives a lecture about early psychedelic mushroom studies in North America. Dr. Beug was mycology professor at Evergreen State College in Olympia and taught the likes of Paul Stamets and other famous mycologists in the 1970's.  He recounts the story of the early use of psychedelics in American mycology history among he and his colleagues at the time. This was at the Gorge Fungi Foray in Trout Lake Washington on October 4th, 2024 in the dark, cold mountain air. This is purely anecdotal and educational and we are not promoting the use of psychedelic mushrooms. Mushroom Wonderland is happy to be the source that catalogs accounts like this for future generations to come. A big shout out to Dr. Michael Beug. 

The Earthlings Podcast, hosted by Lisa Ann Pinkerton, takes a look at the big issues facing humainity in the early 21st century and our relationship to our environment, technology, and each other. Michael was recently featured on episode #56:

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, our away mission takes us underground to explore mushrooms, the most widely distributed organisms on our planet. Without them, life on Earth might not have occurred. Terence McKenna even suggested that mushrooms might have originated in space due to their spores' resilience. 

Dr Michael Beug, who is active in the North American Mycological Association and the Pacific Northwest Key Council, has studied psilocybin since the 70s. In this episode Michael will explore fungi's role in ecosystems, their health benefits, and innovative uses, from sustainable materials to dietary enhancements. 

I got an amazing opportunity to sit down with Mycologist and professor Dr. Michael Beug. Former Mycology Professor at Evergreen State College in Washington. He was the teacher of such huge names in mycology as Paul Stamets, Jeremy Bigwood, Jonathan Ott and many others.  In this interview near his home in Trout Lake WA, he recounts the story that was featured in the Psilocybin issue of Fungi magazine about his personal experiences with Psilocybin mushrooms. 

The event that generated the thank you card below was a four-day field trip of the Evergreen State College Fungal Kingdom Class. The 55 students and 2 faculty (Paul Przybylowicz and Lalita Calabria) stayed at the Mount Adams Institute in Trout Lake and forayed in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Michael was able to join them for the first evening, all day on their second day and the afternoon of their third day. In total, he spent one day foraying with the class, two afternoons identifying mushrooms, and he gave two talks. Michael very much enjoyed his time with the students and has thoroughly enjoyed this thank you card.

This presentation given to"Sense of Place" sponsored by the Mt. Adams Institute showcases some of the mushroom species in Michael's book titled “Mushrooms of Cascadia: An Illustrated Key”. Michael has collected and photographed mushrooms of the Cascadia region for over 50 years. The presentation includes discussions on Cortinarius, Boletes, Amanita, Morchella, Cantharellus, Lactarius, Hericium, and polypore mushrooms; including several recently discovered/unnamed species. 

Jeremy Colison of of Salish Sea Mushrooms interviews Michael about a wide range of mycological topics in addition to a demonstration of how to use the keys in Michael's book Mushrooms of Cascadia.

This is a must listen! - Darren of the Mushroom Hour podcast talks to Michael about his mycology career at Evergreen State College, his involvement in getting DDT banned, being Paul Stamets professor and longtime friend, psilocybin history, the rise of citizen scientists in mycology, the criticality of conserving nature to avert disaster, the explosion of mushroom appreciation. 

In this very information presentation given to the Minnesota Mycological Society, Michael discusses how to differentiate numerous edible, poisonous, and hallucinogenic mushrooms whose identification can be confused.  

What happens when renowned mycologist, Michael Beug, agrees to take a total fungi rookie into the woods for some mushroom hunting? Join "Hear in the Gorge" host, Sarah Fox, as she explores the wild world of mushrooms and discovers why we should all be paying attention to the fantastic fungi.

Michael's Book: Mushrooms of Cascadia: An Illustrated Key available at fungi.com

Music by: Scanglobe, Deef, and Memotone all from freemusicarchive.org