Vancouver Mycological Society

Manning Park Foray
2025-09-12 17:00 - 2025-09-14 12:00 (America/Vancouver) | BC
Hi folks! We are excited to officially announce that the VMS will be returning to Manning Park once again for our annual weekend excursion from September 12-14, 2025.
We’d love for you to be there! We will have lots of fun walks, talks, and bonding with your fellow fungi enthusiasts! Think of it as Mushroom Summer camp.
The Last Resort Lodge in Manning Park boasts dorm-style shared accommodations for up to 50 people, and comes with amenities like shared washrooms, a communal fire pit, a dining and lounge area, access to pool and sauna facilities, and an outdoor picnic area.
The VMS will provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as snacks and refreshments.
We will be arriving at the lodge Friday evening and returning home Sunday afternoon.
Please note that collecting of fungi within Manning is only for scientific purposes and not for consumption or dyes (unless folks choose to gather on their own outside the park).
Pricing:
Tickets are on sale NOW and likely to sell out, so act fast!
Admission: $250 pp
We only take e-transfer, please be ready to send one with your name in the message once you’ve submitted the form.
The fees cover 6 meals, accommodation for 2 nights, walks with expert mycologists, and memories to last a lifetime!
For insurance reasons, all attendees must be valid VMS members (if you are receiving this email, you are a member). To sign up or renew, please visit our website
We are also offering 3 cost-reduced volunteer tickets for those who are interested in helping us serve meals and clean. Please email president@vanmyco.com for more info (first come first serve)
Accessibility:
Most dorms are located on the second floor, with 2 large rooms at ground level. There is a 6″ concrete lip to get through the front door of the lodge. There are no private rooms in the lodge and a majority of the beds are bunk beds. The walks will be of varying length and difficulty and done in subgroups. Dogs are not allowed in the lodging area.
REGISTRATION:
If you would like to attend, please fill out the form below and send payment and we will send you a confirmation of your spot.
https://forms.gle/6SpBQE9EM1LBpd8a6
For any questions, concerns, or inquiries please email foray@vanmyco.com. Thank you!

Mushrooms of BC Walk – Richmond Nature Park
2025-10-15 10:00 - 11:30
External guided walk – see details here: https://www.richmond.ca/parks-recreation/parks/aboutrnp.htm

Fungus among us – Whistler (external event)
2025-10-17 08:00 - 2025-10-18 17:00
https://www.whistlernaturalists.ca/fungus-among-us-mushroom-festival

Urban Foray for Fall Show
2025-10-25 11:00 - 13:00
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25 @ Riley Park Community Garden, 11a,-1pm.
email secretary@vanmyco.com for updates/ registration information.

VMS Fall Mushroom Show
2025-10-26 10:00 - 17:00
Hello VMS! Can you believe we are at our 44th year of hosting the Fall Mushroom Show? We are excited to announce that the big event will take place on October 26th, from 10-5 at the Floral Hall. Expect live entertainment, arts and crafts, guest presentations, and dazzling displays that are sure to impress.
There will be a costume contest for the best mushroom inspired outfit, with some great prizes. You may also check out our ID table with any burning questions or ID requests for experts to handle. Our raffle will feature prizes from all the vendors of the show and some other cool swag.
See Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FezmKocPE/
Admission is $5 and gets you access to the whole show for the day. Kids under 12 are free and the venue is wheelchair accessible. The poster, which was made from photos from our most recent Manning excursion (big thanks to Pete), is attached below. Please share with your circles!

VMS local foray
2025-11-01 08:00 - 17:00
details TBD

Richmond Nature Show
2025-11-02 11:00 - 16:00
Details can be found here:
https://www.richmond.ca/parks-recreation/parks/aboutrnp.htm

Monthly Meeting: Mushrooms and People
2025-11-11 19:00 - 22:00
Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 11th

I am pleased to announce that our next meeting will feature a special presentation from Paul Kroeger, a founding member of the VMS.

Mushrooms and People

This eclectic talk flows through various ways people interact with mushrooms. The commercial harvest of edible wild mushrooms is discussed with excursions into medicinal mushrooms and ethno-mycology of traditional cultures. We will also learn of some unusual places and ways to look for fungi, and some surprising things found.

About our speaker:

Paul Kroeger has studied mushrooms for over thirty-five years and is a founding member of the Vancouver Mycological Society. He has been involved in many projects and studies about diverse aspects of mushrooms, gaining knowledge about fungal ecology, biochemistry of toxic, hallucinogenic, medicinal, and edible mushrooms. Years of experience have created unique insights and understanding of fungal life-ways and interactions in temperate ecosystems.

Tuesday November 11th, 2025 @ Floral Hall, VanDusen Gardens (5251 Oak St.)
Doors at 7pm, Talk at 7:30pm

As always, we would love to see your specimens at our monthly mushroom table for identification and admiration. Be sure to check out what unique and abundant Fall finds are currently growing around us.

Love the talk? Your VMS membership allows you to access an archive of several past talks on our website for your marathoning pleasure. As always, masks are encouraged in indoor spaces and for all in-person events!

Intermediate Mycomap Foray
2025-11-16 12:00 - 14:00
Announcement will be made at the meeting with more information, this will be an intermediate level foray from 10-12 am starting at Mystery Falls led by Marshall focused on gathering species for the BC Mycomap project. Email foray@vanmyco.com for more information.

Dec 10th Meeting: Jared “Qwustenuxun” Williams
2025-12-10 19:30 - 22:00
Hello VMS members,
Our next meeting will be held exclusively online, with no in-person option at VanDusen this time, and will feature a special talk by Jared “Qwustenuxun” Williams.
Join Qwustenuxun, from the Quw’utsun Nation on southern Vancouver Island, for an evening of learning about the deep relationships Indigenous peoples have with mushrooms and the cultural protocols that guide how we harvest them. Together we’ll explore how mushrooms have been part of our food, medicine, and teachings, and how these practices remind us to approach the land with respect, reciprocity, and care. This talk invites us to reflect on our own foraging, and how we can walk in better relationship with the fungi and the living world around us.
Jared “Qwustenuxun” Williams is a Hul’q’umi’num language speaker, Indigenous chef, Salish culture educator, and consultant from Quw’utsun. Raised in Salish culture by his father and late grandmother, he carries forward teachings of traditional harvesting, Indigenous foods, and community history. After a decade in western kitchens, Qwustenuxun returned home to cook for Cowichan Elders and deepen his knowledge of Indigenous foodways.

Today, he shares those teachings widely from Cooking in Two Worlds with FeedBC to a TEDx talk, national food sovereignty projects, and his role as Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Council to BC’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Whether presenting at the UN World Food Forum or paddling the Salish Sea with his sons, Qwustenuxun’s work is grounded in humility, self-determination, and the relationships that keep culture alive.

Topic: December Virtual Meeting
Time: Dec 10, 2025 07:30 PM Vancouver
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85272250725?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 852 7225 0725
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Love the talk? Your VMS membership allows you to access an archive of several past talks on our website for your marathoning pleasure.
