The annual "Wild Mushroom Hunting" event sponsored by the Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society will be held at  Maplewood State Park, 7 miles east of Pelican Rapids, MN, on Saturday, August 11, 2001.  Dr. Bob Stack, a regional mycologist and professor of Plant Pathology at NDSU, will lead the group. Participants will meet at the main entrance gate of the Maplewood State Park at 10:00 a.m. If you are interested in car-pooling from the F-M area to Maplewood State Park, please meet at the Horticulture Greenhouse, located directly west of the big smoke stack on the NDSU campus, at 9:00 a.m. To get to Maplewood State Park from Fargo, take I-94 east to the MN 108 exit, then go east to Pelican Rapids; continue east on HWY 108 to the park.

Participants will gather mushrooms from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Following a 12:00 noon lunch break at a picnic area, Dr. Stack will show how to identify mushrooms and use them in cooking. This will be a fun-filled event for beginners as well as experienced mushroom gathers. Dress for walking in the woods. Please do not forget to bring a hat, insect repellent, and
plentiful water, as well as your lunch. There are no food concessions in Maplewood Park. Dr. Stack also suggests a collecting basket or bucket to carry with you.  For additional information, Dr. Stack can be reached at 701-231-7077 or e-mail rstack@ndsuext.nodak.edu .  We look forward to seeing you there!

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