April, 2020   Dear CMS community,   I hope this newsletter finds you well in these uncomfortable and uncertain times. Despite our respective discomfort, I think we all can find solace in the fact that the fungi keep growing. Spring is nearly upon us and the mushrooms are on the cusp of waking from their winter slumber. Let there be no doubt. Once society returns to a sense of normalcy, the mushrooms will be in the woods and in the wilds of Colorado, waiting.   Because the realities of a COVID 19 world, our regular meetings at Denver Botanic Gardens have had to be canceled. However, we have every intention of making sure these setbacks are merely temporary. This month we were in anticipation of having Dr. Brian Perry from California State University East Bay give as a talk about the evolution and diversity of bioluminescent mushrooms. Brian has expressed his condolences and we plan on rescheduling his fascinating topic for next year. Because Denver Botanic Gardens will remain closed until early May, we will likely need to reschedule Eugenia Bone’s talk for 2021 as well. We’re currently in discussions with her about this.   But challenging times brings new opportunities.   These meetings WILL NOT BE CANCELED. We have begun the process of figuring out how to host the meetings virtually and next Monday April 13th at 7pm we will host the meeting through Zoom and Facebook Live. We are proud to have our very own Greg Sanchez talk about ethnomycology and the role that fungi has played in human culture. Please refer to the section of this month’s newsletter for instructions on how to join.   We also have an opportunity to offer a virtual workshop this month, and we are currently discussing our options for presenters in May. As soon as these virtual activities are scheduled, we’ll post them on the CMS website, Facebook page, and send out an updated schedule through email.   Lastly, there have been a number of questions regarding the CMS membership cards. There’s a fairly involved story behind this that involves the development of our website and dealing with the complications of new technologies. Suffice to say the simple answer is that we are unable to provide membership cards through the website at this time. Meanwhile, we will continue to work on resolving this in a way that is efficient and effective. Thank you for being patient with us.   Other than this, I hope this email provides you with encouragement knowing that mycology moves on. That it serves as a light at the end of a tunnel that I promise leads to a valley plentiful with mushrooms.   Cheers, Andy Wilson CMS President