Jan 12
1
MHMA IN 2012
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UPDATE INCLUDE LOCATION FOR EDUCATIONAL COURSE:
The location is the George Cole Auction Hall in Red Hook, NY… The Address is 7578 North Broadway (Route 9). The Auction Hall is in the Red Hook Business Park. The Buisness Park is right on Route 9, ~1/8 mile North of the intersection of Rts 9 & 199.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND REGISTRATION FORM:
www.georgecoleauctions.com/00mhma/mhma-field_id_course_2012.pdf
FYI – Schedule Is:
All Four Sundays In February from 1pm-4pm… Make-up date in case of a foul weather cancellation is March 4th from 1pm-4pm. See inside the flyer for breakdown of subjects covered in each session.
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Hello And Happy New Year Fellow Mycophiles,
I hope you found last year to be productive and are looking forward, as I am, to making 2012 even better.
On behalf of the MHMA Leadership, I have a few great club events we are finally able to announce. So without further delay
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FIRST AND FAST!:
On Saturday, January 21st, we will hold our annual potluck Winter Meal / Awards Banquet from 2-5 pm, which will again take place at the Poughkeepise Friends Meeting House, 279 Hooker Ave in Poughkeepsie. Yahoo Map Directions: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=279+Hooker+Avenue,+Poughkeepsie,+NY&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=279+Hooker+Ave,+Poughkeepsie,+NY+12603&gl=us&ei=vkLdTLA2xKnwBrbLiPoP&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ8gEwAA
As is traditional, this will be a traditional potluck meal. That is, what you bring is what we eat! So bring your favorite dish to share, perhaps something (non-alcoholic) to drink (alcohol is not permitted at the meeting house).
In order to ensure that we don't have 10 salads and 15 desserts with no main courses, Please RSVP with what part of the meal you plan to bring. The categories are salad, side dish, entree and dessert. We will post and update the list on the club website… www.midhudsonmyco.org
Also let us know how many are coming with you (adults & children under 12) if possible so we can be prepared with the appropriate amount of chairs place settings, whoopie cushions, etc…
Please note: Due to the potential dangers of misidentifications, it is MHMA policy for members not to bring dishes containing wild mushrooms unless the mushrooms were identified as a safe edible by one of the club experts… (For the safety and long life of our dear friends!) Please jot down the name of the dish and recipe (on an index card or something similar) to be present by the dish, and retained for the club cookbook.
Jill Weiss will be our Executive Chef again for this year's meal and though last year's unbelievable meal will be a tough act to beat I am sure she has a few tricks up her sleeve…
This event is open to all members and non-members… There is no charge, so please invite friends/anyone you think may be interested in joining the club. The more the merrier.
Feel free to bring your mushroom books/recipes. We have many new members who would love to see what's available.
This gathering will also include an awards ceremony, a treasurer's report, and a short business meeting in which members will have the opportunity to present and discuss ideas of what we want to do for educational programs, walks and events for the winter season and for the 2012 season… It will also be an opportunity for members to voice ideas for changes or improvements for MHMA.
Non-members will enjoy as well as there will be door prizes, slide show and more. It will be great to get together and share great food. I suspect this is going to be another great Winter Meal…
I am not sure who will be compiling the slideshow for this year… So, if you have pictures to submit for the slideshow please post them in Facebook or somewhere else on the web and send me a link. (PLEASE DO NOT JAM UP MY EMAIL BOX WITH YOUR HI-RES, (Or low-res for that matter) PICTURES… PLEASE SEND LINKS OR PUT THEM IN THE FACEBOOK ALBUM AND WE'LL DOWNLOAD THEM.)
That all being said I would like to leave you with 2 thoughts…
1). Events like this are always more fun and run more efficiently if we have some volunteers for set-up, prep-work and clean-up. If you are able to help in some way, please contact Jill ASAP via email at jne64@optonline.net.
And:
2). A wise person once said: "Don't forget… It's just mushrooms"…
My point is that there are a lot of things going on with this event… But, if you peel back the layers, it all boils down to a club social… And the most important part of a social is having people get together… So, remember, even if you aren't able to do/make/bring/buy/give anything else, you are still welcome and encouraged to join us…
I sincerely hope to see you there!
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SECOND:
January 1st means club dues are due…
You will be pleased to know that unlike many of the expenses in life, the club dues have not gone up and remain as affordable as ever.
I have attached a copy of the application/renewal form to this email. It is also available as a download from the website at: www.midhudsonmyco.org
Please take a minute to PRINT IT OUT, fill it out and send it back in ASAP. You can also distribute the form to friends who you think may be interested in joining the club this year.
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AND FINALLY:
I am very pleased to announce the upcoming educational series the club's leadership group has been able to assemble and offer to club members.
Many of you took part in a survey designed to help us determine what type of educational experience would be the most desirable, be affordable, and afford the most members the opportunity to attend.
Well, we analyzed the results and have pulled together an educational series which I am confident will be of enormous educational benefit to club members individually and then as a result to the club as a whole.
Taking into account that there are over 125 paid members in the club and the fact that not ALL members completed the survey, we realize that there is no way we can accommodate the schedule of the educator, the facility, the leadership group, and every single member. Keeping that in mind, and in a painstakingly slow process, we worked with all the variables and have been very fortunate to compile a 4 part educational series that I am proud to say will serve to benefit the majority of the club membership.
Please understand that we know this is not the ideal schedule for EVERYONE, but we are confident that it is at least DOABLE for most.
Course description: Many times beginners are shown a handful of mushroom species and told to remember them. Learning about mushrooms in this fashion leads to a ¡§patchwork¡¨ knowledge base and leaves the student with a potentially keen sense of a few species and a very fuzzy, (if any) understanding of how/why mushrooms are related and how/why they are different. This course is designed to provide a ¡§Top Down¡¨ look into mushrooms especially for intermediate and eager beginner-level mushroom collectors or naturalists who wish to enhance their knowledge of mushrooms which fruit in our area. Illustrated lectures based upon field characteristics will improve the student's knowledge of the biology, life cycles, ecology and rich variety of forms found in the Mid-Hudson Valley's macro fungi.
This event is open to members and non-members. I have attached a FLYER/REGISTRATION FORM for your use and for distribution to any and all that you think might want to attend. If you have any connections to social calendars, or any means of circulation/distribution, please do so.
The more people that attend the better it is for the club financially. The better it is financially, the sooner we can afford to have other educational events…
This course offered to the general public elsewhere is $100 per person. To make this beneficial and affordable for club members, the club has paid for the entire course upfront.
Since there is no way everyone can attend, we have decided that it is unfair to those who cannot attend to pay entirely for those who can. Therefore, those who do attend will be asked to pay part of the expense.
In essence, the club is using club funds to provide an affordable educaional experience for as many members as possible!
If the attendance is low, then the club will lose a little money, but will benefit through the gain of some educated members. And if the attendance is high the club will gain more educated members plus will break even or possibly make a profit that can be used for other educational events… So, please make it a point to attend if at all possible, and promote the heck out of it so we can keep the ball rolling!
The tuition will be:
$100 ALL SESSIONS (Non-Member)
$50 ALL SESSIONS (MHMA Member)
$30 ANY SINGLE SESSION (Non-Member)
$15 ANY SINGLE SESSION (MHMA Member)
The location is TBA… We are waiting for confirmation on the availability of the facility of choice. But I can say it will be within 15 minutes of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge…
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We will of course have other club events in the off-season…
But, for now let's:
-Get Dues In
-Spread The Word On The Educational Events
-AND MAKE READY FOR THE WINTER MEAL FEAST!!! 
Happy New Year!!!
-Elmer, and the entire MHMA Leadership Group
