Ep. 48 - Embracing the Land, Facing Colonialism and Honoring Indigenous Culture (feat. Amber of Moon Mountain)

10/23/20 • 110 min

Today on Mushroom Hour we are grateful for the opportunity to speak with Amber, one of the founders of Moon Mountain. Moon Mountain is a 40-acre biodynamic farm, wild food refuge and all-around sacred space located in the beautiful Michigan wilderness among some of the oldest mountains in the world. This compound functions as a demonstration site for regenerative agricultural practices and serves as a “hands on” medicinal plant classroom for their rural community.
We venture to those untamed wilds of Upper Penninsula of Michigan and hold space with our gracious host Amber. Today, the combination permaculture farm and wild-food forest she manages with partner Ryan is impressive, but it was a future that she did not quite envision. In creating this sanctuary, they both had to address their centers of alienation, leaving behind some of the traditional values of modern society. They followed a lifepath that resonated most clearly with heart and mind - honoring the mystery of what it would become along the way.
Alongside their ongoing explorations of ancient land-based practices like polyculture, agroforestry, lunar observation, crop rotations and water harvesting, Amber takes us into the deep forests of the Huron mountains to share in a rich bounty of edible mushrooms. Her work with fungi has taught her to slow down, listen to nature and understand the cycles of the environment around her.
In exploring this deep communion with the forest and the land, those of us who are European-American run into a deep-seated anxiety. How do we develop an authentic relationship with land that was stolen? How do we acknowledge and authentically support the indigenous communities that were displaced and then dispossessed of these "wild" spaces? In a modern context, is reconciliation possible between European and non-European communities in the US given histories of systemic imbalance? Amber offers her deep work around this subject and acknowledges that her path may not be for everyone. She outlines a process of moving through our fear and anxiety, learning about and showing up to support indigenous and POC communities and expanding into stages of personal growth that will cascade into restructuring unequal systems. And while these topics can be isolating, we need to have more open conversations, face the issues and leave behind the vestiges of colonial culture.
Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour (@welcome_to_mushroom_hour)
Music by: Ancient Baby (https://peckthetowncrier.bandcamp.com/)
Art by: Wyn Di Stefano (http://www.wyndistefano.com/)
Episode Resources
Moon Mountain Website: https://moonmtn.com
Moon Mountain Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonmtn.mi/
Freedom House Farm (Inspiration): https://www.facebook.com/freedomhousefarm
Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz - Indigenous People's History of the US (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Indigenous-Peoples-History-ReVisioning-American/dp/0807057835
Linda Black Elk (Inspiration): https://www.wisdomhub.tv/linda-black-elk
Braiding Sweetgrass (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Braiding-Sweetgrass-Indigenous-Scientific-Knowledge/dp/1571313567

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Ep. 47 - Bioluminescent Mushrooms, Psilocybe of Mexico and the Power of Citizen Mycology (feat. Alan Rockefeller)

Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed to speak with our very special guest Alan Rockefeller. Alan is a mycologist who has undertaken extensive field and lab research on the mushrooms of California and Mexico. He has been collecting mushrooms for 17+ years and has focused on the taxonomy and photography of Mexican mushrooms for the past 11+ years.
Our epic journey brings us back to the dawn of the new millennium when a young Alan Rockefeller first became spellbound by fungi. A few years into his mycology explorations, he had a chance encounter on shroomery.org with a biologist in Mexico who was posting amazing fungal finds. Alan made a connection and began traveling to Mexico each year to seek out rare fungi.

Since he began these adventures, he has played a central role in mapping fungal diversity throughout different climate ranges in Mexico. This includes some of the most in-depth field observations in the world when it comes to those incredible bioluminescent and infamous psilocybin containing fungi. We'll cover it all - how bioluminescence occurs in biology, the evolutionary significance of bioluminescent enzymes and psilocybin compounds in fungi and how Alan goes about finding the rarest varieties of these fascinating organisms.

The epitome of the self-taught naturalist and citizen scientist we'll learn the secrets of how Alan gained his vast taxonomic knowledge. Just "showing up" and pursuing his interests he has been able to collaborate with leading academics in the field of mycology. Alan then reveals how we can all contribute to the science of mycology by making good observations in the field and cataloging them effectively for posterity. We get a masterclass on cataloging field finds including how to take good photos in the field, record relevant observations, preserve dried specimens and even how we can sequence the genome of our fungal finds. This is an incredible opportunity to soak up wisdom and experience from a legend in the field of citizen mycology.

Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour (@welcome_to_mushroom_hour)
Music by: Ancient Baby (https://peckthetowncrier.bandcamp.com/)
Art by: Wyn Di Stefano (http://www.wyndistefano.com/)
Episode Resources
Alan Rockefeller FB: https://www.facebook.com/alan.rockefeller
Alan Rockefeller IG: https://www.instagram.com/alan_rockefeller/
New Bioluminescent Mushrooms in Mexico (Article): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331996064_New_species_and_records_of_bioluminescent_Mycena_from_Mexico
Alvalabs (Resource): http://alvalab.es/
Shroomery.org (Resource): https://shroomery.org
Mycena Perlae 🍄: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/981470-Mycena-perlae
Panellus stipticus 🍄: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panellus_stipticus
Neonothopanus Gardneri 🍄: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonothopanus_gardneri
Psilocybe moseri 🍄: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybe_moseri
Lepitoa Trichroma 🍄: https://mushroomobserver.org/104595?q=1VIoQ

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Ep. 49: Changing the Narrative - Reclaiming Ecological, Economic, Social and Political Power (feat. Antonio Cosme)

Antonio Cosme is an indigenous (Coahuiltecan and Boricua) writer, public speaker, entrepreneur, radical economist, educator, artist, beekeeper and farmer from Southwest, Detroit. Much of his work has been dedicated to lecturing, writing, and acting in opposition to the neoliberal assault on Detroit and water. Antonio has a unique gift for connecting social movements with struggles for land reclamation and intersectional environmental justice.
Setting down in urban SW Detroit, our guide Antonio helps us clear the mists of our historical amnesia. We face the genocide and removal of indigenous people from the land and how that is directly connected with the degradation of Michigan's environment and clear-cutting of old growth forests. That foundation of injustice shaped how a land evolved and we find the mentality echoed throughout Michigan's history right up to the incredible loss of civic rights for black and brown communities after the 2008 financial crisis. Through experience in local politics, Antonio found he could have the most impact in addressing the repercussions of these social, economic and political forces as a community organizer.
In wrestling with massive issues, Antonio sought replenishment through a relationship with nature and the land. In creating an urban farm from derelict properties stolen by banks, he found a powerful ally in mushrooms. As he began cultivating and foraging for fungi, he recognized their ability to heal soil, but also heal people. Through projects like Black to the Land and his work with the National Wildlife Federation, he is exposing children from inner city Detroit to the power of natural spaces. While it can be hard to mobilize POC communities who are the most impacted by urban pollution, he hopes by having people fall in love with nature they can take up their rightful place on the front lines of championing environmental justice.
Wading through more and more examples of systemic inequality, we have to ask - can the US political system actually offer lasting solutions when it comes to making positive environmental, social and economic change? What Antonio proposes is a continued effort from the grassroots and local government level on up to shift our cultural narratives around economics, environment, land and US history. By escaping the polarizing political party lines, we can find a populist common ground and collectively dictate a new path centered on fundamental human values like access to clean food and water, access to nature, access to education, access to land, and access to meaningful work.
Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour (@welcome_to_mushroom_hour)
Music by: Ancient Baby (https://peckthetowncrier.bandcamp.com/)
Art by: Wyn Di Stefano (http://www.wyndistefano.com/)
Episode Resources
Antonio Cosme IG: https://www.instagram.com/swdetroitjesus/
The Soul of Soil (book): https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Soil-Soil-Building-Gardeners-Farmers/dp/1890132314
The Entrepreneurial State (book): https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-State-Debunking-Public-Private/dp/1610396138
Hajoon Chang (economist): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha-Joon_Chang
Ryan Gates (inspiration): https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialfungi/