Identifying poisonous or dangerous mushrooms is only half of the battle. The next comes when a government tries to regulate the fungi.
The Southwest Washington Mycological Society will host author and ecologist Alison Pouliot, who has spent 23 years exploring the tension between regulators and hunters, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 16 at the Lewis Fire District 6, Station 61, located at 2123 Jackson Highway in Chehalis.
During her presentation, Pouliot will discuss the differences between foraging mushrooms and the conservation of the at-times deadly fungi, and how countries approach their regulation. While Switzerland has a robust mushroom inspection program and an atlas of fungus distribution, Pouliot’s home country of Australia has outlawed foraging.
Pouliot has authored four books on foraging for mushrooms, which will be available for sale at the meeting.
The Southwest Washington Mycological Society typically hosts a monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. Meetings are open to members and nonmembers.
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