South Vancouver Island Mycological Society
We will unfortunately have to break our long tradition of holding a SVIMS mushroom show this fall. While a certain virus was looking forward to the opportunity, SVIMS has decided that it would not be a good idea this year. We are hopeful about the fall of 2021.
With a heavy heart and an empty mushroom/specimen basket I must inform you that the Cowichan Foray for 2020 – October 23 – 25 has been cancelled. The COVID protocols and restrictions would have significantly limited the number of participants and the ability to effectively foray, analyze and discuss the many fungi usually collected during this event.
Kurt Raeder
Britt Bunyard, who was at SVIMS this spring and did a presentation on his work on Amanitas, reports:
We hope you will share this announcement to your members–an exciting and beautiful new book on all the Amanitas of North America. And all pre-orders received before June 1 will get a major discount (33% off the cover price)! Orders can be placed at the fungimag.com website and questions can be posted there or sent directly to me at fungimag@gmail.com.
Message from SVIMS President David Walde: There are no further meetings or events for the SVIMS summer 2019 to summer 2020 program year. The membership general meeting for May 7th has been cancelled. The Annual President`s Picnic that had been planned for early June has also been cancelled.
We have been looking at alternative approaches to our monthly speaker presentations, but for a number of reasons we have had to hold off with these plans for now.
Other PNW mycology clubs have moved their presentations online and SVIMS members may want to take advantage of these. The Oregon Mycological Society’s event for April (on powdery mildews) is now online here. The Cascade Mycological Society is also going to do a live feed of their speaker for April 22nd. The Webinar is by Trent Blizzard of Modern Forager in Colorado and will be on Oregon Burn Morels. Please follow this link for details on his presentation and instructions on how to access his talk.
Britt Bunyard, editor of Fungi Magazine, made another visit to SVIMS in March. Britt gave an amazing presentation on Amanitas (his book on North American Amanitas will be out in 2 months and his beginner’s guide to mushrooms in the fall.) A version of his talk is available on YouTube.
On Saturday, March 7, 2002, about 30 SVIMS members joined Britt and Andy for a fungal walk through Metchosin’s Blinkhorn Park. The group found over 30 species. These were entered into the Metchosin Biodiversity Project database of observations and species. You can view the species and pictures at the Project’s iNaturalist site.
The new (March-April 2020) edition of the NAMA Mycophile has been sent to SVIMS for its members to read.
We have a not-to-be missed presentation coming up on Thursday, Mar 5, 2020, 7:00pm. Britt Bunyard, editor of Fungi Magazine, will be here for a presentation and foray. His talk will be “From Lowly Saprobe to Mycorrhizal Masters: Amanitas (A Tale Told in the DNA).”
See poster below for more information.
Those of you who have heard Britt before (he was here three years ago) will know how good his talks are. For many years, Britt has been a roving ambassador for serious (and sometimes funny) mycology.
The foray, led by Britt and Andy, will be at Metchosin’s Blinkhorn Lake, which is on Kangaroo Road. Note the time–it will be on Saturday, March 7, from 1 to 3 pm.
