 Radio Script 2001
Morel Hunting __________________ INTRO: Almost anyone who loves mushrooms has probably wondered what it would be like to pick them in the wild. The best way to start is to go with people who know what they're doing. As science writer Sonya Senkowsky reports in this week's Arctic Science Journeys Radio, Alaska mushroom hunters have begun harvesting morels, a type of mushroom that grows especially well in burned forests. STORY: Two years ago, Eklutna, Alaska, landowner Larry Traw had a series of nasty surprises. First, a wildfire burned some 400 acres of forest around his home. Then, state and federal officials tried to hold him responsible for the blaze, saying it most likely started when he was burning brush in his backyard. Finally, he was slapped with a one-million-dollar fire-fighting bill, the largest ever charged to a private landowner. Could there possibly be a bright side to this story? Traw says there was. For at the same time his legal battle was beginning, popping up among the ash was another surprise, this one much nicer: a fresh crop of Alaska morels. TRAW: "In Missouri (where Bob and I are from), we went all the time. I didn't know they had morels up here in Alaska." The government has since backed down on trying to blame Traw for the fire. But the morels, which can fruit for several years following a blaze, have stuck around—and Traw has been enjoying them. TRAW: "I love the smell of 'em. Boy, they just smell so good, and I love to eat 'em in butter." Morels, choice mushrooms about the size, shape and color of pinecones, can be hard to find even when you know where to look for them. Traw only learned he might have a crop when the Greater Anchorage Mycological Association—a group of local mushroom-fanciers—asked permission to hunt for them on his property. For Rachel Savannah, it was her first foray into the world of morel hunting. SAVANNAH: "I haven't found any on my own yet. Someone else found one and pointed it out to me, but I haven't found any yet. I'm having a hard time spotting them." Spotting the elusive mushrooms is just one of the reasons first-timers are wise to go with people more experienced. Those who have no idea what they're looking for could easily confuse other—potentially poisonous—mushrooms for morels. A mistake can be deadly. Other mushrooms that fruit at the same time include the Gyromitra esculenta, also known as the "brain mushroom" because of its convoluted appearance. It used to be considered quite edible, even tasty—but has since been found to harbor a toxin that can kill.
Morel hunters are generally thought of as private types, people who would never give away their mushrooming secrets. But the members of the Anchorage mushroom club are eager to share their knowledge—and, on forays like this, their mushrooms as well.
"You guys, c'mon over here in this wet area. Let somebody who hasn't found one find it. Who hasn't found one at all? Come over here. It's wonderful over here. We're like in a feeding frenzy. It's wet and wild." Paulette Knutson observed that some spots turned up more mushrooms than others. KNUTSON: "I look on the base of the trees in the burned area where many times you will have the water pooling after a rain like runoff." Edible mushrooms like morels may be what bring most new club members into the fold, but the most hardcore members of the group say there's much more to mushrooms than whether they can be eaten. Fungi serve crucial roles in forests. They help bring nutrients to the root systems of trees. They decompose dead material. And they're just plain fascinating. That's why, when the group comes upon another fungus, organizer Diane Pleninger doesn't miss the opportunity to teach. PLENINGER: "What this is, it's called the false timberconch. We just had a session on these. It's geotropic. They will turn. When they're on a tree that falls over, they will turn so their spore-bearing surface is downwards. And that's what this one has done." Alaska's morel season lasts only four to six weeks. But even after the morels are gone, that's no reason to miss out. Alaska is home to thousands of varieties of mushrooms—including at least half a dozen edibles that beginners can safely learn to collect. And summer has just begun. OUTRO: This is Arctic Science Journeys Radio, a production of the Alaska Sea Grant Program and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I'm Sonya Senkowsky.
Audio version and related Web sites (sidebar at top right) Thanks to the following individuals for help preparing this script:
Chris Maack, Chairperson
Sonya Senkowsky, Science Writer Arctic Science Journeys is a radio service highlighting science, culture, and the environment of the circumpolar north. Produced by the Alaska Sea Grant College Program and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
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