Mushrooms of the West Coast 2025
2025-10-10 19:00 - 2025-10-12 13:00 (America/Vancouver) | Ucluelet Community Centre, 500 Matterson Drive, Ucluelet, British Columbia, V0R 3A0, Canada
This weekend field course will introduce participants to the wonderful world of West Coast Mushrooms. Topics to be covered include introduction to fungi (what are they, and what is their role in our forests?), essentials of collecting and identifying fungi in the field, edible, medicinal and poisonous fungi, cooking with wild mushrooms, and more!
Thank you to Dr. Andy MacKinnon & Dr. Shannon Berch for joining us on the West Coast to share their knowledge & passion!
Course Registration is $350. per person.
Friday (7:00 pm – 8:30 pm)

Presentation – overview of wild mushrooms, different fungus groups, role of fungi in ecosystems, and mushroom identification.

Saturday (8:30 am – 5:30 pm)

Field collection of wild mushrooms at field site.
Sorting of mushroom collections, spore prints, microscope ID session.
Afternoon presentation on foraging and identifying edible mushrooms.
Mushroom cooking demonstration and tasting with Chef Ian Riddick of Heartwood Kitchen!

Sunday (8:00 am – 1:00 pm)

Field collection and identification of wild (edible) mushrooms.
Group lunch and course wrap-up.

About the instructors:

2024 Mushroom Course Photos!

Small Town, Big Picture: Tofino
2025-10-15 17:00 - 20:00 | Tofino Visitor Centre, 1426 Pacific Rim Highway, Tofino, BC, V0R 2Z0
The West Coast Ambassador Program: This three-hour orientation session delivers the “big picture” of living in Tofino. Learn about local history and basic ecology, cross-cultural understanding, businesses and activities, festivals, host etiquette, and important civic information. This is a great way to get up-to-date local’s information about living and working in Tofino.
Location: Tofino Vistitor Centre Conference Room
Time: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Dates: Wednesday, October 15th

The West Coast Ambassador Program is a joint initiative of the Raincoast Education Society, the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce , Tourism Ucluelet and Tourism Tofino. The Raincoast Education Society is responsible for course curriculum, registration, and program delivery.

Raincoast's 25th Anniversary Party
2025-10-17 18:00 - 22:00 | Ucluelet Brewery, 1601 Peninsula Rd, Ucluelet, V0R 3A0
This year we’re hitting a big milestone — we’re turning 25! 🎉
To celebrate, we’re throwing a community party at the Ukee Brewery on October 17th from 6 – 10pm. We hope you can come join us for an evening of good food, good people, some meanders down memory lane, and music by the one and only Geoff Johnson.
The food will be delicious, Ukee’s finest beer will be on tap, and we’ll even have some limited-edition RES merch for sale. Come on out and celebrate everything we’ve accomplished together, and let’s toast 25 years of education, research, and community engagement!
This year we have decided to ditch the silent auction for an online auction so that folks can contemplate and bid at their own pace. The auction is live now and ends at midnight on Wednesday, October 29th. We have an incredible catalogue of unique experiences, stunning original art, and some fun little treats too — all generously donated by local individuals and businesses, and all highlighting the best of what our region has to offer. Bid, celebrate, and help us keep bringing education & research to Clayoquot & Barkley Sounds. 🌊
friends + online auction + music + food + drink = fun
Space is limited, so book your tickets now!
🙏🏽 If ticket price is a barrier, please contact us.
