For a mail-in registration form, please email Joe Brandt, jlbco@hotmail.com.
Here's a short video clip from our 2024 Foray.
This year we will be at Wisdom House, a conference center and retreat in
Litchfield, Connecticut, from August 29th to September 1st, 2025. The
facility is located on 50(+) acres of private woodlands and is surrounded
by beautiful parks. Foraging on the campus and in nearby state parks is
reliably outstanding. We usually harvest close to 400 species, and choice
edibles should be abundant at this time of year. Enjoy our mycophagy
(included with Social Hour on Sunday evening), prepared by Julie O'Grady.
We will have an outstanding staff of mycologists and expert identifiers,
including Alan Bessette, Arleen Bessette, Rick Van de Poll, John Plischke
III, Roz Lowen, and Dr. Richard Tehan.
The 4-day fee includes 3 nights' lodging and 8 meals, from dinner on
Friday to breakfast on Monday. You may register for whichever days/nights
suit your schedule; full details will be on the registration form. (Please
note that breakfast is not included on your day of arrival.) Please bring
your lunch on Friday. All rooms will be double occupancy, unless otherwise
indicated. If you do not have a roommate chosen, we will select one for you.
Activities include swimming (in-ground heated pool), evening presentations and
"social hour" after evening programs. Donations of nature books and mushroom
memorabilia for our auction are appreciated. Rates are based on double
occupancy (D/O) unless otherwise indicated.
Some of the attendees at the 2022 Clark Rogerson Foray
Our roster of invited mycologists includes:
Dr. Alan Bessette, mycologist, educator,
and author of 20(+) mycological reference books.
Rick Van de Poll, nationally recognized mycologist and
instructor.
John Plischke III, author of Good Mushroom, Bad Mushroom..
Dr. Roz Lowen, ascomycete expert, and professor of
mycology.
Dr. Richard Tehan, Cordyceps expert, Utica College mycologist.
Featuring Julie O'Grady, Chief Mycophagy Chef.
Overnight Accommodations
The 4-day fee includes 3 nights' lodging and 8 meals, from dinner on
Friday to breakfast on Monday. (Please bring your lunch on Friday.) All rooms will be double-occupancy unless you elect to pay for the
entire room yourself*. If you do not have a roommate chosen, we
will select one for you.
Mushroom Walks
Hunt mushrooms to your heart's content, both right on the property at
nearby state parks. Learn in the field from expert mycologists. At the
end of the Foray, the mycologists will give “table talks,” pointing out
the weekend's most interesting and exciting finds.
Educational Programs
Afternoon and evening programs will expand your fungal knowledge.
Previous programs have covered a wide variety of topics.
Live Auction
Donate anything mushroom or outdoor-related, including books, magazines,
posters, artwork, houseware, clothing, and games. Keep your eyes peeled
on your next stop at a yard sale. Self-made artwork, t-shirts, jewelry,
crafts, jams, jellies, or dried mushrooms also make for sought-after
prizes.
Questions
For questions about the foray email the foray Registrar, Kathy Brandt at jlbco@hotmail.com.
Scholarships
COMA offers two different scholarships, one specifically for attending
the Clark Rogerson Foray (Ursula Hoffmann). The other (Sylvia Stein) may
also be used for either the NAMA or NEMF annual forays. For more information please check our Scholarships page.
We strongly encourage members to apply for scholarship funding.
Remembering Clark Rogerson
Clark T. Rogerson (1918-2001)
In 1981 COMA named the annual foray in honor of American mycologist
Clark Thomas Rogerson best known for his work on the ascomycetes,
particularly the Hypomyces. After acquiring a bachelor of science from
Utah State University, a doctorate from Cornell University, and joining
the faculty of Kansas State University, Rogerson was invited to the New
York Botanical Garden. He became Senior Curator in 1967. By 1969
Rogerson was appointed president of the Mycological Society of America.
As much as he was a professional, Rogerson was tirelessly committed to
education and the development of amateur mycologists. He helped found
the New Jersey Mycological Association, the New York Mycological
Society, and our own club COMA. His intentions are best reflected in the
New York Mycological Society's mission statement: “to bridge the gap
between the amateur and the professional.” In 1985 Rogerson was awarded
for his outstanding service to COMA. Now more than a decade after his
passing, amateur mycologists come together annually at the Clark T.
Rogerson Foray to celebrate with reverence and appreciation our
collective fascination with fungi and the legacy of our mycological
forbearers.