Category Archives: News

Herbal First Aid Workshop Saturday June 3, 10am Van Cortland Park

When: Saturday June 3, 10am

Where: Jerome Avenue and 233rd St, North West Corner of the intersection

What to bring (only what you have available, don’t stress over what you don’t): Brown paper bag, 1 orange, water bottle that has a spout, gauze, Ace bandage wrap, oversized t-shirt that’s disposable, steri strip (optional), first aid kit

No registration necessary – free and open to non-members – please share with anyone interested!

Description

Your first aid needs can be met with plants around you. This workshop will discuss variety of emergency situations you can encounter during a hike, long backpacking trip, camping or a day at the park.

You will be introduced to fundamental herbal care concepts, the necessary shift in thinking, wound and infection management using herbs.

This workshop will be taught by NYMS Community Partnership Coordinator Journei Bimwala, who is an afro-roots clinical herbalist, certified holistic health coach, educator and forager.

Come read with us! June’s Book Club Reading: Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, June 25

We are excited to announce our June Book Club reading of Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life!  This “gorgeous” “masterpiece” is “ripe with insight and erudition” and will remind you that “fungi are, like the Universe, sublime.”  In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, you can purchase the book here and support your local independent bookseller Bluestockings Bookstore!

 

All are welcome — myco-newbies, generalists and specialists!  Come join us Sunday 6/25 (3-5 pm) in a gorgeous setting for an informal and inspiring in-person discussion of a now-classic in the myco-canon — click here for more info and to RSVP!  Please email Maya at  culture@newyorkmyc.org  if any questions.

merlin sheldrake entangled life nyms book club june

In person part 2 discussion of Tsing’s Mushroom at the end of the world, June 4

anna lowenhaupt tsing may myco book club nyms mushroom at the end of the world

Thanks to everyone who came out for our inaugural book club discussion of The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing. If you have not yet purchased this, we encourage you to order it at this month’s featured AAPI independent bookseller, Yu & Me Books, in NYC’s Chinatown. Due to popular demand, the SECOND in-person discussion will be Sunday, June 4th, 3-5pm. This will provide an opportunity for a deeper dive in the book’s chapters beyond the first 50 pages (and a second chance to join in for those who missed the May 20 event.)  You are welcome to bring your own snacks or beverages.

If you want to attend but are unable to get the book, please email  culture@newyorkmyc.org so we can get you the reading. Spots are limited so all who wish to attend should please RSVP culture@newyorkmyc.org.

All are welcome — myco-newbies, generalists and specialists! Come join us in a gorgeous setting for an informal and inspiring discussion on a “brilliant book… a delight to read”… an “anthropological and environmental study” with the “flowing prose of a well-crafted novel.”

Mark your calendars! 2023 Summer + Fall scheduled walks

The club has walks every weekend of the year, but only in the summer and fall do we schedule them ahead of time, so people can plan out their season.
On weekends where there are no scheduled walks we will organize pop-up walks, details of which will be shared a few days beforehand.
A few things to know about our scheduled walks:
  • We meet when public transportation arrives, where public transportation arrives (station, bus stop etc)
  • Walks often last 5-6 hours
  • We may cancel or move walks in case of thunderstorms or extremely dry conditions
  • The exact details for the following walks (including any changes) will be announced by email a few days before the date
Members are asked not to pick in the walk areas in the two weeks before the walk.
We thank Dennis Aita, the club’s walks coordinator, for organizing these walks!

Come read with us! Announcing the launch of the NYMS Myco Book Club

We are excited to launch our new Myco Book Club for NYMS members! For the inaugural reading, and in honor of May’s AAPI Heritage Month, we will be reading The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing which can be purchased at this month’s featured AAPI independent bookseller, Yu & Me Books, in NYC’s Chinatown. The in-person discussion will be Saturday, May 20th (rain date Sunday May 21), 3-5pm at the big table in the back pergola of the beautiful and serene Elizabeth Street Garden (entrance on Elizabeth Street between Prince and Spring). Delicious mushroom kimbap rolls and shiitake cookies (all vegan and gluten-free) will be provided courtesy of our member myco-culinary artist, Kate Ray! You are also welcome to bring your own snacks or beverages.

The discussion will be led by NYMS member Katina Rogers, who is a writer, educator, and independent scholar, and has taught this book in her graduate course on power, precarity, and care.

If you want to attend but are unable to get the book, please email  culture@newyorkmyc.org so we can get you the reading. Spots are limited so all who wish to attend should please RSVP culture@newyorkmyc.org.

All are welcome — myco-newbies, generalists and specialists! Come join us in a gorgeous setting for an informal and inspiring discussion on a “brilliant book… a delight to read.. with the flowing prose of a well-crafted novel.”

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I????NY

Fungi do a lot for us – they delight, feed, educate and inspire us. So what can we do for fungi? Many species of fungi are under threat but don’t receive any kind of protection or conservation. Of the 1,300 species listed as endangered in the US none are fungi. Fungi are invisible to policymakers.

We need to give fungi the spotlight they deserve – and a great way of doing so is is by designating a State Mushroom.

Please use the hashtag #I????NY

The club has spent the last few years working hard to get bills into both the New York State Assembly and Senate to declare Lactarius peckii the New York State Mushroom. They are now ready to be passed!
But representatives will only pass them if they feel that constituents are passionate about the issue. We need you to let your representatives know that you want these bills passed – now!
Doing this is easy and takes less than two minutes
Step 3: click through to their pages, find their contact email and email them a copy of the following letters – there’s one letter for the Assembly and one letter for the Senate (feel free to personalize them!)
That’s all!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FOR YOUR STATE ASSEMBLY MEMBER

Dear Assembly Member [NAME]
As a constituent and member of New York Mycological Society I urge you to support Bill A1919 Designating Lactarius peckii as the official state fungus of the state.
Though often overlooked, fungi are vital to the health of ecosystems and are beautiful and fascinating.
We have put forward Lactarius peckii because it is common in wooded areas throughout the state, including in the parks of the five boroughs of New York City.
The mushroom was first described by Gertrude Simmons Burlingham in 1908. A native New Yorker, Burlingham is a notable figure in North American mycology. She named this Lactarius for Charles Horton Peck, the New York State botanist from 1867 to 1915, who himself described over 2700 species of North America fungi.
Lactarius peckii is neither edible nor poisonous; it is noteworthy because it serves a vital role in maintaining a healthy and vibrant forest ecosystem through its symbiotic (mycorrhizal) partnership with trees. If Lactarius is present it means the forest is healthy.
I urge you to support Bill A1919, and in so doing, assert New York’s appreciation of our great forests and parks and the need for their protection.
Passage of this bill would make New York one of only six states to have a state fungus. Let’s be at the forefront of this movement!
Kind regards
YOUR NAME
__________________________________________________________________

FOR YOUR STATE SENATOR

Dear Senator [NAME]
As a constituent and member of New York Mycological Society I urge you to support Bill S1854 Designating Lactarius peckii as the official state fungus of the state.
Though often overlooked, fungi are vital to the health of ecosystems and are beautiful and fascinating.
We have put forward Lactarius peckii because it is common in wooded areas throughout the state, including in the parks of the five boroughs of New York City.
The mushroom was first described by Gertrude Simmons Burlingham in 1908. A native New Yorker, Burlingham is a notable figure in North American mycology. She named this Lactarius for Charles Horton Peck, the New York State botanist from 1867 to 1915, who himself described over 2700 species of North America fungi.
Lactarius peckii is neither edible nor poisonous; it is noteworthy because it serves a vital role in maintaining a healthy and vibrant forest ecosystem through its symbiotic (mycorrhizal) partnership with trees. If Lactarius is present it means the forest is healthy.
I urge you to support Bill S1854, and in so doing, assert New York’s appreciation of our great forests and parks and the need for their protection.
Passage of this bill would make New York one of only six states to have a state fungus. Let’s be at the forefront of this movement!
Kind regards
YOUR NAME
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We are so close, but unless you help us give it this last push we won’t get the bill across the line.
We thank Eugenia Bone, Vicky Tartter for their tireless work over the last three years and Mical Moser for assistance during a critical period. We also want to thank Maya Han for the very cool original logo concept and Phyllis Ma for turning it into an actual logo.
Feel free to share this email with anyone who might be interested!
Thank you very much!

2023 Myco Film Festival

2023 Myco Film Festival

2023 Myco Film Festival

????  MYCO FILM FESTIVAL 2023

???? CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Founded in 1962 by the visionary multidisciplinary artist John Cage, New York Mycological Society has had a long relationship with the arts. Over the past decade there has been an efflorescence of visual work, including film and video, on the mycological world.  We are excited to announce the first NYMS Myco Film Festival scheduled for October 2023 at an arthouse cinema in New York City and streaming online in a virtual film fest later in Oct. 2023. We will showcase the fascinating world of mycology and provide a platform for looking at and thinking of mycology in bold new ways (beyond popular culture’s limited fixation on magic mushrooms).

IN-PERSON FESTIVAL DATE: One day screening, October 2023

VIRTUAL FILM FEST (optional participation): late October 2023

SUBMISSION CRITERIA:

We welcome all submissions from members and non-members alike, even if you are a first time filmmaker, as long as the film is about mushrooms or mycology.  We accept any length from 1 minute to feature length and any genre, including fiction, documentary, animation and experimental.  Films with non-English voiceover should be titled in English.

Submission deadlines:

 * Morel deadline (Early):  May 31, 2023

 * Chanterelle deadline (Final):  July 1, 2023

Submission fee:  Free

Notification Date for Selection: by July 15, 2023 (if selected we will need a signed release form to screen your film)

Final screener deadline: must be received by August 31, 2023 (format details confirmed upon selection notification)

If you have any questions, please email the film festival organizer Maya at  filmfest@newyorkmyc.org

We are looking forward to seeing your work!  So SUBMIT YOUR FILM HERE!

NEMF 2023 Samuel Ristich Foray — Help Needed

The Northeast Mycological Federation is busily preparing for this year’s foray that is to be held at Soyuzivka in Kerhonkson, NY September 14-17, 2023.

NEMF is a group of mushroom clubs in an area extending from Québec through New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The sole function of the Federation is to hold an annual foray.

The Covid pandemic shut us down completely in 2020 and in 2021 we held a virtual foray. In 2022 our foray was in Jolliette, Quebec as guests of the hosting club, the Cercle des Mycologues de Montréal.

This year the hosting clubs are the Mid-Hudson Mycological Association, the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association, the New York Mycological Society and the Long Island Mycological Club. https://www.nemf.org/nemf-2023/nemf-2023-home/

Today I am turning to the Society for help in hosting this foray.

These are some areas of responsibility:

  1. Do you have a guest room to house a faculty member? The location should be in the Kerhonkson area.
  2. We are hosting the Friday night social, an evening meet-and-greet held after the evening program. We will be serving light prepared finger food. Drinks are provided by Soyuzivka. Any ideas for mushroomy (or not) snack items that can simply placed in bowls distributed around the room? There is no prep area so this needs to be kept extremely simple. There is funding for these provisions.
  3. We can use people to pitch in to help with the registration table during reception hours, Thursday afternoon, evening, Friday morning, Saturday morning.
  4. The foray needs emcees to introduce faculty presenting their programs Friday and Saturday, mornings and afternoons.
  5. We need Walk leaders to check foragers onto the buses and take attendance at walk’s end.
  6. The sorting and display areas require people to manage clutter, signage, materiel, and to shuttle identified collections from the sorting tables to the display room.
  7. Clean-up detail.
  8. Technical, A/V type expertise would be really helpful.
  9. And a biggie: I have volunteered to lead a beginners microscopy workshop. We will need loaner microscopes and knowledgeable people to serve as assistants. The emphasis in this class is to de-mystify the microscope for the intimidated beginner. 

Please indicate your interest in any of these chores to Paul Sadowski pabloski1@verizon.net

2023 Business Meeting

2023 Business Meeting

2023 Business Meeting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Mycological Society 2023 business meeting

February 19, 2023 2pm

Draft Agenda

  1. Budget update 2022 numbers
  2. Membership summary: update on memberships
  3. 2023 walks: locations, including new
  4. ID sessions: commencing in-person ID sessions
  5. Gary Lincoff archive: update on final destination of Gary’s papers
  6. Auction: online-only auction partners for Gary’s books; other auctions?
  7. Fungus Fest: update
  8. Fungus Film Festival: proposal by Maya Han
  9. Community outreach: update on new community partnership coordinator, potential partners
  10. Lectures: update on Zoom and live lectures
  11. Website: hosting, history section, garylincoff.com
  12. Banquet and/or food events: 2023 planning
  13. Microscopy workshops: update on online workshop series, live workshop
  14. Nanopore sequencing: North East Mycoblitz; large-scale nanopore sequencing
  15. NEMF: update
  16. Scholarships: Cathy Cripps scholarship awardee? Gary Lincoff scholarship process
  17. State mushroom: update
  18. VCP research permit renewal/High Rock Park research permit:: update
  19. Hand lens program: update
  20. Newsletter: update
  21. Digitizing archive: plans?
  22. Oral history: plans?
  23. Learning how to become a more effective non-profit: update
  24. NYMS status report

Watch the full meeting here

Let’s get New York State its own state mushroom!

Two new bills for a State Mushroom for New York State – Lactarius peckii

The New York Mycological Society urges New York State residents to support State Senate Bill A1919 & State Assembly Bill S1854, which relate to designating Lactarius peckii (Peck’s Milk Cap) as New York State’s official mushroom. Why Lactarius peckii ? It plays an important symbiotic role in our hardwood forests, supplying plants with minerals in exchange for sugars, supporting healthy ecosystems. Mycorrhizal fungi like Lactarius peckii also, playing a vital role in mitigating climate change be sequestering greenhouse gases underground where they can do no damage.

Lactarius peckii 3Without mushrooms like Lactarius peckii  that partner with trees, our forests would fail to thrive. This species also shows up in the history of mycology in New York State. It was named for an Averill Park native, Charles Horton Peck, the State Museum’s botanist from 1866 through 1913. Peck described over 2700 new species of mushrooms, establishing New York state as a scientific hub mushroom research.

Lactarius peckii was first identified, described and named by the distinguished mycologist Gertrude Simmons Burlingham. Born in Oswego County, Burlingham earned a BSc in 1898 from Syracuse University, and in 1908 was the first woman to earn a PhD from a joint program between Columbia and the New York Botanical Gardens. Although she pioneered techniques to identify mushrooms, as a woman, she was unable to find paid mycological work. Burlingham continued her mycological research while teaching high school in Brooklyn NY, and discovered, named and described over 100 species.Lactarius peckii

By adopting Lactarius peckii as the official state mushroom we honor the critical role of fungi in ecosystems. Having a state mushroom encourages conversation about the significant role of science and research in New York State, including the importance of women in science. It celebrates the state’s forest resources, and commitment to fighting global warming through their preservation.

Six states have already designated a state mushroom; New York should too!

Lactarius peckii

 

To Support These Bills:

Write (email or snail-mail) and/or call your legislator in both houses. Information on how to find them and script blueprints for support of these billis via mail or phone are below for your convenience.

Generic Assembly Letter For State Mushroom

YOUR STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON – find via https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/

Legislative Office Building
Room [###]
Albany, NY 12247
Dear Assembly Member [ NAME HERE ],

As a constituent and member of New York Mycological Society I am seeking your support for Bill A1919
Designating Lactarius peckii as the official state fungus of the state.

Passage of this bill would make New York one of only six states to have a state mushroom. Though often overlooked, mushroom are vital to the health of ecosystems and are beautiful and fascinating. We have put forward Lactarius peckii (Peck’s Milky Cap) because it is common in wooded areas throughout the state, including in the parks of the five boroughs of New York City.  The mushroom was first described by Gertrude Simmons Burlingham in 1908. A native New Yorker, Burlingham is a notable figure in North American mycology (the scientific study of mushrooms). She named this beautiful milky cap for Charles Horton Peck, who was the New York State botanist from 1867 to 1915, and described over 2700 species of North America mushrooms. Lactarius peckii is neither edible nor poisonous; it is noteworthy because it serves a vital role in maintaining healthy and vibrant forest ecosystems through its symbiotic (mycorrhizal) partnership with trees. If a milky cap mushroom like Lactarius peckii is present it means the forest is healthy.

I urge you to support Bill A1919 , and in so doing, assert New York’s appreciation of our healthy forests and parks.

[ SIGN YOUR NAME AND IF POSSIBLE ADD YOUR ADDRESS ]
If you would like to add a picture or link to one: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/87801000

If phone call – I am calling to register my support for Assembly bill A1919, designating Lactarius peckii as the official NY State mushroom. As a member of New York Mycological Society, I am committed to healthy forests and understand that this mushroom signifies good woodland health. I am hoping you will co-sponsor.

Generic Assembly Letter For State Mushroom

YOUR STATE SENATOR – find via https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator

Legislative Office Building
Room [###]
Albany, NY 12247

Dear Senator [ NAME HERE ],

As a constituent and member of New York Mycological Society I am seeking your support for Bill S1854
Designating Lactarius peckii as the official state fungus of the state.

Passage of this bill would make New York one of only six states to have a state mushroom. Though often overlooked, mushroom are vital to the health of ecosystems and are beautiful and fascinating. We have put forward Lactarius peckii (Peck’s Milky Cap) because it is common in wooded areas throughout the state, including in the parks of the five boroughs of New York City.  The mushroom was first described by Gertrude Simmons Burlingham in 1908. A native New Yorker, Burlingham is a notable figure in North American mycology (the scientific study of mushrooms). She named this beautiful milky cap for Charles Horton Peck, who was the New York State botanist from 1867 to 1915, and described over 2700 species of North America mushrooms. Lactarius peckii is neither edible nor poisonous; it is noteworthy because it serves a vital role in maintaining healthy and vibrant forest ecosystems through its symbiotic (mycorrhizal) partnership with trees. If a milky cap mushroom like Lactarius peckii is present it means the forest is healthy.

I urge you to support Bill S1854 , and in so doing, assert New York’s appreciation of our great forests and parks.

[ SIGN YOUR NAME AND IF POSSIBLE ADD YOUR ADDRESS ]
If you would like to add a picture or link to one: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/87801000

If calling by phone – I am calling to register my support for Assembly bill S1854, designating Lactarius peckii as the official NY State mushroom. As a member of New York Mycological Society, I am committed to healthy forests and understand that this mushroom signifies good woodland health. I am hoping you will co-sponsor.

 

In full support and endorsement from the following organizations (in alphabetical order):

We solicited support for these bills from the following organizations (in alphabetical order):