About Aaron
Aaron Tupac (they/them) is a mycologist, educator, community organizer, and speaker based in Los Angeles. Aaron is the organizer of the fungi-focused community education group Exploring the Mycoverse.
Aaron works for the Fungal Diversity Survey, the only nonprofit focused on North America's fungal biodiversity and conservation. They serve as a fungi collector for the California Fungal Diversity Survey, the first government-funded state-wide project of its kind.
Aaron is also the founding chair of the North American Mycological Association’s Conservation and Stewardship Committee.
Aaron is passionate about fungi conservation advocacy, ecological restoration, and making fungi education accessible for all ages and demographics. As a lover of the more-than-human world, they are fascinated with fungi and their essential role in the interconnection of all living beings.
As an educator, Aaron gives walks and talks to all ages. They regularly give walks through the Theodore Payne Foundation. Every mushroom season Aaron gives free-to-the-public walks & talks through the LA Public Libraries.
Through higher education, they have spoken at the University of Southern California, Occidental College, and Pomona-Claremont Colleges. They have taught children at several K-12 schools in the Los Angeles area such as Octavia E. Butler Magnet Middle School, Hawks LA, the Children’s Forest School, and Friends Western School. They also give talks at environmentally conscious organizations such as the California Native Plant Society, Arlington Garden and LA Compost.
Aaron enjoys hosting large interactive workshops on fungi-inspired community building at festivals such as the Radical Mycology Convergence, For the Love of Fungi Festival, and the Los Angeles Permaculture Convergence.
They lead private workshops, talks, and walks as well on fungi-inspired community building, fungi education, fungi conservation, and ecological best practices for cultivating relationships with fungi.
Interviews & Profiles
VoyageLA Interview
How fungi inspired Aaron to become a mycologist and understand themselves on a deeper level through queerness and being non-binary.
Arlington Garden Interview
Organizing fungal community in a local garden via Exploring the Mycoverse.
LAist Octavia Butler Science Fair
Teaching students the wonders of fungi.
