MinnesotaMushrooms.org Volume 43, Number 1, April 2013 THE TOADSTOOL R OfficialE Newsletter V of the MMS, a SocietyI for theE Study of MushroomsW and Other Fungi. Each year as spring approaches I start to have the MMS. Without feedback and active PRESIDENT’S more frequent dreams of being out in the woods participation from you, I end up booking hunting for Morels. A mushroomer’s mind is speakers based on my perception of what the MESSAGE wired a little differently than most. club membership wants, and that may not be This issue of the Toadstool Review is the most based in reality (which, as my wife would say, anticipated of the year. Inside you will find the would not be the first time I have done that). Morel foray schedule. You will also see reports on The meeting on April 22 will be our annual several key events of the past winter such as the Morel meeting. I am calling it Morels 101 because awards banquet, photo contest winners and the it will tell you everything that you need to know chaga foray. about Minnesota’s official state mushroom, Although most of the speaking engagements where to find them, and what to do with them are already filled up for the year, I encourage all once you get them back home. members to suggest topics of their interest. You Our May meeting will be an identification can approach a fellow board member or myself meeting. Besides Morels we will be looking at about your ideas. Our last meeting topic came other fungi found out in the woods this time of By Barry Beck about because Kathy Yerich came up to me and year, like oyster, velvet foot, dryad saddle, etc. spoke about her trip to NAMA and the workshop Usually our June meeting is an identification Have you renewed she attended where she learned about dyeing meeting as well but in recent years it has been your membership? yarn with mushrooms. I asked her if she would be too warm and dry for Morels or fungi in general willing to do a presentation and she agreed. to make much of an appearance so we might I am bringing this up because it helps me have an opening for a speaker, other understand what you, our members, want out of presentation or video. Any ideas? Thank you! CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS Would you like to get more involved? Are you looking for a way to connect with and help other members? Do you have valuable skills and perspectives that could benefit the Minnesota Mycological Society? If you answer yes to any of these questions, sign on as an MMS volunteer! Deepen your connection with mushrooms, fellow members, or the interested public or all of the above. Opportunities range from quick easy tasks for extra helping hands to involvement that offers a chance to provide substantial input and feedback. We are excited to hear from you and look forward to working together to make the MMS an even better organization. Prospective volunteers please contact Delia Lam, Volunteer Coordinator, [email protected] for further information or to discuss your experience, knowledge, and primary areas of interest. MINNESOTA MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY HISTORICAL ARCHIVES PROJECT Attention history buffs! Would you like to indulge your interests and be of service to your society? MMS has boxes full of historical materials going back to the turn of the 20th century that are in need of organization and archiving. The club also has a library of color slides of mushrooms and MMS events going back to the 1950s that are awaiting digitization for historical preservation. If you would be interested in helping to document the fascinating history of MMS, please contact: Ron Spinosa, [email protected]. MMS DATA COLLECTION PROJECT This winter has been a long one with a lot of time to anticipate the next mushroom season. Besides the forays, many of us have places we like to go on a regular basis in search of mushrooms. This year, a friend and I have decided to keep a mushroom journal of our favorite place. Our inquisitive minds would like to compare year to year looking for patterns. The data collection templates that the club uses (ID slips, foray checklists) will be part of my own record keeping. I am an amateur so keeping it simple will be important. Our club is fortunate to have such a wealth of people who are more than amateurs who might possibly be delving deeper into research. I would like to organize some field people who are interested in data collection for the club. Anyone interested in keeping or helping to keep data for the club please contact Sue Thompson, 651-341-6924, [email protected]. [1] MINNESOTA MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY UPCOMING MMS MEETINGS SPRING 2013 President: April 8, 7:15pm - Insect Control Barry Beck 110 Green Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus [email protected] The presenter for our April meeting will be Mike McLean of Metropolitan Mosquito 612-720-7953 Control District (MMCD). I bet you didn't know that the MMCD works just as hard at controlling ticks as they do mosquitoes? His presentation will consist of tips on how to Past President: identify prime deer tick habitat, and what to do if a tick sticks to you! He will also Steve Netzman discuss risk and prevention of Lyme disease in Minnesota. On the mosquito front, he’ll [email protected] talk about the latest species gaining a foothold – the Aedes japonicus, aka the 651-699-1263 Japanese rock pool mosquito. He’ll also explore ways to reduce your late-season risk of West Nile virus. This is vital information for people who spend a lot of time out in the VP/State Fair Chair: woods such as ourselves. Betty Jo Fulgency H: 952-920-9311 April 22, 7:15pm - Morels 101 110 Green Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus Treasurer: Get ready for the morel foray season! Learn everything that you need to know about Claudette Lamprecht Minnesota’s official state mushroom, where to find them, and what to do with them [email protected] once you get them back home. 952-890-8744 May 13, 7:15pm - Spring Mushrooms Corresponding Secretary: 110 Green Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus Richard Pizarro Bring in your fungal finds! Most of our evening will be spent admiring, identifying and [email protected] discussing mushrooms found since our last meeting that you bring in to share. Recording Secretary: Kathy Yerich June 10, 7:15pm - Late Spring Mushrooms [email protected] 110 Green Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus This will be our second identification meeting of the spring devoted to admiring and Webmaster: identifying the mushroom that you have brought in to share. Mike Gfrerer [email protected] UPCOMING MOREL FORAY SCHEDULE SPRING 2013 Newsletter Editor: May 11, 10:00am - Sakatah State Park Tammy Kimbler Meet at 10:00 AM. Directions: Go south on 35W to Faribault, MN. Take Hwy 60 west. Go [email protected] 12 miles to the park on the north side of Hwy 60. Turn into the park, staying right to the 612-991-4747 picnic area parking lot. Member at Large: Ron Spinosa May 12, 10:00am - Frontenac State Park [email protected] Directions: Take Highway 61 south from Red Wing, Minnesota about 9 miles to Highway 651-224-5274 2 and take a right; this leads to the park entrance on the eastside of the highway. Meet at the park parking lot at 10 AM. Membership Support/Member at Large: John Lamprecht May 18-19, 2012 - The Annual MMS Morel Hunt [email protected] MMS continues its tradition of a two-day morel foray to the Whitewater Wildlife Area in [email protected] southeast Minnesota. We will meet at 11:00 AM Saturday at the church located on the 952-890-8744 west side of Main Street in downtown Elba, MN. To reach Elba, take Highway 52 south from the metro area to Oronoco. There make a left turn and go straight east on Forays: Highway 12 and then Highway 247 to Plainview. From Plainview continue east on Lee Moellerman Highway 8 and then Highway 30 to Highway 74. There take Highway 74 south to Elba. [email protected] We will have our usual foray on Saturday and for those who wish to stay overnight, we 763-434-3354 will meet for dinner at the Elba Inn, time to be determined. We will meet at 8:00 AM Sunday at the Elba Inn for breakfast and start our foray at about 9:30 AM. There are no Volunteer Coordinator/MMS Store: motels in Elba; however, there is one in nearby St. Charles called White Valley Motel with Delia Lam reasonable rates (call 507- 932-3142). Other motels as well as bed and breakfasts are [email protected] also in the area. One is a bed and breakfast in St. Charles called Victorian Lace — (507) Collections & Vouchers: 932-4496. There are also B & B’s in nearby Plainview MN. (overnight is optional) Adele Mehta May 25, 10:00am - Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area Quarry Trail Center 952-884-7362 Meet at 10:00 AM Saturday. The Quarry Trail is a part of the Minnesota Valley State General Counsel: Recreation Area. To reach the foray site from the metro area, drive south on Highway Bob Fulgency 169, go past Jordan about 5 miles, then turn right on CoRd 57/Park Blvd and follow it to [email protected] the trail center on the left side of the road (after the campground).