Hello fellow CMS members,
As your new president for the 2021 year, I welcome you to a new season with the Colorado Mycological Society. After an unprecedented year of COVID-19, the election turmoil, and one of the most severe droughts in state history, we find ourselves poised for a new year. It will soon be time to say goodbye to winter and welcome in our beautiful Colorado spring weather. PRAY FOR RAIN, do a rain dance, implore the heavens … not only for the mushrooms to come, but for our farmers, wild-fire managers, and thirsty cities.
We will resume monthly meetings soon (via Zoom for the time being), and look forward to putting the limitations of COVID-19 behind us. We are working on an exciting list of programs and speakers for 2021. We would also welcome any suggestions, requests, or input — either for specific topics of interest or for specific speakers. You can send your requests straight to me (see my contact info at the bottom of this letter).
We are also planning on uploading additional educational content via our YouTube channel. Stay tuned for that.
We have been selected as the host club for the 2021 Annual Foray by the North American Mycological Association (NAMA). We will be having the event at Snow Mountain Ranch, a YMCA of the Rockies Facility near Granby, Colorado from August 12th – 15th. This is quite an honor for our club and our state, as we will have mushroom enthusiasts and mycologists from around the country and the world gather here in Colorado this fall. We will be announcing opportunities to volunteer at the event in upcoming letters.
As conditions allow we will have a number of foray opportunities (outdoor mushroom collecting trips) this year. Given our expanding membership, we plan on hosting a record number of forays. Again, this will all depend on the weather — specifically RAIN.
I want to thank Andy Wilson, our 2020 President, for the outstanding job he did in shepherding us through a very strange and turbulent year in 2020. Great job, Andy!
We are looking for volunteers.
We are an all-volunteer club, and have a number of current openings for volunteers, including: Web-Master, Newsletter Editor, Board Member at-large, Foray Chairperson and many others. If you would like to get involved WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU. You do not need experience in mycology or mushrooms, just a desire to participate with a great group of engaging people. If this is you, please reach out to me directly, and let’s have a conversation. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous year,
Jon Sommer
Your 2021 CMS President
My email