• North American Mycological Association

    Promoting, pursuing and advancing mycology

  • Asociación Micológica de América del Norte

    Perseguir y hacer avanzar la micología

  • Association Mycologique d'Amérique du Nord

    Poursuivre et faire progresser la mycologie

NAMA's Annual Foray

Appalachia NAMA 2023, August 24-27

REGISTRATION filled quickly and is on hold, please stay tuned for the release of more tickets

 

In collaboration with:


The NAMA Annual Foray will be held at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville North Carolina. Check them out at https://www.kanuga.org/

Airports with relative proximity to our location include the following:
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC (GSP) 56 miles, Asheville, NC (AVL), 14 miles, Charlotte, NC (CLT), 100 miles, Knoxville, TN (TYS) 150 miles, there is an Amtrak train station in Charlotte, NC as well.  

Foray Chair Mandie Quark has worked with our NAMA committees to assemble an impressive roster of featured presenters, including Arleen Bessette as Host Mycologist, joined by Alan Bessette, Dr. Julia Kerrigan, Dr. Kristen Wickert, Dr. Brandon Matheny, William Padilla-Brown, Danny Newman, Stephen Russell, Alan Rockefeller, Benjamin Lemmond, Karen Milnes, Jeff Manganaro and more! 

This event is possible through the work of many NAMA volunteers as well as the committed volunteer leaders drawn from our four NAMA-affiliated mushroom clubs of the region. Sam Landes (NAMA Foray Chair Emeritus) and Cornelia Cho, represent the legendary Mushroom Club of Georgia; Kenny Rupert hails from South Carolina Upstate Mycological Society (SCUMS; you gotta love a gritty acronym!); Patrick Mitchell, young founder and president of Blue Ridge Mycological Society; and the redoubtable team of Laurie Jaegers and Frank Bartucca, who have led the venerable Asheville Mushroom Club to new heights of community-building achievement in local mycology. The generous, capable spirits of these stout hearts exemplify what their respective clubs have to offer. Just wait 'til you see the glorious fungal vistas these folks are laboring to lay before you!

The word "Kanuga" is said to be of Cherokee linguistic origin and refers to a "gathering place; the current management's heartfelt land acknowledgment the territory of Indigenous people who were driven west about 70 years before the original summer mountain getaway was created. David Tyler, Assistant General Manager of the facility, shared with us that before its current association with the Episcopal Church, it had been infamous as a secret "gambling camp." By the late 1930s, construction was underway on the stunning Chapel of the Transfiguration, an impressive structure which, upon entering, fills one's senses with the delicious scent of hand-hewn local pine. Our Voucher Collection Project mushroom identification and preservation activity will be housed in a humongous gymnasium. There are ample classroom-type spaces for our presenters to hold forth and Minkler Grove, located near the Main Lodge, offers a ring of stand-alone rooms that seem ideal for various workshop purposes. Evening programs will take place in Balthis-Rodwell Meeting hall, which boasts a raised stage with wing space and an SRO capacity of 525, followed by live music and beverage-fueled socials on the outdoor deck of Cunningham-Nevius Pavilion, with an expansive deck overlooking the shimmering, trout-filled lake.

Please visit the registration page for more information! 

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN


NAMA 2023 Foray Image

  

The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
NAMA is committed to the promotion of scientific and educational activities related to fungi. NAMA supports the protection of natural areas and their biological integrity. We advocate the sustainable use of mushrooms as a resource and endorse responsible mushroom collecting that does not harm the fungi or their habitats.

Contact:

Bruch Reed
Chief Operating Officer
[email protected]

 

© 2023 North American Mycological Association