Kate Mohatt

Kate Mohatt is a vegetation ecologist with the Chugach National Forest and founder of the Turnagain Arm Mycological Society. She has been collecting fungi in Alaska since 2006 and co-authored Mushrooms of the National Forests in Alaska. Kate contributes to the Girdwood Fungus Fair and Cordova Fungus Festival, sharing her expertise in botany, invasive plant management, and mycology. At the Forest Service, she leads field projects, coordinates seasonal staff, conducts plant surveys, completes biological evaluations for NEPA compliance, manages GIS databases, prepares project proposals, and provides botanical input for special use permits. She also gives presentations and reports to both public and internal audiences, bringing science and education together in her work.

 

Madison Seigler

Madison Seigler is the forester here in Cordova, part of the Chugach National Forest. Her main interest is in forest pathogens and damaging agents affecting the local ecosystem.  In her free time, she likes to surround herself with people and dogs. She is an avid forager and will be teaching the Mushroom Identification 101 Class

 

Shane Shepherd

Shane Shepherd has worked as a fishery biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game in Cordova since 2012. He enjoys outdoor adventure, hiking, fishing, and foraging in the incredible place he calls home. Shane began learning to make salmon leather in 2019 while working at the Miles Lake sonar project on the Copper River and started achieving consistent results in 2021. He is excited to share what he has learned about creating a beautiful and useful product from an abundant “waste” material, while inspiring creativity and connecting people to salmon, place, and tradition.

Shane will be hosting a fish skin tanning workshop on Sunday, September 21st from 2-3 PM at the Cordova Center. See festival schedule for more details.