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iNaturalist
Document your findings
We are committed to documenting biodiversity and many of our members use the iNaturalist app to document their finds. This generates valuable records for science and conservation.
Bonus: expert identifiers will ID your specimens. We have four projects – one for NYC & the 5 boroughs proper, one for outside NYC & the surrounding areas, one for Slime molds of NYC, Bolete patrol and one for DNA Sequenced Collections – and we encourage you to join them. Instructions on how to use iNaturalist are here if you need them.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Are there Bathrooms?
- Most but not all of our walks start and end somewhere where there is a restroom.
Do I need to sign up for the walk?
- No - just show up!
What time does the walk actually start?
- We wait 15 minutes for people who are late (unless the walk starts with the arrival of a particular train or bus). If you are ever very late or lost, text the walk leader, whose phone number is provided in the email. They will guide you to the group’s location. Please try to be on time! Walk leaders are busy leading walks, and calls and texts get in the way.
- We eat while we are walking unless we’re headed to a specific set of benches. Feel free to eat whenever you’re hungry.
How long do walks last?
- Walks can end up being as long as five hours or more on a good mushroom day. But that does not mean you have to stick around
- Feel free to leave whenever you have seen enough, are hungry or tired.
- Note that cell reception is often spotty or non-existent on our walks upstate. If you are lost, it’s on you to find your way back to the group or parking/transit. We recommend the AllTrails or Gaia apps, which let you download walking routes so they’re available outside cell reception range.
How should I prepare?
- Bring a lunch and make sure to stay hydrated, especially in the summer.
- Protect yourself against ticks and mosquitoes (insect repellent and long pants). Ticks in particular are a year-round hazard these days.
- Wear firm footwear and be prepared for off-trail and uphill walking. Please be careful to not slip on rocks or uneven terrain. The club is not liable for any accidents.
- We highly recommend documenting your finds on iNaturalist, a great website and app that records your observations for posterity. Instructions on how to use it can be found here. Download the app before the walk - walk leaders are happy to explain how to use it.
- A loupe/hand lens is a great tool for looking at important details and we use them a lot. We will will give you one as a welcome gift but you might decide to buy one yourself. The club’s favorite hand lens is a 10x hand lens made by Belomo.
- Many walks in the summer and fall end up at a table where we spread out our finds and discuss them. Do consider bringing a brown paper bag for collecting interesting finds for that discussion. Fungi are best stored in paper bags, never in plastic bags – plastic speeds decomposition which makes identification difficult or impossible. If you are serious about collecting unusual finds, invest in a tackle box with separate compartments for each specimen. They can be had for not much money online or at DIY stores.
Picking edibles – general etiquette
- Always make sure it is legal to pick in the area where you are picking edibles. All New York City Parks and cemeteries as well as some state parks and reserves have rules that prohibit collecting fungi. The club has a research permit for New York City that gives us permission to collect for scientific investigation. This does not include edibles.
- As a courtesy, please do not collect in the areas of scheduled club walks in the couple of weeks beforehand.
- In areas where it’s legal to pick, if you find fungi in abundance consider sharing them with others.
- Do not over-pick edibles. Leave some for others, for the animals who depend on them and for reproduction.
- Make sure the edible fungi you are collecting are in good condition and not buggy or tough before harvesting.
- If you are not sure if a mushroom is edible, do not collect a whole bunch – just take one or two for identification purposes.
- Do not ask people for their edibles spots, unless you know them well 🙂
- When you first try a new species, be 100% sure it is what you think it is.
- Eat only small amounts of a new species to make sure it agrees with you, since people can be allergic even to common edibles.
How may I be a responsible park user?
- Be mindful of the natural world – don’t step on or trample wildflowers, or other plant and animal life. When an area is fenced off it’s usually because it is newly planted or contains sensitive flora and fauna, eg nesting birds.
- If you are turning over logs and branches, put them back where they were. They provide shelter to a whole microcosm of creatures
- Pick no more than one or two of a specimen – leave some for others to enjoy and admire. Spare beautiful specimens next to trails; they might just spark curiosity about fungi in the next person.
- Consider donating to or volunteering for the many organizations that maintain our parks.
Can I bring a friend?
- Because of capacity constraints walks are for members only.
Can I bring my dog?
- Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome.
Are the walks appropriate for kids?
- Yes! We love kids of all ages. They are some of our best finders.
