Mushroom Picking Permit Information
This information is provided for your general information and is liable to change without notice. The Cascade Mycological Society makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of this information. Please check with the appropriate offices for any changes. When eating mushrooms, it is vital that you are positive about identification. Poisonings occur when people eat incorrectly identified mushrooms. Using a good identification guide helps, but does not guarantee that you have a good ID. Be sure you know what you have before eating mushrooms!
Bureau of Land Management, Eugene District
3106 Pierce Parkway
Suite E
Springfield, OR 97477
No personal use permit is required; however picking is limited to one gallon per day per person (this includes all species, edible or not). Having more than one gallon of mushrooms in your possession without a commercial permit is regarded as theft, and you can be ticketed.
Other Districts (Salem, Medford, Coos Bay, Tillamook) do not necessarily have this restriction.
Siuslaw National Forest
(This is also called “incidental use.”) People visiting the Siuslaw National Forest may collect up to one gallon of mushrooms per person per day with no permit or fee required. Up to 6 of these mushrooms may be matsutake. However all matsutake mushrooms collected under incidental use must have at least ½ inch of the stem cut off immediately after picking. Selling or exchanging mushrooms gathered incidentally is a violation of Federal regulations (Title 36 CFR 261.6F), punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both.
Quantities under this permit are unlimited. Each person picking must have a permit and be at least 18 years of age. Permits may be purchased for one month of consecutive days (there is no limit to the number of permits per person per year). A one year permit is also available. Regular commercial permits do not include matsutake mushrooms. Only the following edible mushrooms are included: Chanterelles, Boletes, Oysters, Sulfur Shelf Fungus, Slippery Jack, Imperial Cats, Hedgehogs, Shaggy Manes, Lobsters, Cauliflowers, Pig’s Ears, and Coral Fungus.
Quantities under this permit are unlimited. Each person picking must have a permit and be at least 18 years of age. The permit will list other specific terms and conditions that apply to picking matsutake mushrooms. This is only sold as a six month permit, one permit per person per year. The exception is at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, where 100 permits are offered once a year. Purchase the permit from the District office where you plan to harvest, either the Hebo, Florence, or Waldport Office or the Supervisor’s Office in Corvallis. Permits start at the 100 pound minimum and cost $27.50. They are good for one week. There are six areas on the Eugene district to pick in. For the Eugene District BLM, commercial permits can only be purchased at the Eugene District office on Wednesdays 8 to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Other Districts (Salem, Medford, Coos Bay, Tillamook) do not necessarily have this restriction.
Willamette National Forest
3106 Pierce Parkway
Suite D
Springfield, OR 97477
541-225-6300
Personal use permits are available at the Willamette National Forest office in Springfield. They are also available at the McKenzie River Ranger District office. A personal use mushroom permit issued from any of the following five forests is valid on all five forests. Deschutes, Willamette, Umpqua, Fremont, Winema. Personal use permits are free. Collections are limited to 2 gallons per day, 10 days per year (days may be non consecutive). Permits may be renewed. There are restrictions that vary by District, such as requirements to cut specimens in half. Be alert to frequent changes to the permit details, especially regarding Matsutake mushrooms. Make sure to check any regulations on the permit itself, such as whether it needs to be in your possession, and if there is a map attached.
For commercial use, a fee is charged. For more information about how to get a permit, fees, or regulations covering collection, please contact the Forest Service office nearest your intended activity.
U S National Forests
Info on permits: www.fs.fed.us.
Info on policy: www.fs.fed/us/r6/willamette
Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests
(541) 383-5300 or (541) 416-6500
All personal collection of mushrooms requires a personal use permit which can be obtained at all Forest Service offices for the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests. These permits have some differences in conditions, restrictions, and requirements. The Ochoco National Forest has a mushroom permit that is valid only on the Ochoco. Deschutes is part of the five forest permitting system noted under the Willamette, and personal use on the Deschutes is currently covered by the permit you get at the Willamette.
All commercial collection of mushrooms requires a commercial use permit which can only be obtained at District Forest Service offices for the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests. There are two types of commercial permits: Permits for Matsutake mushroom; and, Permits for all mushroom species other than Matsutake.
For information contact the Oregon dept. of Forestry at 503-945-7200 or 503-945-7420.
It goes without saying that one should get permission to pick on private lands. Neighbors or public land agencies may be able to help you find out who owns the private land you are interested in.
In the Beginning - CMS and the Pisgah Festival
By Molly Widmer
How does the Cascade Mycological Society (CMS) fit in with the fall Mushroom Festival at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum (MPA)? Well, CMS is a 501c3 educational non-profit organization incorporated in 1999 “to study fungi; to educate members and the public about fungal identification and ecology; to promote conserva-tion of fungi; to promote safety in the gathering and consumption of edible fungi; and to HAVE FUN! CMS’s annual participation in the fall Mushroom Festival at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum satisfies all of these goals!
The group’s history is intricately tied in with that of the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum as well as Lane Community College (LCC). The three community organizations have connecting threads just like the mycelial strands that tie together mushrooms and their habitats. Freeman Rowe and Marcia Peeters were early originators and the incredible energy behind Mt. Pisgah Arboretum’s annual fall fundraising event, the MPA Mushroom Festival. They still grace the Mushroom Festival with their huge talent and dedication, providing critical organizational and identification skills that keep the mushroom display one of the best around. You are invited to bring your mystery fungi to the Identification Table at the show; and whether or not you bring specimens, don’t forget to pop in and say hi to these fine fungal celebrities!
But what is the Lane Community College connection? Freeman Rowe taught botany at LCC for many years, and also originated the incredibly popular Biology of Mushrooms class, which he taught until his retirement in 1996. The class remains popular, and today is taught by Marcia Peeters, one of Eugene’s best field mycologists, one of Freeman’s most talented students, and for many years the fearless bus driver for the LCC mushroom class weekend fieldtrips.
Cascade Mycological Society grew like a beautiful wild mushroom from the fertile mycelium of the LCC class and the MPA Mushroom Festival. CMS was originally developed and incorporated primarily by enthusiastic students of Freeman Rowe’s at LCC, and today many CMS members are past or present students of the Biology of Mushrooms class – more than a few of them repeat enrollees!
The MPA Mushroom Festival is today still supported by LCC, especially participants of the Biology of Mushrooms class. Together with members of CMS and many volunteers from the community at large, students have historically provided critical volunteer labor for collecting and setting up one of the largest fungal displays on the west coast, with named species numbering in the several hundreds each year. Volunteers for the show contribute hundreds of hours each year, to collect, identify, and display these ephemeral marvels of nature, beauty, and intrigue.
CMS is pleased to help MPA organize this important fundraiser. And we welcome new members as we begin a new fungal season of forays, talks, and special events. The public is invited to all CMS events and membership is not required.
This year’s MPA Mushroom Festival poster depicts a familiar edible fungus in our area, the Shaggy Mane (Latin name Coprinus comatus). The fall season brings many ecological changes to our corner of the world, and this mushroom is one of the developments you may notice in town or in on edges of woods in grassy areas, disturbed ground, roadsides, and trails. It is edible and many consider it very tasty, especially dredged in beaten egg and crushed saltines, then fried until golden, but of course only after POSITIVE identification.
When the proper environmental triggers occur (rain, cool temperatures, etc.) an underground mycelium (the threadlike network of tissue which makes up the bulk of the fungal organism) will produce a “fruiting body” or mushroom. This process can be rather rapid - days or even hours – and the mushroom can exhibit amazing growth and upward pressure, pushing up through soil, or in the case of Shaggy Manes, sometimes even asphalt!
Another amazing trait of Shaggy Manes is their unusual method of spore dispersal. Often referred to as “Inky Caps,” these mushrooms are unlike many common edible mushrooms which produce dry spores, often carried to new areas by air currents. (That more common dispersal process creates the “spore print” often captured on paper to observe its color and aid mushroom identification.) Inky Caps, however, rely on a unique process whereby the spore-bearing gills dissolve, or “deliquesce” into an inky black liquid, rich with spores. It is this liquid which, given the appropriate habitat, begins the cycle of life again. This trait may be good for new crops of mushrooms, but it is less attractive to the would-be gourmet or gourmand! If you are lucky enough to have properly identified Shaggy Manes for the table, be sure to keep them refrigerated and use them immediately, or you too will know why they are called Inky Caps!
Note: Deliquescing is a chemical reaction which can be arrested by placing the mushroom in an oxygen-free environment. We display the Coprinus comatus at the MPA mushroom show in a water-filled jar, a trick learned from the Lincoln County Mycological Society.
Newsletter
The Cascade Mycological Society provides the Newsletter to all members of CMS in snail mail format. Then past issues are released for public domain here. Fungal cheers to our editor Matthew!
2008_09_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2007_12_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2007_10_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2007_09_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2007_04_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2007_01_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2006_11_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2005_12_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2005_11_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2005_05_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2005_04_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2003_11_CMS_newsletter.pdf
2003_03_CMS_newsletter.pdf
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum Mushroom Show, October 29th, 2006
This year’s Mushroom Show is held on Sunday, October 29th, 10am-4pm. The show features a detailed mushroom display, informative booths, hayrides, a scarecrow contest, guided walks, great food and much, much more. Come join the fun!
Download a Windows Background of this year’s poster here
Visit the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum website for additional details.
Mushroom Show 2006 Wrapup 
(First show was in 1981, so this was the 26th year.)
Congratulations, everyone, for a wonderful mushroom show on Sunday!
Word has it that MPA was very pleased with the whole event. In spite of fickle weather and a pretty low number of species on display, the show itself looked beautiful, and seemed to run smoothly — thanks to a few key folks!
In particular, I’d like to thank:
Chris and Dean for being there all day Sat and Sun as usual, and helping with everything! Ron, for stellar efforts keying & IDing BOTH days, AND having an awful cold! The collectors (field trippers, LCC students, all the usual suspects) for finding fungi in spite of it being not too easy! Cheshire, Daphne and crew for the lichen display! (The dyes were a very nice addition.)
The behind the scenes keyers (Molly, Meredith, Marcia, and whoever else I don’t know about)! The Sunday ID crew (Freeman, Ron, Joe, Dan, etc.)! Bitty for the beautiful rust posters, triage, ID, and other help! Mark for working so hard on the new labels! Matthew and Michele for helping out and filling in all over the place, but especially at the LCC table and hanging posters! Peg for the upgraded Edible/Poisonous and Fungal Facts tables! Beth for the mushroom dying display! Tom L. and his crew and Pete B. for making sure we always are well equipped and well taken care of! (This was Tom’s 49th Mushroom/Wildflower show. Next Wildflower show in May will be his 50th!)
And of course, FREEMAN ROWE for starting this whole thing 25 years ago! Freeman, you will always be the Best of Show!
Our preliminary total of species is 226, with 7 of those being new to the show. (The last time we had so few species recorded was 12 years ago, but I didn’t really notice the lower number, to tell you the truth.) Everyone did a great job with the display, and it looked great!
The new labels were a bit of a challenge, but Mark work hard to keep it all moving. Overall, I think the new system will work splendidly well when we get used to it.
And especially, thanks to you all who I forgot to mention. 
And if you have any comments about layout and/or how the show runs, please send them in.
Bruce
Bioneers Conference
October 20-22, 2006. Lane Community College.
A preeminent gathernig of visionaries and “Biological Pioneers” with practical solutions for our most pressing environmental and social issues and a focus on creating a better future for generations to come. CMS board members Kyle Hammno and Ryan Wollverton will give a presentation on mycoremediation entitled “How Mushrooms Can Save Oregon”.
Additional information at the Oregon Bioneers website.
2006 Yachats Mushroom Festival
The annual Yachats Mushroom Festival falls on October 20th, 21st and 22nd this year. The festival features guided mushroom walks, educational presentations, mushroom displays and wild mushroom dishes at local restaurants. Activities begin Friday evening and go through Sunday afternoon. Call 800-929-0477 for more information.
October 2006 Forays
Sunday, 10/22/2006
Join Cascade Mycological Society members Peg Boulay and Bruce Newhouse for a Fun & Fabulous Forest Fungal Foray and Ecology Encounter on Sunday, October 22. You will never walk through the woods in quite the same way after you learn what is going on under your feet! We’ll go to the Cascades or the Coast to collect for the Mt. Pisgah Mushroom show (one week later), and maybe a bit for our own tables, too. We’ll decide at the rendezvous place (but not until then) if we are going east or west based on latest conditions and reports from whomever arrives. Meet at 9 a.m. at South Eugene High School parking lot. Bring standard mushrooming gear (see: “Foray” for additional details), including a USFS free use mushrooming permit. Call Willamette National Forest Supervisor’s Office 541-225-6300 Monday-Friday 8-4:30, or stop by during those hours to get a mushrooming permit. Call for additional info.
Thursday, 10/26/2006 and Friday, 10/27/2006
Join Anna Moore as she leads forays around the Florence area in a variety of coastal habitats. Help collect specimens for the Mt. Pisgah Mushroom show and have a great time! Caravans will leave the South Eugene High School parking lot at 9:00am on both days and will regroup and meet with Anna in the Florence area. For additional details on the foray contact Grace.