About us
About Us
We are a local nonprofit of Southwest Washington folks interested in the world of mycology. Our purpose is to study, collect, and appreciate fungi — and to share what we learn with the wider community. The society was founded in January 2012 and has been run by volunteers ever since.
Membership requires no special expertise! Some members have searched out mushrooms for decades; others joined after finding something odd in the yard, wanting a name for it. Both are exactly the right amount of qualified.
Our members enjoy
- Hunting for mushrooms
- Eating mushrooms
- Identifying mushrooms
- Fungal habitat and ecology
- The science of fungi
- Cooking with mushrooms
- Dyeing with mushrooms
- Cultivating mushrooms
- Photographing mushrooms
- An excuse to explore outdoors
Benefits of membership
- — Monthly educational meetings with guest speakers
- — Member forays and guided forest walks
- — Identification help from experienced members
- — A lending library at the WSU Extension office with titles by well-known authors
The biggest benefit is harder to list: the chance to learn from people who have been walking these forests for years.
Meetings and outreach
At our monthly meetings we hear from scientists, authors, chefs, and outdoors experts and enthusiests. We meet the first Tuesday of the month, September through June, at the WSU Extension office, 17 SW Cascade Ave, Chehalis, WA. We also give back to Southwest Washington by sharing what we know about local habitats at community events such as the SW Washington Fair.
The society is governed by a volunteer board elected by the membership. Dues go directly toward club operations.
Governing documents
Our bylaws
The bylaws set out how the society is organized and governed — membership, officers, the board of directors, elections, and meetings. Read them below or download a copy.