Introduction
Isaacs Archives Is a collection of mycological descriptions Bill Isaacs penned in the late 1990s. I am currently going through his manuscripts and creating consistant HTML pages for inclusion on the MycoWest website.
This project is still a work in progress, so expect additions and changes in the future.
• Index of species descriptions
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Some History
• Santa Fe Living Treasure
• Ted Stampfer's reports to NMMS membership:
~ The January 1997 issue of the NMMS News included this contribution from Ted Stampfer.
Bill Isaac's Mushroom Book
As many of you may know, Bill Isaacs is seriously ill. One of Bill's
ambitions has been to publish a book, including the paintings of Catherine
Ferguson, Wild Mushrooms of New Mexico. Unfortunately, because of
this illness, he may not be able to do so.
Bill has been a true friend to those of us who are interested in things
mycological in New Mexico. In fact, many of us owe our interest and much
of what we know to Bill's teachings and support. Thus it was with a
feeling of appreciation that the NMMS voted to do what it can to help
Bill and Catherine finish this book.
The book is not meant to be a field guide. To quote a few lines from
the Introduction, "Mushrooms in the Southwest sound a bit like frogs in
the Sahara Desert. Nonetheless, there are a prodigious number in our
region."
"This book is not a guide. There are ample guides in book stores to
obtain instruction in safe practices for eating, identifying, classifying,
etc. Rather, we assume that you are interested in natural history and/or
mushrooms....This book is designed to introduce some of the more
characteristic, curious, and unusual species to a growing, interested
public."
Having been afforded the privilege of reading some of the preliminary
draft, I believe the following well describes much of the work's
attractiveness.
"The descriptions are minimal but the ensuing discussions pass along
anecdotes, tall tales, and various miscellaneous information that go along
with mushroom collecting. A major part of the book is devoted to Catherine
Ferguson's watercolors."
I would add only that the "various miscellaneous information" is a
brief yet entertaining glimpse into Bill's amazing fund of mycological
knowledge and insight.
~ Only the following month, Ted reported in the February 1997 NMMS News:
It is with deep regret that we report the passing of Bill Isaacs on
January 21 after a long battle with prostate cancer. Many of us knew Bill
either from the evening mycology courses he taught for many years, and the
accompanying field trips, or from his direct association with the
NMMS. However, less well known are many of his other activities and
accomplishments.
Bill was born in Oregon and graduated Cum
Laude from the University of Washington. He then went on to the
University of Michigan to do Advanced Graduate Studies in Botany under
Dr. Alexander Smith. He moved to New Mexico in 1967 where he held a
number of different positions. These positions involved many diverse
aspects of natural history for he was, basically, a naturalist as
witness the courses he taught at the College of Santa Fe, Santa Fe
Community College and University of New Mexico: ornithology, botany,
ecology, and landscaping, as well as mycology. He was the Liaison to the
New Mexico Heritage Program of the Nature Conservancy and the Program
Coordinator, New Mexico State Heritage Program, in the New Mexico
Natural Resources Department. Following this he became the Acting Bureau
Chief, Systematic Resources Analysis Program and then Director of the
Resource Management Division both in the New Mexico Natural Resources
Department. Other than these positions, he was a landscape consultant as
well as being involved with various nurseries.
Bill Isaacs' role as a recognized naturalist is evidenced by many awards
and honors:
• Appointed by Governor Bruce King, and confirmed by New Mexico
Senate, as a member of the Policy Advisory Committee, New Mexico Natural
History Museum;
• Co-awarded the Aldo Leopold Conservation Award by the New Mexico State
Chapter of the Nature Conservancy;
• Elected President of the Sangre de Christo Chapter of the Audubon
Society;
• Keynote Address, "Rare and Endemic Plants of New Mexico", to the New
Mexico State Garden Club Annual Meeting
Finally, Bill was the author of a number of
publications dealing with both mycological and other natural history
topics.
While this list of accomplishments tells us something
about the man, it does not reflect accurately the influences he has had
on so many. The most obvious of these are those that arose through the
relationships he developed during the courses he taught. He introduced
many to the delights of nature, not the least of which was mycology, and
he was always more than willing to help these individuals to increase
their appreciation and knowledge of nature at any time. He will be
remembered by many with fondness and appreciation.
Ted Stampfer, Jan 1997
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Isaacs' Archives
David Wallis, Editor
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dmw
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