NatureTats Nature Commitment: Central Texas Mycological Society
We've had a cold and rainy first few weeks of November here in Central Texas, but that's ideal weather for the local fungi that have been popping up with mushrooms all over. Look down or you just might miss them!
Fungi is all around us, from the soil we step on, to the air we breath, and even all the way into outer space. They're vital to breaking down matter in our ecosystems to give life to emerging organisms. They form webs of mycelium underground that communicate information to the rest of the surrounding environment, facilitate nutrient exchange between plants, pull toxins and pollutants from our soils/air/water, and a whole host of other beneficial services to nature.
We think fungi is absolutely magical–just check out some of our favorite mushroom tats that we've released over the years.
And we're especially lucky that here in Austin we have the coolest group of fungi fanatics with the Central Texas Mycological Society that are helping open people up to all the incredible things these organisms can do.
Our friends at CTMS host a number of events to spread awareness and education about the fungi world, as well as doing research and environmental remediation as citizen scientists. Their vision is to "foster recognition of the field of mycology as a beneficial ally in the effort to restore and sustain the resilience of the natural world in the general public", with a mission to "strengthen the conservation, awareness, and study of Mycology in the communities of Central Texas by creating a member self-directed non-profit organization, CTMS."
CTMS leads mushroom hunts, teaches low-tech cultivation workshops, hosts art classes, holds educational lectures, and so much more (these folks are doing a whole lot of awesome things right now). They ultimately make understanding and utilizing the power of fungi and mushrooms accessible to the people in our community.
We're so impressed by the incredible amount of important work that CTMS does here in Central Texas, and we want to show our gratitude by donating a portion of all of our sales during the month of November. We also encourage anyone to support them directly by making a donation via the link below.