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Your hosts –
the Eastern Penn Mushroomers (who hold
their annual Helen Miknis Foray at this site every year), the New Jersey Mycological Association and
the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club
– will do their best to ensure a most enjoyable ‘shroooming experience.
In
addition to mycological interests, your family members will find a
multitude of
recreational opportunities, including eleven golf courses and easy
travel to
several important Civil War battlefields (including Gettysburg,
Antietam and
Harper’s Ferry). Chambersburg, PA, Waynesboro, PA and Hagerstown, MD
offer a
variety of accommodations nearby, should dormitory living not suit your
style. If you’re new
to Regional Forays If you’ve never been to a regional foray, get ready to be amazed at the variety of new mushrooms you’ll see. A couple hundred seasoned mushroomers from a score of different clubs can haul in a tremendous number of species, including many uncommon edibles (my personal favorite is Polyozellus multiplex, which I’d never heard of until the 2002 NAMA foray in Oregon). Several hundred species get identified by some of the top mycologists in the nation (or even the world). Whether in the woods or in the display room, chat with one of our faculty members and you are guaranteed to get new insights about the mushrooms at hand. |
Possibly the most difficult thing about NEMF is deciding which activities to enjoy. Two short early-bird forays go out on Thursday afternoon, followed by dinner, orientation, and evening lectures. Friday and Saturday are tougher. Four half-day forays compete with an all-day foray for your attention. Add to that a series of workshops (paper-making, photography, microscopy, and more), lectures, and special events (including reviews of the tables, specialty walks, mycophagy, and an “Iron-Chef” cook-off), and you may find yourself wishing you could split yourself in four! Oh, and don’t forget the exhibition and vendor rooms, available all day, every day.
If you’re a seasoned veteran
Each Northeast Foray is unique, with its own strengths and distinctions. This year, we’ve worked hard to compile an exceptional faculty roster. Popular, eminent, and friendly mycologists who’ve been regular guests of honor at prior NEMFs include Sam Ristich (our mycological patron), Doug Bassett, Ernst Both, Glenn Freeman, Gary Lincoff, Rosalind Lowen, Walt Sturgeon, Rodham Tulloss, and Tom Volk. Less familiar faces include two renowned European mycologists – Roy Watling (appointed an MBE by the Queen of England for his broad contributions to mycology) and Bart Buyck (Curator of Cryptogamy at the National Museum in Paris, and world expert on Russula) – as well as Roy Halling (Curator of Mycology at the New York Botanical Gardens, and currently specializing in Boletes), and Coleman McCleneghan (Pholiota specialist, and chief mycologist at the 2004 NAMA). And we haven’t even listed the array of dedicated experts from the three host clubs, or the Mont Alto professors who will introduce us to the local flora!
Sign Up!
This year’s foray will be limited to 200
participants – on a
first-come, first-served basis. Early-bird registration (before July 1st)
saves $30. Registration form and additional information can be found
below,
or by e-mailing the registrars John or Cheryl Dawson: nemf2005 at
suscom.net, or
by calling them
(717) 846–1225. Join us at NEMF 2005, and treat yourself to a weekend
of Mushroom Heaven!