message from the president
Welcome to the North American Mycological Assocation (NAMA), a truly unique organization, whose mission is to promote, pursue, and advance the science of mycology. It is rare in science that both amateurs and professionals rely upon each other for knowledge and the advancement of their field.
At a NAMA foray, a mushroomer can roam the woods with authors of popular field guides as well as professional mycologists — asking questions and learning from the masters.
NAMA has over 2,000 individual members and 70 affiliated clubs in the United States, Canada and Mexico. I encourage you to join NAMA and take advantage of the what we have to offer, including K-12 educational resources, instructional videos, fellowships, mushroom photography, and toxicology information. Become involved. If there is an affiliated club in your area, join it. If you are passionate about mushrooms, join us for our 2009 annual foray, in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Ike Forester
![Gymnopilus spectabilis](images/pictures/gymnopilus_spectabilis.jpg)
Gymnopilus spectabilis by Hugh Smith
NAMA is committed to the promotion of scientific and educational activities related to fungi.
NAMA supports the protection of natural areas and their biological integrity.
We advocate the sustainable use of mushrooms as a resource and endorse responsible mushroom collecting that does not harm the fungi or their habitats.