15th Annual Fall Foray at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge
This year’s MOMS fall foray at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge could be the best ever! For the past fifteen years Mingo has been the highlight of our year and everyone who attends makes it terrific, each adding their own personality, good humor, insights, mushroom knowledge and assistance, to make the Mingo experience so meaningful. Put Mingo on your calendar for September 20 – 23 and send in your registration form (on the left). Don’t wait until the last minute, because early registration will facilitate the planning and will earn you a discount on an already very affordable adventure.
Mycologists and Special Guests
This year, title of “Chief Mycologist” will be shared by Drs. Walter Sundberg and Andrew Methven. Both are teachers highly praised on a national level. We also look forward to Jay Justice, the esteemed “mycologist’s mycologist,” who seems to know more mushrooms than almost anybody. We anticipate the return of Dr. Michael Kuo, the genius behind www.MushroomExpert.com (check it out) and Leon Shernoff, editor of Mushroom the Journal. We have scheduled two talks by well-regarded mycologists, Drs. Peter Avis and Britt Bunyard.
Ever wonder why we look around oaks to find chanterelles, ash trees for morels, or why Boletus edulus doesn’t grow around here? Why are fungi important to a healthy forest? Special guest mycologist, Dr. Peter Avis, Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Botany at The Field Museum, will speak Friday night about fungi mycorrhiza. This is a fascinating subject of the symbiosis of fungi and plants, beneficial to both. The topic impacts us as mushroom hunters and, in the big picture, is significant to all plant life and ecology. We are extremely pleased to have found an expert who would share his knowledge on the subject.
A second treat for us is a return visit from Dr. Britt Bunyard fromWisconsin. Britt is editor of the North American Mycological Society newsletter, the Mycophile and their scholarly annual journal, McIlvainea. Those who heard him speak last year on insects and fungi will want to hear his talk this year on the evolution of the fungi. Dr. Bunyard is a rare scientist (and bird) who can simply and clearly explain complicated genetic science today and expound on theories of cladistics, the relationships of organisms to each other through evolution.
We will have other talks, too. Whatever the subject, we guarantee it to be lively, enlightening and amusing. You’ll also learn a great deal in the field and around the collection tables.
Schedule of Activities
People start to arrive as early as Thursday, and after greeting friends and getting settled, may look for mushrooms in the woods surrounding the camp, fish, or canoe in Lake Wappapello.
On Friday, there will be sightseeing and mushroom hunting trips to near or not-sonear natural sites. Organize the trip you would like, or tag along with others, or stay in camp and just relax. In the evening, Dr. Peter Avis will speak.
On Saturday morning, we get a little more serious. Right after breakfast, we’ll depart in groups on the short drive to Mingo National Wildlife Refuge. Each group will have a leader and mycologist, and will foray in selected areas, some of which are normally closed to the public. The terrain is generally flat, but it is easy to get lost! We insist that everyone bring a compass or GPS device, that everyone hunt with a buddy, and that everyone follow the instructions of the group leader. By midafternoon, all foray groups will be back in Camp Latonka, loaded (we hope) with mushrooms. Edibles collected from our forays will be saved for the mycophagy workshop which will create a fabulous mushroom tasting for Sunday brunch.
Saturday evening we’ll hear from Dr. Britt Bunyard about mushroom evolution. Leon Shernoff will speak Sunday morning on "Strange Mushrooms, And How To Know When You Have One."
Camp Latonka
We have again secured Girl Scout Camp Latonka for our accommodations and base of operations. The recreation room houses the mushroom display tables. By the end of day on Saturday, they should be overflowing with specimens identified by our experts and you.
The common buildings include a spacious dining hall with a large kitchen to accommodate our considerable food-preparation needs.
The cabins there are what you may remember from your scouting days: electricity, cots with mattresses, but no bedding. They are screened all around and let in fresh air and the night sounds of owls and whippoorwills. Sites are available for trailers and for tents. Most tenters pick sites on the shore of lovely Lake Wappapello, down the hill from the rest of the camp.
Two bathhouses, one cleverly designated for men, the other for women, have toilets and hot showers. They’re a short walk from the cabins; so bring a flashlight along with your bedding.
If you prefer a motel, we recommend Miller’s Motor Lodge in Wappapello, (573) 222-8579.
Meals
Meals are more than adequate. In fact, the term lavish may not do them justice. Thursday and Friday dinners are potluck, so bring something to share. You can expect the food to be plentiful and delicious. Friday and Saturday breakfasts will be provided. Friday lunch is usually in the field, a good ways from any fast food places, so bring what you would like to have. MOMS provides sack lunches for Saturday.
Saturday dinner will be provided by MOMS volunteers, and in recent years these have been delicious. There is still time to volunteer! MOMS provides cold cereal for those who need to eat and run on Sunday, but for those who can stay until midday, the finds of the weekend usually provide a feast of mycophagy! Happily, Camp Latonka provides dinnerware for all meals in the dining hall. We must, of course, clean what we use, and again, there is room for volunteer signup.
Registration and Further Information
If you’ve not been to one of our fall forays at Mingo, this article may not have answered all your questions. On registration, you will receive further information, including directions for the 3-hour drive. Or ask someone who has been there. There is a phone at Latonka that you can make calls from and, in an emergency, the personal phone of Verla Shaw, longtime camp manager, is (573) 222- 8340.
Chairpersons are: Maxine Stone, (314) 963-0280 or verymaxine@aol.com ; and Charlie Raiser, (314) 821-6768 or charlieraiser@aol.com. Ken Gilberg has arranged our speakers. The bottom line is to register now and come September 20 or 21. Come prepared to find a lot, learn a lot and eat a lot! See you at Mingo.