I learned about how a places name its connotation is so much more than just a title.  A person's identity relies very heavily on their home and environment around them. When an original/indigenous name is lost and replaced with a colonized version it changes to represent the trauma and loss natives experienced. it can establish a meaning that is completely different. one  example is how measuring worm stone changed to El Capitan. Another example is how Dook'o'oostiid became known as the San Francisco Peak. It became a tourist location snow sports instead of sacred land. The city even proposed that they make man-made snow from recycled sewage to put on the peaks. The local Native tribes felt it was disgraceful to do this and strongly discouraged it. I felt this read was insightful. I learned about the complexities of certain sights and their names. I have a better understanding of what colonized names mean. Overall I enjoyed reading this. 

 Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the West, 1 May 2022, https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/people-places-how-place-names-impact-the-way-we-see-landscape. Accessed 27 August 2022.

Peña, Kateri Morning Glories

The site Biology Dictionary explains the history of mycology and how long we’ve been utilizing fungi in society. In the 1800’s there was not much studies done on mushrooms, they were assumed to be a type of plant with many variations. Above the mycelium “fungi roots” the reproductive bodies of fungus or the mushroom were eaten for hallucinogenic effects and as medicine in ancient civilizations since antiquity. Once microscopes were invented, the term mycology was coined in 1836 by M.J. Berkley during the time fungi were beginning to be classified as their own unique kingdom. As research technology became more advanced scientists were able to recognize just how different fungi were compared to plants by examining their cell structures. 

When reading this article I was surprised to learn how long it had taken humanity to even realize what Fungi really was. It made me think about how over time we as a society started to scratch the surface of mycology, and now we are at a point where we know more about it than ever before. Humans have been using mushrooms for medicinal, spiritual, and survival reasons for a very long time and I think that as western medicine advanced we have left fungi’s potential behind. With the knowledge and resources we have now I believe that we should continue to learn and utilize mycology to restore the health of our planet and ourselves. 

My second source comes from the first few pages of the book A Brief History of Mycology in North America. It begins with historical records about the Aztec civilizations from the conquistador Cortez and his spaniard army on the Aztecs religious beliefs concerning fungus. Most of the extensive reports were written by Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagun who resided in Mexico for around 60 years. In his works he describes how mushrooms were regarded as divine and sacred, considered the “foods of the gods”, they were foraged and eaten in spiritual divination ceremonies. Stone effigies were made that represented mushroom like deities and similar artifacts have been found in  Guatemala, San Salvador and Bolivia. Mushrooms were used by many native peoples in religion and cooking. 

I found this resource particularly interesting because I had not known that ancient native civilizations recognized the uses and importance of fungus long before many western researchers. The Aztecs specifically were very advanced people, they knew how to study astronomy and the environment around them. Native people connect nature and land to their religion because it is seen as vital, humanity is still seen as part of nature rather than separate or above it. I think that this is an important lesson that should be revisited, by nurturing the growth of mycelium/fungi it restores our human connection to Earth. I believe this can be done by enacting my SHP action plan which is to bury mycelium growth in polluted areas. 

Finally my last source comes from a  TED Talk Youtube video by Paul Stamets called  Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World. In this video he goes in depth about how mycelium networks communicate with the trees around it to transfer nutrients to them when needed. He also explains how mushrooms can absorb and clean oil pollution from soils and create biodiversity in its environment. One of the main points of his talk was how we are related to mushrooms genetically more than any other organism and share many of the same pathogens as them. He talks about medicines against small pox and the flu virus made with fungus that are extremely effective.  

I found this video helpful in explaining the many benefits of mycelium and fungus. Before I did not realize that mushrooms can actually create antibodies and fight against certain bad viruses and pathogens. When mushrooms are such a vital part of the Earth it's no wonder that they can be used to make effective immune system defenses for our bodies. This video was released 8 years ago and I wouldn’t be surprised if we have found even more solutions from fungi since then. This video is good at showing how expansive and multifunctional fungi is and proves that my project can be helpful too.

Editors, BD. Mycology - Definition, History and Careers | Biology Dictionary.

Rodgers, Donald P. “A Brief History of Mycology in North America.” Mycological Society of America, https://msafungi.org/a-brief-history-of-mycology-in-north-america/.

Stammets, Paul, director. 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World. YouTube, 8 May 2008, https://youtu.be/XI5frPV58tY. Accessed 12 Dec. 2022.

Peña, Kateri Orange Trees

Written by Rebecca Ratcliffe and published by the Guardian news site,  “This place used to be green”: The Brutal Impact of Oil in the Niger Delta explains how in the Niger Delta oil extraction began in 1965 by the Shell gas company. Since then even more international oil companies have been exploiting the land. It's estimated that 40 million liters of oil is spilled across the area every year. It’s made the air, water and soil inhospitable. 

The pollution has exposed locals to high amounts of chromium, lead, and mercury toxins. It's even caused acid rain. Because of this life expectancy has decreased significantly. Locals say that their people used to live to very old ages, now it is common for them to die around 45 years old. Even worse, in 2012 around 16,000 babies died in the first month of life due to sickness from oil pollution. ⅔ of those living in the Niger Delta support themselves through fishing and farming, but since that is unavailable crime rates have surged. Many turn to theft to sustain themselves. 

The Scientific American published an article titled Poor Communities Bear Greatest Burden from Fracking , written by Brian Bienkowski. The Marcellus Shale range is a type of mineral that holds the most natural gasses within it that stretches across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and New York. It is 95,000 square feet and contains trillions of cubic feet of oil. Because of this oil companies have taken advantage of poor communities that reside in this shale range by drilling and fracking. Analysis and census study has shown that 7/9 communities that are exposed to potential pollution are significantly below the poverty line.

It is also proven that in these states/areas poverty and those with less education are most impacted. This is concerning because many do not understand the effects of living near mining/fracking sites. Exposure can cause many health risks due to a mixture of chemicals pumped into the ground. This is how companies draw out oil from the earth, however it heavily contaminates groundwater and surrounding soil. Another risk is cancer causing radiation that comes from rocks that are fractured and broken. 

My final source is a youtube video titled The Impact of Fracking posted by Michigan Engineering. It explains how the process of fracking actually works. First a hole is drilled either vertically or horizontally into the ground into shale rock. Then high pressure water that is mixed with chemicals, sand and salt are shot into the hole. This allows for the natural gas to be drawn out and later profited off of. 

However this process uses several millions of gallons for just one operation. The contaminated water is often left underground or stored in a lagoon without any real clean up. Water treatment centers that are used to provide water for local communities are not yet capable of cleaning these pollutants. Therefore it is left to sit in the ground or surface, heavily affecting groundwater that citizens drink from. This can cause many health risks and oil companies are hardly ever held responsible. 

Bienkowski, Brian. “Poor Communities Bear Greatest Burden from Fracking.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 6 May 2015, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/poor-communities-bear-greatest-burden-from-fracking/.

Michigan engineering, director. The Impact of Fracking . YouTube, YouTube, 14 Nov. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAgl8qTtotc. Accessed 8 Dec. 2022.

Ratcliffe, Rebecca. “'This Place Used to Be Green': The Brutal Impact of Oil in the Niger Delta.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 6 Dec. 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/06/this-place-used-to-be-green-the-brutal-impact-of-oil-in-the-niger-delta.

Peña, Kateri, Butterfly

My first article was published by the Guardian news website titled “Worlds Vast Networks of Underground Fungi to be Mapped for the First Time''. It talks about how an organization is coming together across the world to combat the effects of global devastation due to mankind's actions by researching and mapping mycelium networks. It is called SPUN, The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks. I learned that mycelium networks provide 80% of the phospHatase hours to its host plants which is a vital nutrient for soil fertility and biodiversity. fungal networks have been identified in Canada, Mexico, South America, Morocco, Western Sahara, Israel, Kazakhstan, Tibet, and Russia. This organization believes that the protection and documentation of the mycelium networks are a top priority to maintaining the health of our planet.

The connection I made to this article is how SPUN, which is based in Delaware came to realize that this fungi is a priority and must be utilized to keep the planet safe from soil pollution, deforestation, wildfires, etc. A billionaire financier Jeremy Grantham gave $3.5 million dollars in the name of global conservation that will be used for this project. Funders, scientists, and field researchers all across the globe are simultaneously coming together which is what I hope to do with my own Seniors Honors Project. Although I cannot do it on the same level as them, I still hope to bring awareness and inspire hope that fungi can essentially save the planet if we just dedicated enough money and resources towards it just as this organization has.

The Chilean Mycologist Celebrating Fungi’s Hidden Kingdom published by the BBC news website,  introduces us to a woman named Guilaina Furci. When she was 19 she was on a college field trip in the Chile's Lake District when she came across a mushroom she so badly wished she could identify. This single mushroom was what inspired her to dedicate her life to documenting and researching the tons of diverse fungi in her country. She has become Chile's first female led mycologist, creating multiple field guides and in 2012 she launched the Fungi Foundation. A Non-governmental organization that eventually led Chile to becoming the first country to include all fungi types under its environmental legislation act.  

Having diverse and global voices is important for this topic. This is because in order to promote the idea of restoring our environments and helping polluted communities around the world we need to include anyone who is willing or interested. Mycelium is capable of helping in many ways with drought, toxic contaminants, plant and tree growth, nutrient rich soil, etc. Being able to bring this information to light can lead to an amazing achievement like including fungi under environmental protections.

Harvey, Fiona. “World’s Vast Networks of Underground Fungi to Be Mapped for First Time.” The Guardian, 30 Nov. 2021, www.theguardian.com/science/2021/nov/30/worlds-vast-networks-of-underground-fungi-to-be-mapped-for-first-time.

‌“Heather Barnett: What Humans Can Learn from Semi-Intelligent Slime.” Www.youtube.com, youtu.be/2UxGrde1NDA. Accessed 9 Mar. 2023.‌  

My action plan was 

• Posted in SFIS  library and HUM/MST hallways. 

• Decided on a poster because:

- I enjoy drawing and coloring

- A presentation wouldn’t be engaging or interesting. 

-I’d catch people's attention with a quick glance at a colorful flyer on the wall. 

• I created my flyer by sketching, inking and coloring 

-Went to the library and mae Xerox copies 

Peña, Kateri, Summer Acequia

In order to complete my action plan my mother helped me get in contact with the directors of the Espanola Healing Foods Oasis by email. I provided a project description and asked for permission to bury oyster mushroom spawn in the garden with one of them present. My fungi spawn was made in a mycelium workshop I was in about a year prior. It was stored and watered until it was time to complete my action plan. I decided on this as my action plan due to my experience with a similar project done before and my interest in the capabilities of fungi. I completed my action plan on March 1st with my mother and Espanola Healing Foods Oasis manager Talavi Denipah Cook. I dug out two holes in the ground and buried my oyster mushroom spawn. I will go back to check on it to see if there have been any changes in the soil or plants around it. I asked Ms. Denipah Cook if she had any thoughts about my action plan and she said “Your action plan is very good because we can have someone look at the progress to see how these mushrooms develop and filter out the crude oil thats coming from the parking lot.” - Talavi Denipah Cook