April 16 COMC meeting – Online Tools for Mushroom Hunting, a presentation by Trent & Kristen Blizzard

Thursday, April 16, 6:30-8:00 PM , Trinity Episcopal Church, 465 NW Wall St, in Bend

Online mapping tools and apps like GeoForager, iNaturalist, Gaia, OnX, etc. are incredible resources for mushroom hunting. Navigating the woods or documenting your finds is only the beginning of their usefulness. Explore how mycologists and mushroom hunters gain insights into the habitats, seasonality, range and availability of species like morel, matsutake and porcini.

The Blizzards are known for bridging the gap between traditional foraging and modern technology. Here is a bit of what they typically bring to the table:
1. Digital Scouting: They are experts at using GeoForager, Google Maps, and LIDAR data to identify “prime terrain” before even leaving the house.
2. Targeting the “Spring Kings”: Finding Boletus rex-veris (Spring Kings) and morels in Oregon requires understanding specific elevations and snowmelt patterns—something they’ve mastered through years of tracking.
3. Burn Morel Expertise: They literally wrote the book (and created the maps) on how to find morels in the wake of forest fires, which is a science in itself.