NAMA 2010 50th Anniversary Foray
August 12-15, 2010 | Winter Park, Colorado

The Colorado Mycological Society is delighted to welcome NAMA to the Centennial State for NAMA's 50th Anniversary Foray, August 12-15, 2010. The foray will be held at the same location as NAMA's memorable 1983 foray, YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch, 14 miles from Winter Park, high on the western slope of the Continental Divide at 8,700 feet. Nearby Rocky Mountain National Park is celebrating its 95th Anniversary this year, and at least one of our forays is planned to study fungi in that area.


Ramaria largentii © photo by David Rust; Sarcodon imbricatum, Clavaria purpurea, Boletus edulis © photos by Debbie Viess

A number of the country's top mycologists, professional and amateur, have already committed to attend. You'll have to make some careful study in choosing which presentations to attend. One of the most important reasons to take part in NAMA forays is the opportunity, even for novices, to learn from experts. And, of course, you will be able to foray with these knowledgeable leaders as they head out in search of Colorado's unique fungi. Cathy Cripps and Vera Evenson will team up as they did in McCall as our chief mycologists.

Activities

Family members who may not share your enthusiasm for fungi, can choose to take advantage of some terrific outdoor activities. One local favorite is the Zephyr Scenic Lift up the mountain. Once at the top, you can either hike down, mushrooming on the way, or ride back in comfort to the base. You may choose to buy a Zephyr Express Pass, which includes unlimited use of the Alpine Slide, mini golf, Zephyr Express scenic chairlift, human maze, outdoor climbing wall, GyroXtreme and Leaps & Bounds Bungee. For more information about the area see these websites: Snow Mountain Ranch, Winter Park Resort, Town of Winter Park, or Winter Park/Fraser Valley for a comprehensive list of local activities and attractions.

Registration

Make plans now to join us in the Rockies in August. We promise you'll enjoy it (but we can't promise that you'll find the tons of chanterelles we found in '83. That was probably a once in a lifetime event). That's one of the reasons we love fungi, isn't it? They never fail to keep us guessing!

Snow Mountain Ranch in February © photo by Linnea Gillman

The fee for the foray is $185. To reserve a room at the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch:
1. Call Snow Mountain Ranch reservations: 800-777-9622 and be sure to give them our group number, 76175, to get the NAMA group rate.
2. Check if we have any rooms at the Ranch because of cancellations - call Linda DeLeon at 303-278-9582. If she doesn't have space, you will need to make offsite reservations.
Details and information about lodging and camping in the area can be found on the CMS website.

Pre Foray Workshop

"Field Mycology: Collecting and Documenting Specimens for Scientific Study" by Michael Kuo, all day Thursday, August 12. The fee is $50.00 per person and is limited to 20 registrants. Details and sign-up can be found on the registration form.

Amateur mycologists are in a unique position to help contemporary mycology, which is in desperate need of mushroom specimens. Contemporary DNA studies are providing fantastic insights in mycology, and these studies depend on relatively recent, well documented collections. Dr. Kuo will lead a foray that focuses on collection for scientific study, and a session on documentation (including specimen description and documentary photography) and preservation of specimens.

Summary of Presentations

The NAMA annual foray is a great place to hear talks from some of the top mycologists in the US. Here is a summary of this year's lectures:

Scott Bates	Exploring Fungal Diversity in the Western US: Soil, Sequences, and Ecology
Denis Benjamin	A Critical Appraisal of Selected Medicinal Mushrooms
Michael Beug	Toxicology Roundtable: Notable Mushroom Poisoning Cases of 2008-2010
Cathy Cripps	Deep Ecology of Mushrooms in Whitebark Forests: Linking Fungal, Feathered, and Furry Fauna
Vera Evenson	Colorado Mushrooms: Some Edible, Some Not, all Notable
Rick Kerrigan	Agaricus of the Western Cordillera
Michael Kuo	Morels of North America
Michael Kuo	Workshop: Field Mycology: Collecting and Documenting Specimens for Scientific Study
Brandon Matheny	Barcoding Historical Type Collections of Agaricales Using Nuclear Ribosomal RNA Sequences
Michelle Seidl	Workshop: Cortinarius Identification Basics and Note Taking
Jack States	Squirrels, Trees, and Truffles
Walt Sundberg	Workshop: Mushroom Beginners
Walt Sundberg	Workshop: Using a Hand Lens to Study Mushrooms
Tom Volk	Wood Rotters and Pathogens