Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week story is a great example of something he’s been saying for years about our area’s wonderful Parks and Open Spaces! There are so many different things to do in all our Parks!

I am hoping that today I can add another activity that might not have been on most people’s list!!  If I asked you to list all the activities you might do in a park, would a ‘Fungi Foray’ be one of them??!!  AND perchance you have an interest in learning more about Fungi? This is the group to refer to, getting all the relevant information and also learning how not to damage or disturb their biological integrity is called the NJ Mycological Association.

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

First things first. A big THANK YOU!!  To Elizabeth Roy, Warren County Dept. of Land Preservation, for reaching out to me and reminding me about this group and their visit to White Lake! 

I am very fortunate to have so many friends within my network, acting as my eyes and ears, alerting me to exciting and interesting activities!!  They all know me well, ‘HAVE CAMERA – WILL TRAVEL!!’  And I enjoy writing about those adventures, doing a little Open Space Outreach, telling everyone, about all the exciting areas and activities right in our very backyards!!  The following was copied and pasted from Liz’s email message to me!!

“Hope all is well with you.    I thought of you today – tomorrow at White Lake, the NJ Mycological Association will be holding a ‘fungi foray’ at White Lake.”  

She continued, “You may recall that Nina appeared before the BORC (Warren County Board of Recreation Commission) a few months ago requesting a special permit which you folks gladly gave.   Well, tomorrow is the day of the event and it struck me today that you might be ‘out and about’ and want to drop in.”  

OK, after receiving that, my plans are made for Saturday, AND, know what my Photo of the Week article is about!!  I have to say, in looking over past adventures, including this, maybe especially this, we certainly have some pretty ‘interesting’ titles for some of these activities!! I’m thinking, it is a good thing, I include some photos and dialogue!!  Hmmm, I am doing a little thought processing here and setting up a potential humorous scenario.  WHAT IF, I just sent out an email telling everyone, I will be attending a ‘Fungi Foray’ and just left it at that!!  Would love to ‘know’ some of the thoughts from everyone, as to just what, I was going to be doing!!  Speaking for myself, kinda, think I would be scratching my head, What the ??? is he going to do!!?? 

There was one change in the original plan.  The search area would remain as planned around White Lake and vicinity.  The group was looking for an area with more shade for their ID segment of the program (no shade in the area requested at White Lake) and the tent was moved across the street adjacent to the Voss Homestead by some trees.  FYI, The Voss Homestead is a wonderful site, including the beautiful stone home and the large historic barn.  Another THANK YOU, to the Hardwick Historical Society for allowing extra overflow parking spaces, if necessary, when White Lake gets really crowded!  In this case those extra parking spaces and immediate area for the tent, really made this a more user friendly site for the group’s needs!!

So what is the NJ Mycological Association?

It is the only mushroom club association in New Jersey. Its members predominately come from New Jersey and the surrounding states of Pennsylvania and New York. Mushrooms from Ringwood to the Pine Barrens to Cape May – this is our area of expertise.  “Sharing knowledge, ideas and experiences with people to increase their understanding of the world of fungi”  The NJ Mycological Association is part of the NAMA (North American Mycological Association) which is committed to the promotion of scientific and educational activities related to fungi.  It supports the protection of natural areas and their biological integrity.  They advocate the sustainable use of mushrooms as a resource and endorse responsible mushroom collecting that does not harm the fungi or their habitats.

Many forays require preregistration. There is a foray nearly every weekend, either on a Sunday or a Saturday from mid-June to the beginning of November. 

As you can deduce from the above info, this is a busy and dedicated group, covering all of New Jersey!  I was speaking with Nina Burghardt, Chairperson, and she noted that they average about 25-30 members attending each Foray. I was pleasantly surprised to notice they have quite a few younger members among their seasoned veterans!  She also advised this group was established about fifty years ago!!  One telling observation, it was obvious to me, all the members, regardless of their expertise, all took a serious interest in their Foray.  Showing what they had discovered with enthusiasm and eager to verify the identity of their find, ALL THE WHILE, displaying a sincere sense of Worth & Enjoyment! 

On behalf of the Warren County Board of Recreation, THANK YOU to NJ Mycological Association for your dedication and work, especially in today’s Fungi Foray at White Lake.  We look forward to your findings and comments about all these interesting and important fungi!

For more info – NEW JERSEY MYCOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION – NJMA Home Page (njmyco.org)

Please visit my Flickr site for additional photos, in my album of Mushrooms, Toadstools and Fungi – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157684431375960

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran

Director Open Space, Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission – Chairman