Forays

A Note on Forays

Please be aware that we are a club, not a business, and we do not guarantee a spot on a foray.  We are not in the business of selling spaces on forays.  We offer meetings, which everyone can come to and there’s lots of learning opportunities there.  I would go so far as to recommend that new members attend a few meetings before going on a foray.  With forays we are limited by availability of both mushrooms to find, and knowledgeable volunteers willing to lead forays.  Leading a foray is hard work and not everyone wants to take that on. We are all volunteers, not employees or contractors, and we have full time jobs and family responsibilities.  New members can talk to more knowledgeable members at the meetings, bring in mushrooms to be identified, and look over the Show and Tell table.

Foray Types

The club is going to offer 2 kinds of forays this fall/winter. Larger-group forays will not require preregistration. There will be a knowledgeable leader but there will not be a lot of one-on-one instruction. Small-group forays will usually require preregistration and will have a Foray Leader who can help people with the basics of mushroom hunting. The key differences between the two types of forays are:

• Large-group forays do not require pre-registration.

• Small-group forays will require pre-registration. Foray leaders will set a limit on the number of participants they feel comfortable working with.

• Large-group forays will not have a lot of structure beyond Meet Here in the AM and Come Back At This Time PM. There will be an opportunity to buddy up, if desired; or to follow more experienced people and get some instruction. There will be people to give some advice on what you’re looking for, and to look over your collections and make sure that what you think are chanterelles, really are. You can wander in the woods with like-minded people.

• Small-group forays will be led by a knowledgeable individual who can show you where to look and how to identify the target edible species.

Both foray types will absolutely require that you are paid up on membership dues. For the small- group forays, you must be paid up before you will be put on the list of participants. Foray leaders will not take membership dues. If you’re new to mushrooming, or you want to hone your skills, you’ll get the most benefit from the small-group forays. But if you are already experienced and just want an excuse to wander the woods with like-minded people, then the large-group forays are fine. Children who qualify as household family members under the age of 18 are welcome on our forays, with parental supervision.

Forays will be listed on the website and an email notice sent to current membership. Large-group forays do not require preregistration. If the foray listing doesn’t say anything about preregistration, or how many people will be accepted, then you can just show up.

For the small-group forays requiring preregistration, send an email to foray@ . Do this at least 48 hours before the foray! You must be current on membership dues. Foray leaders will determine how many people they’re willing to take. Names and emails of people registering will be sent to the foray leader, who will then contact participants to arrange meeting time and place.  Once you have successfully registered for one foray you will be waitlisted for any subsequent forays you sign up for, to give as many people as possible a chance to go on these limited foray opportunities. If you register but then are a no-show, you will be waitlisted for any subsequent forays you sign up for, so notify the foray leader asap if your plans change.

Identification classes are NOT forays. Contact the person listed in the notice.

Required equipment:

• Whistle

• Basket

• Knife

• Hunter orange vest or jacket or shirt; a hat is recommended too. Safety yellow may substitute. Bright colors!!! Burnt-orange makes you look like a deer so make sure you’re bright and unnatural.

• Any required harvest permit/map and entry pass.

Recommended equipment:

Good boots, walking stick, rain gear, dry change of clothes, drinking water, lunch, snacks, first aid kit, local map/gps/compass/hiking app. Do not rely on cell phone maps. Bring a change of batteries for any gps device.

Link to USFS permits:

Regulations may change at any time.

• Gifford Pinchot: 3 gallons per day and 10 days per year, with permit and harvest area map, available online.

• Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie: 1 gallon per day without permit, up to 5 gallons per day with permit, not available online.

• Olympic: No permit required for 1 gallon per day per species for up to 3 species.

• Okanagon/Wenatchee: Up to 5 gallons per day with permit, available online.

Land Use Passes:

• National Forests require a federal lands pass to park at developed trailheads and other recreation areas, but not for parking along the side of the road, which is primarily what we do on forays.

• State Forests require a Discover Pass to park along the side of the road, as well as at any trailheads or other developed recreation areas.

• State Parks require a Discover Pass for entry.

• National Parks require a federal lands pass for entry. The Northwest Forest Pass will not be accepted by National Parks or any other non-Forest lands.

The Skokomish Valley Road to Brown Creek Campground is closed by flooding when the river reaches minor flood stage, which is shown on the graph.