It isn’t exactly easy to pull off an intrastate mushroom forage. The weather must cooperate, picking sites are scoped out in advance, enough notice has to be given, and everyone commits to varying degrees of distance to travel, all for the chance to maybe stumble upon some wild fungi.

Luckily for the recently formed University of Colorado Mycological Society, the forces of nature were on their side just as the mushroom season was coming to a close.

After weeks of postponement due to dry conditions, a recent swell of rainfall triggered a surge of growth and gave fungi fanatics one last chance for the season.

“Mushrooms really are like a joy,” said University of Colorado Colorado Springs student Lana Heath. “It’s a treasure when you find them because anytime you go into a hunt, you never know what you’re going to get. You could find nothing, you could get a ton, so that element of uncertainty, I think, is very enjoyable when it comes to foraging.”

In this instance, the hunt was an unbridled success.

Students from UCCS, Colorado College, Colorado State University and CSU Pueblo, along with general enthusiasts, converged on North Cheyenne Cañon Park on Oct. 11 for the society’s inaugural Colorado Intercollegiate Mycology Foray.

With researchers recently estimating that over 90% of fungal species remain unknown to science, the forage provided an opportunity for students, citizen scientists, and community members to push the field of mycology forward.

Participants broke out into smaller groups, some opting to forage on their own, to explore the local ecosystem and fill up their wicker baskets. Among the Saturday morning discoveries were Russulas, Armillarias, Chlorophyllum Rachodes, Pluteus fulvibadius, Clavulinas and even hybrid fungi species.

According to local experts who participated, six of the discoveries that day had little or no DNA sequencing recorded or catalogued by researchers.

“It’s awesome,” said Karol Napierala, who came down from Denver. “I didn’t realize there were so many different kinds of mushrooms. The people here are so friendly and that was just a great time.”

Also joining the forage were members of the Pikes Peak Mycology Society, to educate attendees on how to correctly identify, collect and consume wild mushrooms.

For the UC Mycology Society’s founder, Christopher Vinci, the forage marked the first of what he hopes to be a growing annual event.

“Students have a huge future, potentially, in fungi,” he said. “For so many applications, for agricultural textiles, all kinds of different stuff.”

Put on by the student organization based at UCCS, the event marked the first statewide gathering of collegiate mycology students, with the hopes of creating a local network to make lasting contributions to science and society.

Vinci, who has been cultivating mushrooms for over 20 years, first began the club in 2024 after returning to the university for his graduate degree and noticing a void in their offerings. Upon the club’s approval, he and a cohort of passionate students then got in touch with the UCCS farm, a student-run community farm and garden located on the campus, which has since offered space and access for events, presentations and mushroom growth.

The farm’s Director of Sustainability Programming Polly Knutson said that it has become the university’s “fastest growing club” with about 80 student members currently. Campus outreach, social media posting and attendance at the annual Telluride Mushroom Festival further spread the club’s exposure and connections with experts in the field, including the Colorado Mycology Society and renowned American mycologists Alan Rockefeller and Amy Honan.

Vinci explained that mycology is integral to Earth’s biodiversity by acting as the primary decomposer and soil remediator for ecosystems such as forests, while Knutson noted its role in regenerative gardening by naturally tilling and enriching soil with nutritional value.

In addition to being a food option in many cases, human applications of fungi over the years have included treatments for infections, lung diseases and cancer.

Following Colorado’s decriminalization of psilocybin, the natural chemical compound found in “magic” mushrooms known to cause hallucinations if consumed, in 2022, the first healing centers to utilize the mushrooms for mental health treatment opened in August.

Vinci noted that, since the chemical it is still federally classified as a Schedule I substance, the club is limiting this mushroom to educational lessons and lectures.

In the future, the club plans on offering a course to grow a type of mushroom known to break down plastic waste, as a way to identify and reduce the amount of waste on campus.

Knutson said that because of the versatility of fungi and the club’s initiatives, impacts are being felt throughout the university’s departments.

“From psychology to nutrition and dietetics, the arts, business, (to) sustainability and geography and environmental sciences, so many of our colleges are being influenced by what this club is doing,” she said.

James Chelin, president of the Pikes Peak Mycology Society, said that although the decriminalization of psilocybin sparked a renewed interest in the field, “kind of like the next gold rush,” most beginners’ general interest comes from locating and discerning the difference between edible and poisonous mushrooms.

While research on mushrooms and fungi dates back to antiquity, it was only in the late 1960s that they became accepted as their own kingdom distinct from plants and animals. Because of this, and since such a large number of fungi species are still unknown, experts agree that the field remains vastly understudied.

“We don’t have enough mycologists,” Chelin said. “Each one would have 100,000 species (of their own). It’s too much for them to study… We have a lot of work to do, so it’s great to see young people are getting involved.”

For Colorado College sophomore Polina Panasenko, the activity has allowed her to get outside, spend time with loved ones and contribute to some exceptional food dishes over the years.

Born and raised in Ukraine to “a foraging family,” she said the activity is a large part of her culture. She recalls her childhood forays to find mushrooms to eat, and her family’s bathtub being “taken for days” by mounds of freshly picked fungi.

Because of the ongoing war with Russia, many of Ukraine’s well-known picking sites are now riddled with landmines. Her family has maintained their commitment by travelling longer distances to safer areas.

“My family went foraging pretty much the day before I went here,” Panasenko said. “And, without talking too much about it, I said ‘Hey, I’m going foraging tomorrow.’ And they were like, ‘Oh, we just went.’ So, it’s a very prevailing tradition.”

With the fall forage marking her first since arriving in the United States four years ago, she’s noticed her classmates and peers focusing more on the science and research aspects of mycology, while still taking in the leisure experience.

Heath said she also came from an upbringing full of foraging, but as she got older became curious about the scientific origins and functions of fungi.

“It (mycology) is something that must be taken seriously, but it can be very fun and rewarding if you’re willing to learn and approach it with an open mind,” said the UCCS freshman.

Going forward, Vinci hopes the club can secure greater support from both UCCS administration and the entire CU system to encourage further student-led science initiatives.

He said they recently submitted a funding proposal for a mycology lab and a proposal to conduct a statewide biodiversity assessment. Once completed, they would then repeat this process in neighboring Rocky Mountain states for comparative analyses.

In the meantime, the club will continue to engage on campus and in the community. In addition to the annual forages, Vinci said that the Fungi Film Festival will be held at the UCCS Ent Center for the Arts next semester and that they are also planning a “mushroom music symphony” for the center’s upcoming Electronic Music Festival.  

Vinci also looks to partner the club with a local nonprofit he founded to establish a network of sustainable mushroom beds in food-scarce areas throughout Colorado Springs for both growing nutritional food and educating community members to maintain them.

Although he is currently wrapping up his graduate degree and preparing to pass on the club to current and incoming students, he said his hope is for the work he began to also be sustainable.   

“The entire concept of the club is that we foster students to become leaders, to explore taking risks in a way that helps bring them, potentially, careers in the future,” Vinci said.