John Plischke III is a founding member of the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, which has become one of the largest mushroom clubs in the US. He can be reached at fungi01@aol.com He is a Walk and Foray Chairman of the WPMC and a member of the Speaker’s Bureau. John has been awarded the club’s Distinguished Service Award and has been a past membership chair of the WPMC as well as a walk leader.

John is an identifying mushroom expert for the Western PA Mushroom Club (WPMC), He is a life member of the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) and a trustee to NEMF. NAMA has awarded John the prestigious Harry and Elsie Knighton Award. John is Chairman of the NAMA Photography Committee, and member of the cultivation, education and toxicology committees. He has also presented programs to many NAMA affiliated mushroom clubs.

He is the editor of two WPMC wild mushroom cookbooks. John is the author of Morel Mushrooms and Their Poisonous Look A Likes and Good Mushroom, Bad Mushroom. He has also contributed to over a 16 other mushroom books. He developed 2 slide programs for NAMA. He has made numerous contributions to the NEMF website. His portfolio includes 10 different mushroom programs.

John has won over 85 national and regional awards for his mushroom photography. He is also past chairman of the Fungus Section of the PA Biological Survey for over 6 years. John has contributed to the mushroom poster available at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation of Natural Resources. He has given scores mushroom programs from the East coast to the West coast and across Canada.

John Attends many different mycological club events such as North American Mycological Association (NAMA), North East Mycological Federation (NEMF), Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA), Ohio Mushroom Society (OMS), the Eastern Pa Mushroom Club (EPM), The Central Pa Mushroom Club (CPAMC), New Jersey Mycological Society

John is often away from home giving mushroom talks and identifying mushrooms for many different groups which he enjoys doing.