What is a foray?

A "foray" is a trip out into the woods and fields to search for fungi. It is broad enough to cover any purpose you might have for doing this: scientific, nature appreciation, artistic, interests as well as "collecting for the pot", to eat. All WMS forays will have at least 1 designated expert foray leader to guide the group, be available at a table talk at the end of the hike, and help compile a species list for each site. Some sites may have rules against foraging to eat (for example all in Milwaukee county parks) but many sites we go to will be selected because any fungi collection is accepted.
Single day forays are open to all of WMS & to your guests... no RSVP needed. These are listed in black type in the events schedule below. These forays will vary from site to site, but often will involve collecting mushrooms for scientific, artistic and culinary use and being able to venture off trail. Exact meeting places are To Be Determined and will be sent to WMS members by email closer to the dates.
Our larger foray retreat events go over multiple days, and will have sign up required (limited space). Sign up goes toward paying for multiple mycologists as foray leaders & extra materials for events only available to those at these events. These are listed in teal type.
Single day forays are open to all of WMS & to your guests... no RSVP needed. These are listed in black type in the events schedule below. These forays will vary from site to site, but often will involve collecting mushrooms for scientific, artistic and culinary use and being able to venture off trail. Exact meeting places are To Be Determined and will be sent to WMS members by email closer to the dates.
Our larger foray retreat events go over multiple days, and will have sign up required (limited space). Sign up goes toward paying for multiple mycologists as foray leaders & extra materials for events only available to those at these events. These are listed in teal type.
To give you an idea of the sort of events line up we will have in 2023 beyond the events already posted, you can browse our past 2022 events and our past 2021 events.
Sometimes we highlight fungi events not by WMS in these schedules.
2023 Incomplete Schedule:
-Online (Zoom) Presentations, In-Person Member Events including Presentations & Forays out in the Woods plus multi-day retreat forays:
*More dates will be added, particularly for day-out forays that are open for all WMS members & your guests, but these are set *
January 15 (Sunday) Winter Polypore Survey Foray, Storrs Lake near Milton, WI
- exact meeting place to be sent to members by email.
January 19 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation by Jon Sommer of Colorado Mycological Society on “Mushroom Classification: Why all the name changes? ” - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
February 23 (Thursday) IN PERSON presentation Waukesha Public Library - with a presentation by Britt Bunyard on The Lives of Fungi: A Natural History of Our Planet's Decomposers - Rescheduled! Britt will begin presenting at 6:30 PM.
*** March 16 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation by Katherine MacLean, author of Midnight Water: A Psychedelic Memoir - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central. *** Postponed due to illness! *** Rescheduled to May 18th
April 20 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation by Aaron Hilliard of Washington Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society and YouTube Channel, Mushroom Wonderland - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
April 23 - (Sunday) 11 am - 1 pm - Rib Mountain State Park - exact meeting place to be sent to members by email.
May 13 (Saturday) 10 am - 12 pm - South Kettle Moraine - exact meeting place to be sent to members by email.
May 18 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation by Katherine MacLean, author of Midnight Water: A Psychedelic Memoir - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
May 27 (Saturday) 10 am - 12 pm - Trempealeau State Park TOM VOLK Memorial Joint Foray with UW-LaCrosse Mycology Club - exact meeting place to be sent to members by email.
June 10 (Saturday) 11 am - 1 pm - Wyalusing State Park - exact meeting place to be sent to members by email.
June 15 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation Peter McCoy, author of Radical Mycology - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
July 15 (Saturday) 10 am - Devil's Lake State Park - exact meeting place to be sent to members by email.
July 20 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation TBD - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
July 20 - 23rd, (Thurs.-Sunday) Hiles Foray - Hiles, WI - signup to be posted, members receive by email first.
July 29th - August 5th (Saturday to Saturday) North American Mycological Association (NAMA) Regional Foray - in Mexico. This is a NAMA, not WMS event... but we are an affiliate club and some of our members will be going. We will update with more details on the location as we hear them.
August 5th (Saturday) 10 am - 12 pm - Chippewa Moraine - exact meeting place to be sent to members by email.
August 10 - 13th, (Thurs.-Sunday) Bayfield Rustic Camping - Bayfield, WI - signup to be posted, members receive by email first.
August 17 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation TBD - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
August 24 - 27th (Thursday to Sunday) North American Mycological Association (NAMA) Annual Foray - in North Carolina. This is a NAMA, not WMS event... but we are an affiliate club and some of our members will be going. We will update with more details on the location as we hear them.
August 31st - September 3rd (Thurs.-Sunday) Barronett Tri County Foray by the Northwestern Wisconsin MycoEnthusiasts and WMS. Signup to be posted, members of both groups receive by email first.
**September 3rd (Sunday) 11 am - 1 pm - Mosquito Hill Nature Center near New Londont, WI - exact meeting place to be sent to members by email. This date is very tentative for now!
September 7 - 10th (Thurs.-Sunday) Northwoods Foray - Cable, WI - signup to be posted, members receive by email first.
September 21 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation TBD - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
September 30 (Saturday) 10 am - 12 pm - Minoqua Winter Park - exact meeting place to be sent to members by email.
October TBD Coral Woods Foray, collaboration by WMS and the Illinois Mycological Association. Coral Woods is in McHenry County, Illinois.
October 15 (Sunday) Fungi Fair 2023!
October 19 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation TBD - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
November 16 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation TBD - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
December 21 (Thursday) WMS on Zoom presentation TBD - meeting opens 6:30 PM Central, presentation at 7 PM Central.
See more about Zoom meetings here. Some meetings in our busiest months for in-person, outdoor events may be "re-run" presentations.
Some Zoom meetings can be found up on the WMS YouTube channel.
Check the email you used to sign up as a WMS member for Zoom address links, foray meeting places and foray leader phone numbers, and additional details necessary for all our events.
Please make sure your email is up to date with us!
And if you are missing emails, check your spam folder.
Any questions?
Contact us here
Please make sure your email is up to date with us!
And if you are missing emails, check your spam folder.
Any questions?
Contact us here
If You Suspect a Poisoning
If you suspect you have consumed a poisonous mushroom, contact a physician, the closest hospital ER, poison control center, or dial 911, depending on the severity of the reaction. US Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) has information that may also be of help. Click here. We do not ID mushrooms through this website.
If you are in need of an ID consider uploading quality photos with multiple views of your specimen and descriptions of your find to Mushroom Observer or iNaturalist including our projects or post in Wild Food Wisconsin or Mushroom Identification Group. If you contact us and provide a way to get back to you, we may be able to provide suggestions for more identification resources you can use. You are always responsible for your own decisions taken on the basis of identification resources. |
Wisconsin Mycological Society (WMS) is dedicated to the study and enjoyment of mushrooms and other fungi throughout the state of Wisconsin. Education, safety, sustainability, community, and connecting with nature are our goals.
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