The first 2008 West Virginia Mushroom Club Foray will be a Morel Hunt near Elkins, WV at 10:00 am on Saturday, May 3rd. The foray fee of $10 per person or $15 per family includes lunch. Bill Roody, author of Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians will be our guide and taxonomist.
Our second foray will be held in Kanawha State Forest in Charleston. We need an identifier for this foray. Please note that identifiers will have gasoline costs reimbursed and will have their dues waived for the next year. We will email and write as soon as we lock in the date.
Join us for our Fall Foray Greenbrier State Forest in Lewisburg on September 6th. We are proud to announce that Walt Sturgeon will be our taxonomist again this year.
Professor Bob Maslowski will conduct a wild edible mushroom walk at the La Paix Herb Farm's Lavender Fair on Saturday, June 28th, 2008. The fair begins at 9:30 am and ends at 5pm. The mushroom walk will be held sometime in the morning and will take about an hour. There will be more than 25 booths at the fair, including educational material, crafts and plants.
The farm is located at 3052 Crooked Run Road, Alum Bridge, WV 26321. Please visit Mapquest for a location map. For further information, call (304) 269-7681, email lapaix@westvirginia.net, or visit the Lavender Fair web page: http://www.lapaixherbfarmproducts.com/lavender_fair_2008htm.htm
The Samuel Ritsch NEMF foray will be held at Connecticut College this year.
The faculty includes Ernst Both (Curator Emeritus of Mycology at the Buffalo Museum of Science); Gary Lincoff (Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms); Roz Lowen (ascomycetes); Bill Neill (co-author, The Mushrooms of Cape Cod); Roger Phillips (Mushrooms of North America); Leon Shernoff (editor, "Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming,"); Walt Sturgeon (NEMF and NAMA expert identifier). Tentative faculty as of February also include Tim Baroni, Brandon Matheny, Bill Roody, and Rod Tulloss.
A “junior mycologist” program with a team of young scientists ages 12-17 collecting, helping identify, working the tables and giving a short presentation is planned for Saturday. Each evening a photo program along the lines of “The Wacky, Weird and Beautiful Mushroom Slideshow” will be offered.
Visit for the NEMF website to download a foray application and get the details.
MEXICAN MUSHROOM TOURS has organized a weeklong foray in the central state of Michoacan this year. The region ranges from the Pacific coastline to volcanic mountains where Monarch butterflies come to roost. The group will start out in the elegant, historic state capital city of Morelia. Along the foray route, you will visit lakes, colonial towns, indigenous villages and you will see local arts and handicrafts. The cost is less than $2,000 and is all inclusive, excluding your airfare. There is still space available if you are interested.
Visit http://www.namyco.org for full information.
The 2008 annual NAMA foray will be held September 18-21 at Ponderosa State Park in McCall, Idaho. NAMA foray fees include lodging and most meals, but if you would rather camp, you can make reservations online at http://www.parksandrecreation.idaho.gov or call toll free 866-634-3246
The 23rd annual Mushroom Festival will be held on Saturday, September 6th and Sunday September 7th in historic Kennett Square in eastern Pennsylvania, just southwest of Philadelphia. There will be an antique show, an antique sale, an antique car show, organized tours of nearby mushroom farms, an art show, a cooking demonstration and more. For further information, email info@mushroomfestival.org or visit http://www.mushroomfestival.org
Whether you are a beginner or a long-time mushroom enthusiast, there will be something for everyone at the Gary Lincoff Mid-Atlantic Mushroom Foray. The tasting alone is worth the trip. This all-day foray will be held on September 20th at North Park, which is located just north of Pittsburgh, PA. People registering for the foray will receive a packet with detailed directions and a list of events. Visit http://www.wpamushroomclub.org for more information.