LONG BEACH PENINSULA — A long run of clear skies and chilly overnight temperatures recently brought the first frosts of the season to lower elevations, bringing an unofficial close to a fruitful fall foraging season along the Southwest Washington coast.

Pull Quote

‘This has been a really good year

for foraging. We had a rainy and

mild fall, so the mushrooms

have really been prolific.’

Junie B. Fungal, wilderness explorer and outdoor educator

“The Pacific Northwest is a biodiversity hot spot, we’re just lucky to live here. This area in particular has a strong interest in fungi,” said wilderness explorer and outdoor educator Junie B. Fungal during a local foray in Seaview.

“In the last couple of years it’s gotten huge,” Fungal said regarding the resurgence in foraging, particularly for mushrooms, in the past few years.

Local gatherers of desirable wild mushrooms have observed more competition in recent years, with cherished patches sometimes plundered. They note the importance of leaving enough unharvested to ensure the long-term viability of this natural resource.

Local foragers relish bountiful fall fungi

Ideal fall weather conditions helped create the perfect habitat for fungi to flourish along the dank coastal environment this season, particularly chanterelle mushrooms.

“This has been a really good year for foraging. We had a rainy and mild fall, so the mushrooms have really been prolific,” Fungal said.

“It kind of goes in cycles. It seems there are lots chanterelles and people are finding lots of psychoactive (“magic”) mushrooms out here on the coast in high numbers.” (Harvesting, possessing and eating magic mushrooms remains unlawful in Washington state.)

Foraging for mushrooms, wild plants

Certified in foraging and wild plants, Fungal, 38, has been a forager for six years. She has taught classes for the last three years while working for the Washington State Department of Ecology.

“I manage the stormwater leaving Washington construction sites,” said Fungal, who has two bachelor degrees, including chemistry and biology, with a master’s degree in environmental management and policy. “My interest in mushrooms started 15 years ago, when I was working on my undergrad degree.

“I was introduced to mushrooms by [mycologist] Paul Stamets and his mushroom remediation projects. I took a couple guided forays. It went from ‘Wow, this is really interesting’ to every day I was out looking in the woods for things, and it evolved into this.”

In September she launched Backpack Biology, offering hands-on outdoor classes in clam digging, crabbing and foraging for local mushrooms and wild plants, with dozens attending. Since then she’s held six events, including two online lectures and four outdoor forays, with a growing number of women participants. Later this month she plans to lead outdoor classes featuring clamming and crabbing on the Long Beach Peninsula.

“I want to get people excited about nature and teach them new skills, share the knowledge and interest that I have and make outdoor education accessible,” Fungal said. “Ninety percent of the people who come to my classes and follow me on Facebook are women. I think the outdoors are a little bit male-dominated, and it can be kind of scary.

“Just a little more encouragement, or less fear, to be out doing these things.”

For more information about upcoming classes or forays, visit backpackbiology.org.