WMMA Board of Directors

Tim Wheeler is a naturalist who specializes in geology, lichenology, mycology, and outdoor photography. He lives on the Jocko River at the foot of the Mission Mountains. He first got interested in mushrooms as a wee lad in the hills of Pennsylvania. He then moved to Montana (the University of Montana) to study rocks and plants, then to New Zealand to study volcanoes and fungi. Then he moved back to Montana and has most recently been working on lichens, both in the Pacific Northwest and in the temperate rainforests of southern Chile.

Lynn Schraeder, his wife Claire and their grandson David live in Ferndale outside Bigfork MT. Lynn is a retired geologist and Claire is retired from teaching. Lynn first became interested in mushrooms in 1957 when he went to Alaska to fight forest fires, he stayed to study geology, then stayed to work in engineering geology until leaving Alaska in 1992. The fantastic variety of mushrooms in the Fairbanks area were almost impossible to ignore, (the possibility of edibility was a big part of the attraction). He has been involved with mushrooms to greater or lesser extent since then. His favorite mushroom is Amanita muscaria, probably as a result of the Fairbanks introduction to mushrooms. Since retiring, he has been able to pursue mushroom studies a bit more actively. The Glacier Institute classes with Larry Evans as instructor provided a great way to learn about Montana mushrooms, (WARNING, they are inspiring and habit forming).

Larry Evans was raised on a Christmas tree farm in Illinois, has played Judo since childhood, owned Missoula's Black Dog Cafe, teaches at the Glacier Institute, and founded the Western Montana Mycological Association in 1991. He travels the world in search of mushrooms and he invites you to join him. Here you can read a more complete biography.