PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

What is a poor Minnesota mushroomer to do during our long dreary winter months of mushroom deprivation. You could always study your field guides and memorize all those Latin genus and species names. Not too exciting? Well, why not head up north, strap on your skis, and hit the trails in search of Chaga, the illustrious Russian Mushroom of Immortality. Lee Mollerman, our fearless foray leader, hatched this brilliant idea for a winter mushroom activity. He will be leading a Chaga foray at Sullivan State Forest on March 5th . What is Chaga? The short answer is that it is the polypore Inonotus Obliquus, purported to have nearly magical medicinal properties. See the article inside for more info about the ugly but potent fungus. So, why go out and slush through snow in the cold of a Minnesota March? Because Chaga likes to grow up high on the trunks of birch trees, and their conks are much easier to spot in leafless trees during the winter months.

Meetings Recap

The December 13 meeting was our annual Holidays celebration. We were treated to a large assortment of cakes, cookies, and other goodies. There was even some lefsa , a traditional Norwegian holiday favorite, served with black trumpet spread. To whet our pallets we had the usual coffee, tea, and cider, but there was also pot of Paul Stamet’s Olympic Rainforest Mushroom Tea to stimulate our immune systems. Along with the good food and good company there was a slide show of colorful photos of mushroom Christmas tree ornaments. The mushroom in almost all of the ornaments was Amanita muscaria, which has long been associated with Christmas and Santa Claus. There were some among us who subscribe to the theory that Santa Claus was originally a Siberian shaman who powered his magical flights through the sky under the influence of the white spotted red mushroom.

Many of the members who attended went away with some bargains on our specially discounted club accessories and books. There were many books and posters from the collection of long time member, Irma Lechko, who generously donated them to benefit MMS. One lucky member walked out with a copy of David Aurora’s “Mushrooms Demystified” for a mere $6.

The January 13 meeting featured the NAMA educational video, “White Spored Gilled Mushrooms I”. The program was created by Dr. Michael Beug of Evergreen State University, Oregon, who is an authority on poisonous and hallucinogenic mushrooms. He is the chairman of the NAMA Toxicology Committee. We learned about mushrooms in the following genera: Amanita, Limacella, Lepiota, Hygrophorus, Russula, and Lactarius. There were many mushrooms and Latin names to absorb, but I feel confident that everyone left the meeting with the essence of each genera imprinted in their minds. We will be following up on this presentation with “White Spored Gilled Mushrooms II”, at our February 14 meeting.

I am pleased to report that we are steadily gaining new members. At each meeting there are a few newcomers who join the fold. I want to especially welcome all newcomers, and I hope you will participate in MMS activities. In order to keep our organization healthy and vital it is necessary for all of you receiving this newsletter to please renew your memberships!!! You may use the form on the last page of this newsletter.

News Flash!

MMS’ 2005 Awards Dinner on February 13th was a smashing success. We dined sumptuously on several mushroom-inspired dishes and rich chocolate tortes. But for technical reasons, the visual presentation (including the photo contest winning pix) got off to a shaky start. It looked like a washout until a hastily bought video cable saved the show.

2005 Awards Dinner Winners

From left, Maxine Bethke, Bob Fulgency, Rolf Engel, Ron Spinosa, Dawn Cameron, Steve Netzman.

Photo Contest 2004

The winners of the MMS photo contest for 2004 were announced and presented with their prizes at our annual awards banquet on February 13. The winning photos were viewed as well as some other excellent photos that were submitted. Here are the winners:

Pictorial Division

First Prize—Rolf Engel

Second Prize—Will Ince

Third Prize—Doris Johannes

Scientific/Technical Division

First Prize—Rolf Engel

Second Prize—Will Ince

Third Prize—Doris Johannes

Miscellaneous Division

First Prize—John Plischke

Second Prize—Bob Fulgency

Third Prize—Ron Spinosa

Activity/Humor Division

First Prize—Rolf Engel

Second Prize—John Plischke

Third Prize—Doris Johannes

MMS Service Awards for 2004

The Golden Chanterelle Award:

Presented to Bob Fulgency. This award was determined by votes from members. This is the greatest honor our society confers. Bob served as president of MMS for three terms. He was a key organizer of the NAMA Foray held in Minnesota in 2001. Bob is the current First Vice President of NAMA. In addition he provides wise counsel to the current president, and has served on the MMS board for a number of years. Congratulations Bob! We really appreciate all of your contributions to the well-being of our society.

Bob Fulgency - 2004 Golden Chantrelle Award Winner

President’s Awards 2004

Presented by the President to the following members in appreciation for outstanding service to our society:

Will Ince—Will is our webmaster. He redesigned our web site and keeps it updated. Our newsletter is now available in pdf format, thanks to Will’s innovations. In addition, Will is working on a bulletin board for our website and a membership database.

Steve Netzman—Steve is our newsletter editor. He has made our society’s newsletter one of the best in the nation. He has also added humor and creativity to our newsletter with his regular “Fungal Frolix” cartoon feature.

Maxine Bethke—Maxine is our principal mycophagy resource. She has cooked up many delightful mushroom treats from mushrooms brought into our meetings. She also was one of the main contributors to the MMS traveling mushroom exhibit .

Dawn Cameron—Dawn is our new Vice President. She brings much enthusiasm and commitment to her role. She did a superlative job in organizing our annual banquet at Luci’s restaurant. The banquet was attended by 26 members and was a huge success. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event. Dawn was another member of the team who put together to the MMS traveling mushroom exhibit . Her creativity was invaluable to the project.

Dr. Tom Volk Update

MMS sends its wishes for a speedy recovery to one of its esteemed scientific advisors, Dr. Tom Volk, who —as we know — fell seriously ill in the past few weeks. Reports are that he sustained a severe infection that will require surgery, but appears to be improving. Our guess is that he would welcome some encouragement from his many friends in the mycology community. Write him at his home address

Tom Volk

W5760 Thistledown Dr.

LaCrosse, WI 54601-2479

For more information or to submit articles for the MMS Toadstool Review, please contact the Newsletter Editor - newsletters@minnesotamushrooms.org