Action | Amendments to the Virginia State Park Regulations |
Stage | Fast-Track |
Comment Period | Ended on 10/2/2019 |
Please don't take away people's right to forage on public land. The vast part of the fungal structure colonizes the ground or dead wood and taking just the visible fruiting structure (the mushroom) does not hurt the organism. Additionally, most foragers I know carry around wicker or wire baskets so that any foraged mushrooms can be dropping hundreds of spores as they walk around. Some of the mushrooms in the forest cannot be cultivated and provide people with choice edibles that would otherwise go to waste. If the problem lies with people who are foraging with intent for commercial sale then please change the proposed law to reflect that. A blanket ban on fungi removal does more harm than good, particularly for education about our natural resources.