Forum ideas

[blitzfish]

I had another idea. We should set up some basic guidelines that you can pin to the forum somewhere. I think it is necessary for all those who sign up on the website to follow as to just keep ourselves in line and to not start anything that could bring a negative vibe to the forums. You could copy a basic one from another forum as a start.

[mushroommike]

Hence why I think opening this up to FB was a bad idea. The more you advertise, the more bad apples are going to come to ..... in the apple pie. There are plenty of places to find out how and where to hunt mushrooms now, plenty of books to read, and I think half the allure of the hobby is learning out how to do it on your own. I really think over the last 5 years there's been a such an influx of new people taking on mushroom hunting as a seemingly competitive sport that's it's degraded the nostalgia factor, for me at least. Mushroom hunting has always possessed an elusive mystique and I think that by mainstreaming it across social networking sites it has really diminished that essence that is once embodied.

*I agree on the politics, especially given the touchy nature of Wisconsinites on the topic.

[mushroommike]

While I agree that this forum in particular has been an invaluable resource, wealth of knowledge, and a great place to meet some great people...I truly have seen the numbers of people in the woods rise exponentially over the last 5 years and am worried that this hobby will turn into what deer hunting has now become in Wisconsin: overcrowded public lands, a diminished "quality" in experience, and who knows...maybe even the movement towards land-leasing.

[blitzfish]

Understandable point. I created the FB page as a way for the people from the morels.com to know where we came to. Once they started moderating that page, we were not able to contact one another easily. I know what you mean though by the degradation of the sport, heck, look at fishing and Lake Link, same thing but 1000x bigger.

[mushroommike]

Agreed. LL has gotten beyond ridiculous. Can't even get an accurate ice depth report when trying to scope out new lakes.

[blitzfish]

Ha ha ha, exactly. It has ruined a few of my good fishing spots in the past too and I swear there are 2-5x as many people out fishing the past few years...

[CP Dan]

Mar 6, 2012 17:16:31 GMT -6 blitzfish said:

I had another idea. We should set up some basic guidelines that you can pin to the forum somewhere. I think it is necessary for all those who sign up on the website to follow as to just keep ourselves in line and to not start anything that could bring a negative vibe to the forums. You could copy a basic one from another forum as a start.

I will put together some forum rules and get them posted. I don't want them too lengthy, so hopefully it won't take long to put them together. I can always modify them as issues come up.

[blitzfish]

Sounds good Dan, thanks!

[blitzfish]

Dan, we should also have some fun with the "member level" on the side. It would be cool to change the names to things dealing with mushrooms/mushroom growth... and change the stars to little mushrooms or something. Just an idea.

[mikeologist]

I dont know, mushroom mike. I agree that I like my spots for my own, but face the facts. I dont own anything on my spots as long as theyre on public land. I dont think that I should feel entitled to them because I came across them. My hunts are what I make of them. If you dont want to be around other people in the woods, buy some land or travel further from the population. Plus, the more people that are reporting on this website, the more informed that you will be before going out. I guarantee that there are plenty of mushrooms for everyone.

[blitzfish]

Thats neat!!!! I like the new member levels on the side!!

[Earthmom]

DD, do you think you can change the format of each topic to make the newest posts first instead of last? That way we don't have to jump to page 2 or 3 to catch up on the topic. Food for thought anyway.

[blitzfish]

I like that idea too, i kind of found it funny that you couldn't change that under your profile like most other forums let you do...

[mushroommike]

First off, I've said nothing about "owning" public lands in making a note that yes, indeed there has been an exponential increase of people in the woods over the last 5 years. I believe that is important we don't brush aside morels as an "unlimited resource," simply due to the sheer amount of public land that is available. That is a fallacy. Simply put, the more mushroom hunters who are introduced to the sport the more resource conflict you are going to encounter on public lands. I was literally chased up a hill last year by those that had a GPS who had marked and "claimed" a tree on public land. I'm completely for an "experience" every time I set foot in the woods, while some who were just introduced to mushroom hunting view it as a "sport". I'm simply advocating for sound mushroom hunting practices and a return to traditional values.

Secondly, I thought there was just a rule established about singling out people individually...

Third, I'd like to see a forum topic established separately for Fiddleheads if possible. Plenty to learn, and plenty of dangers if misidentified. Delicious as well.

*Hope to find more like this beauty this year...3/4 of a lb.

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[mikeologist]

No one is being malicious here, were just having a conversation. Ive gotten my spot picked before I showed up, thats the nature of the beast. If someone told me that I was harvesting on their publicly "claimed" tree, Id get on my knees and continue picking...that is unless they were picking before I showed up. I dont have any private land, so public is all I get. I know how you feel.

I dont think its a fallacy that morels are rather unlimited. We dont harvest the mycelium, we harvest the fruiting body. As long as the mycelluim overwinters (sclerotial development), there shouldnt be a problem with the mycelium fruiting another time. As long as shroomers are using mesh bags, there should be an abundant supply of fresh spores being dispersed and along with that more morels in years to come.

I also would like to see a forum topic about fiddleheads. Ive never hunted them before but they sound delicious.