Where would we be without decomposers? Think of the volume of organic materials that would be piling up all around us if it were not for these recyclers: mounds of insect skeletons, dead animals, forest litter, our own waste products. No one will dispute the importance of decomposers in maintaining our health and that of our ecosystems. However, in our classes, little credit is usually given to the fungi and bacteria that do all this maintenance for us. In fact, these essential organisms are more often presented in a negative light. Bacteria are typically stressed for their role as disease-causing microbes. Fungi are known as destructive agents, harming our crops, weakening structures, and ruining our food! (Who hasn't seen mold growing on those forgotten containers in refrigerators or lockers?) In an attempt to have our students develop a more complete understanding of fungi, we have devised the following activity. It stresses the role of fungi as decomposers, highlights the rapidity by which they complete this process, and allows students to experiment with ways to control the rate of decomposition. We presen-t the students with the following true scenario involving hop growers. (Hops are used to flavor beer.) If you find the subject of hops uncomfortable or unsuitable for your class, you can substitute the growth of pea plants, as they follow a very similar pattern. To cultivate hops, growers must provide posts and strings for the hop vines to attach themselves to as they grow. Hop vines die back each year. In the fall, the hop vines, string and all, are cut down and the flowers are removed for processing. The waste vines and string are left in the field to rot. The most desirable situation is