The 2009 NMMS foray will return to the Best Western Kachina Lodge in Taos, August 20-24 or 25. Vera Evenson will be our featured mycologist, and she will help us set up our own vouchering system, which will become a component of future NMMS forays. Vouchering provides a scientific record of collected specimens that removes the ambiguity of species lists and supports future research or inquiries.

We are pleased to announce that the Herbarium of the Museum of Southwestern Biology at UNM will store our vouchered specimens, where they will be available for referral and examination.

You may have noticed some ambiguity in the end dates of the foray. For most attendees the foray will end on Sunday the 23rd, as usual, after the mycologists' walk-through. Those interested in microscopy and vouchering will stay longer to help identify and preserve the collected specimens. As we can't predict whether '09 will be a Sipapu (dry) or a Los Alamos (wet) year, we can't say exactly when the vouchering will end. So if you wish to participate in this aspect of the foray, be prepared to stay until at least Monday the 24th and possibly Tuesday the 25th.

Libba Campbell

~94b