New Mexico Mycological Society - March 1999
March Meeting
     Are you one of those who have heard about the Telluride Mushroom Festival and wondered what goes on there? You've probably listened to some of the folks who have gone, observed their sly grins, noticed how they sort of wink at each other when they compare their experiences. I suspect they even have a secret handshake and special mushroom-shaped rings with hidden compartments where they keep little rolled-up scrolls containing the answers to the mysteries of the universe. Well, maybe you haven't noticed.
     Or maybe you're one of those who has been to Telluride, and you keep wondering if what you think you remember really happened? You feel puzzled when others you seem to recall having been there with you keep winking and greeting you with that silly grin. And you have the nagging suspicion that you've lost something, like a special piece of jewelry, or an entire weekend, or something.
     For all those who are curious about the Telluride Mushroom Festival, the March Meeting is a must. Last August, Carolyn & Harvey Buskirk and Larry Weingarten attended the Conference. Larry and Carolyn will show slides and talk Tuesday night about their memories and experiences at Telluride. Join us at the Natural History Museum on March 2nd at 7:30pm.
Last Month's Meeting
     Larry and I have considered an alternative key method for mushroom identification. It starts out something like this...
1. Eat it. Did you live? ............................ 2
1. Not as above .................................... 13
2. Were you sick as a dog? .......................... 9
2. Not as above ..................................... 3
3. Do you remember eating it? ....................... 4
3. Not as above ..................................... 1
     This seemed like one way to avoid waiting forever for a spore print before moving on to step two. However, to most folks it's drawbacks are probably apparent.
     Fortunately, at our last meeting Ruth Bronson provided a considerably more sensible approach to circumventing the initial need to determine spore color, instead focusing on other physical characteristics to guide the observer toward a reasonable identification. Ruth has worked up a list of mushroom and habitat features which aids and encourages close observation by the mushroom collector. Ruth presently has a semi-complete copy of her list attached to a Webpage.
Peg Hooton Recognized
     If readers will take a moment to view the Club History List mentioned below, they will notice that the column beneath the word Treasurer is pretty much filled up with only one name. Until Sharon Chong took over the position in late 1998, Peg Hooton had been our club's Treasurer since its earliest days. The Board reasoned that Peg had handled so many of our dues payments and Foray checks that we no longer wanted to have anything to do with hers.
     Therefore, in recognition of her contributions to the New Mexico Mycological Society, which have included 14 years as club Treasurer, the Board recommended, and the club approved, awarding Peg Hooton with a Permanent Membership to NMMS.
Preserving Mushrooms by John Rahart
     John Rahart greeted me at the February Meeting with a delightful, handwritten manuscript describing his methods for preserving mushrooms. John had called me in late '97 to offer a couple of methods, which I included in the Nov 1997 Newsletter. The portion I've typed so far is available on our Website.
Silk-Screening for Pleasure but not Profit
     Chris Kerns suggested that club members organize a time and place to silk-screen T-shirts or any other cloth-type articles. Chris has offered to share his experience to provide members the opportunity to create customized club apparel for only the cost of materials.
History of NMMS Officers -- Again
     If you're curious about who's done what when and for how long during our club's 15 year history, take a look at the Club History list. Thanks again to Pat Brannen for filling in most of the spaces.
     ( I mailed out a copy of this list last month to our snail-mail recipients, as well as discussing quite briefly and providing a link to it in the February Newsletter. I'm mentioning it again just in case anyone overlooked it last month.)
We'll See How Long This Lasts
     I confess that one of my shortcomings as club Secretary has been providing concise minutes for our monthly Meetings. I scribble frantically at the meetings and try as soon as possible afterward to recreate in some sensible order what had transpired. Frequently, it seems, "as soon as possible" turns out to be an hour before the next meeting.
     Some of you are probably aware that I have had the Minutes -- such as they are -- available on our Website pretty much since its beginning. Unfortunately, the sequence is incomplete and the format variable. Nonetheless, I have managed to record the Minutes in a consistent HTML format since October of 1998. You will find a link to the specific Minutes from the words "Last Month's Meeting" in each Newsletter.