The Coastal Shores and Spores Mycological Society sprouted from an idea in 2023, by those who attended a mini “mush fest” and encouragement by the South Sound Mushroom Club of Olympia.
Their main aim: Putting the fun into fungi. The club has a passion for mushroom education, from beginners to experts in the exploration of all things related to Pacific Northwest mushrooms.
Board Chair Corinne Srsen, a resident of Grays Harbor, was originally involved with past Quinault Rainforest Mushroom Festivals, which was her original introduction to Pacific Northwest mushrooms.
“I was immediately hooked on fungi,” she said. “When I met Barb Smith in the fall of 2023 and learned about the ‘mini mush fest’ at the Rainforest Resort Village, I eagerly seized the opportunity to partner with her and ‘Foraging with Friends.’ This new friendship and our love of mushrooms sparked our fresh approach to this year’s Quinault Rainforest Mushroom Festival, emphasizing public accessibility to the festival and community involvement.”
Board Member at Large Smith, also of Grays Harbor, is bubbly and an uber-organizer. Share a short amount of time with her and you will soon hear her mantra, “Put the fun into fungi.” She describes how she got involved with the Coastal Shores and Spores Mycological Society.
“My fascination with the amazing fungi in the Quinault Rainforest blossomed into a love for mushrooms,” she said. “For the past three years, I’ve organized a ‘mini mush fest’ celebrating these forest treasures. Last year, serendipity led me to Corinne, and our shared enthusiasm for mushrooms sparked a brilliant idea: Reimagining the Quinault Rainforest Mushroom Festival. We aim to inspire an enthusiasm for mushrooms and share in the beauty of the Quinault Rainforest.”
The club met in Ocean Shores in April and the mushroom club took root. They are now the newest affiliate with the prestigious North American Mycological Association (NAMA). Monthly meetings are held at the Ocean Shores Library, but in 2025, they’ll be alternating between Hoquiam and Ocean Shores. Everyone in the public is welcome to attend meetings, but they do encourage membership.
“We are proud to be the North American Mycological Association’s newest affiliate club,” said Smith. “We’re also a sister club to the South Sound Mushroom Club based in neighboring Thurston County. We will be helping with NAMA’s big Foray, ‘Pacific Northwest NAMA Camp 2024’ happening in Randle (Oct. 31 through Nov. 2).”
NAMA Treasurer Melody Gates was at a recent Coastal Shores and Spores Mycological Society meet and greet and potluck on a sunny day at Ocean City State Park, just outside of Ocean Shores.
“This club services Grays Harbor County, and the surrounding area, and is a sister club to my own home club — South Sound Mushroom Club. … If you are in the coastal Washington area or like to hang out in that part of the Pacific Northwest, you should consider becoming a charter member,” Gates said of the new club. “They’ve got some really cool stuff in the works, including taking charge of the Quinault Rainforest Mushroom Festival happening Oct 5th. That’s right, that fest is back!”
The Quinault Rainforest offers an abundance of mushrooms, with more than 1,400 species of mushrooms, but only 25 which are edible. Favorite edibles include King Bolete, Chanterelles, Lobster Mushrooms, Chicken of the woods and Matsutake.
But along with the good comes the bad. Mushroom foragers must be careful as there are several poisonous fungi lurking in the wet forest, including death cap, destroying angel and Galerina.
That’s part of the importance of joining a mushroom club, with experienced fungi fanatics.
A popular saying among mushroomers is, “You can eat every mushroom once, but some, only once.”
Quinault Rainforest Mushroom Festival
‘Sharing the Fun in Fungi’
Education, identification, vendors, food, adventure, kidzone, children’s activities, fungi workshops and guided mushroom forays into the Quinault Rainforest
Saturday, Oct. 5
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lake Quinault School
6130 U.S. Highway 101, Amanda Park
Free Admission
Schedule:
9 a.m. — Doors open
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Shop local vendors. enjoy great food, explore the mushroom display, learn something new, meet the FunGuys and FunGals, stop by the kidzone with fungi activities.
9:45 a.m. — Door prizes
10 a.m. — Award-winning author Landon Cook, author of “The Mushroom Hunters” and “The Fat of the Land”
12:45 p.m. — Check-in for registered forays and workshops that will start at 1 p.m.
3:30 p.m. — Mushroom 101 with Matt Houghton, Professional Foraging Guide from Valley of Giants
4 p.m. — Prizes awarded for best fungi finds of the day and student art contest winners announced
The Oct. 5 Quinault Rainforest Mushroom Festival will feature several highlight adventures.
Mushroom Forays
Regional experts and members of the Coastal Shores and Spores Mycological Society will lead guided mushroom forays in the Quinault Rainforest. Early Registration is advised as they have limited spots available.
1 p.m.
$50 per person, kids under 12 are free
Limit of 60 participants
Culinary Workshop
A culinary journey of local foraged mushrooms.
1 p.m.
$50
Limit 20 participants
Mushroom Dye Workshop
Marion Richards, past vice president and current Arts and Craft Chair for the Puget Sound Mycological Society, will share her passion and use of natural pigments for various fiber art projects. She will demo the basic dye techniques. You will leave with either a dyed scarf that is provided or you can bring your own wool or silk yarn to dye.
1 p.m.
$65
Limit 20 participants
Cultivation Workshop
Join Duncan Polk of Dr. Schroomer’s Wellness for a dynamic workshop on cultivating blue oyster mushrooms. Learn about sourcing local supplies, sustainable growing practices and the wellness benefits of mushroom cultivation. Discover the magic of turning simple ingredients into an eco-friendly harvest, and take home a free cultivation kit.
1 p.m.
$50
Limit 20 participants
About the speakers:
Langdon Cook
Langdon Cook is a writer, instructor, and lecturer on wild foods and the outdoors. His books include
“Upstream: Searching for Wild Salmon, from River to Table,” a finalist for the Washington
State Book Award, “The Mushroom Hunters: A Hidden World of Food, Money, and (Mostly Legal) Adventure,” winner of the 2014 Pacific Northwest Book Award, and “Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager,” which The Seattle Times called “lyrical, practical and quixotic.”
Cook’s work has been nominated for two James Beard Awards, a Society of Environmental Journalists award and a Pushcart Prize. He has been profiled in Bon Appetit, WSJ magazine, Whole Living and Salon.com, and his writing appears in numerous magazines, newspapers and online journals, including National Geographic Traveler, Eating Well, Outside, Gray’s Sporting Journal and Seattle Magazine, where he was a regular columnist for a decade.
On-screen credits include the PBS TV series “Food Forward,” the Travel Channel’s “Trip Flip” and the webcast “The Perennial Plate.” He has also been the recipient of grants and awards from Artist Trust, 4Culture, PEN Northwest and the Bread Loaf Writing Conference. A graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont and the University of Washington, Cook lives in Seattle with his wife, poet Martha Silano, and their two children.
Matt Houghton
Matt Houghton has been guiding people outdoors for many decades. Foraging, birding, botanizing and tracking are all part of exploring the wilds with Houghton.
“My goal is to help people become more familiar with the outdoors so they can create their own wild adventures.”
Houghton has a bachelor’s degree in natural history, and a masters in adventure-based therapy. He has managed outdoor education programs for elementary students, adjudicated youth, university students and retirees. He is a gardener at the Rhododendron Species Foundation, a volunteer for the UW Rare Care program and an environmental monitor for the 10,000 Years Institute.
Currently he runs Valley of Giants Rainforest Tours in Quinault, and guides interpretive day-hikes in the Quinault Rainforest.
Coastal Shores and Spores Mycological Society A tiny mushroom is a prize for a mushroom forager.
Coastal Shores and Spores Mycological Society A mushroom hunter documents a find.
Drew Large / UW Langdon Cook is the featured speaker at the upcoming Quinault Rainforest Mushroom Festival.
