2023 Albion I Foray - December (by Katherine Elvin)

This is Albion I, our annual December trip to the Albion Field Station, located six miles south of the town of Mendocino. The Mendocino Coast is a bountiful haven for fungal species in any season. The Albion I foray focuses on a wide range of fungi, with edibles including boletes, chanterelles, candy caps, matsutake and hedgehogs. Members staying offsite can now purchase a ticket (non refundable to offset the cost of the group permit and facility rental) and join us for the morning Saturday foray, our fabulous Saturday night potluck, and review what mushrooms were collected. However you must be a FFSC member for you and your guests to attend.  Masks are still recommended in the buildings.

The Albion Retreat and Learning Center is located just one mile from the seashore, eight miles south of Mendocino, 28 miles from a state forest, and 60 miles from Salt Point in the valley of an old lumber camp on the Albion River, it has welcomed students and visitors with its rustic charm since 1947.  The Albion Retreat and Learning Center is owned and operated by Pacific Union College.

The Albion Retreat and Learning Center features heated private cabins with private baths and a large dining hall with a commercial kitchen which is available to all our guests. The center serves as our hub and we utilize the kitchen for meals and our famous Saturday night potluck. Additional information regarding the Albion Retreat and Learning Center can be found at https://www.puc.edu/about-puc/albion-field-station.

We encourage all those who want to learn more about mushrooms come to the lab and help out with the ID.   

PERMITS:

Salt Point -

• Not required
• There is a bag limit of five pounds of mushrooms per person per day, and commercial picking of any kind is not allowed. Fines are steep for infringements—up to $300.

Jackson Demonstration Sate Forest requires everyone to have their own permits.

Happy Hunting,

Minister of Long Distance Forays

Members staying offsite can now purchase a ticket (non refundable to offset the cost of the group permit, cafeteria rental and speaker fees) to join us for the morning Saturday foray, our fabulous Saturday night potluck, and the listen to our guest speaker. However you must be a FFSC member for you and your guests to attend.  Masks are still recommended in buildings.

Saturday

Group Meeting in Dining Room 8:30-9:00 AM 
Appetizers 5:30 PM
Dinner 6:00 PM
Clean-up 8:30-9:00 PM  (All Hands)
Review of Foray finding 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM in Lab Area 

We will do our best to accommodate your wishes on a first-come, first-served basis.  Please note in the comments section at checkout any special needs you require.  We will see what we can do if possible.   Cabin assignments will be sent out before the event and will be posted on the door at the main office at Albion.  This is for Friday night check-in after 3PM and Saturday with checkout on Sunday before 11AM.

All Lodging includes the Saturday Events.  You must be a member and logged in to purchase.

•  
• Rent a whole cabin - (Select this if you require a handicap cabin) - $ 230
• Rent a whole cabin  with refridge/microwave - $260
• Rent a whole cabin with kitchenette   - $ 290
• Rent a bed in the men's dorm - $ 90
• Rent a bed in the women's dorm room - $ 90
• Rent an RV space (30' or less) - $ 150
• Saturday Event Ticket Only (only for not Albion lodging) - non refundable) - $30

STRICT NO PET POLICY:  Albion Retreat and Learning center has a "NO PETS POLICY".  If you violate this policy you will be fined $250 and be asked to immediately check-out after you clean your room.  Service dogs are OK (with permission first) in handicap units only: Please reserve Vanessa 1 or 2.  Dogs can't be in cars overnight or food prep areas and proof of up to date shots must be provided upon FFSC web site registration, please note that you will be bringing a service dog in the comments section upon registration.   Additionally, these two questions may be required to be answered if you intend to bring a service dog:

• whether the dog is required because of a disability, and
• ​what work the dog is trained to perform.

Alcohol is not allowed on site.  Evidence of alcohol containers - including in the garbage, corks, corkscrews, etc. is grounds for the FFSC being banned from using this wonderful facility in the future.

(NOTE: ) Albion cancellation policy: We use Paypal for payment processing. Paypal charges us 3.7% on each transaction. Refunds will be reimbursed with the Paypal fee debited.

You may cancel your reservation up to 10 days before the event and the club will refund you minus the Paypal fee. A better way to go is to advertise your reservation on our Google and/or Facebook groups. Your replacement can pay (even Paypal you) and you get a full refund.