Press Release; Cordova Chamber of Commerce
Guided Forest Forays, Fiber Workshops, and Gourmet Copper River Salmon Feast Scheduled September 1st-3rd
CORDOVA, ALASKA. AUGUST 7, 2017 – While Cordova’s fishing fleet is out gathering nets full of Copper River Salmon, its land-based foragers are hunting wild berries, yellow-footed chanterelles and king boletes! Those swift swimmers that make it past Cordova’s keen fishermen will head upstream, spawn and leave abundant nutrients on the creek shores, that are picked by fungi and transported to nourish the entire forest. Every fall, the community of Cordova welcomes fungus-pluckers, lichen-lovers and friends of the forest & sea for the Cordova Fungus Festival. The 11th annual event will take place September 1st-3rd, 2017. Hosted at the state-of-the-art Cordova Center meeting facility with excursions throughout the surrounding Chugach National Forest, the weekend’s activities explore the natural world in the northernmost coastal temperate rainforest and celebrate the interconnected life-cycle of mushrooms, salmon and the forest.
Festival activities begin Thursday with a mushroom-related artisan’s workshop at The Net Loft, also known as heaven-on-earth for those with a hankering for hand-crafts, and continue throughout the weekend. Friday night, don’t miss the wine & cheese Mushroomer’s Mixer and presentation by University of Alaska SE professor Kitty LaBounty, keynote by Dr. Rick Van de Poll. Saturday and Sunday are filled to the brim with guided forest forays lead by local and expert mycologists, mushroom identification and display tables lined with locally plucked mushrooms, a bear-bread painting class with Ilanka Cultural Center, fungus classes and kids’ events. Those with an appetite for wild foods will enjoy the Great Mushroom Recipe Swap hosted by local edible fungus expert Ken Hodges and the Wild Harvest Feast featuring Chef Jeff Qualls of McKinney, TX farm fresh scratch kitchen restaurant rye. Chef Jeff trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY under some of the best Certified Master Chefs in the world, has operated several award winning eateries, and is the guest of the Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association fall Coho Media Tour. A silent auction at the dinner will be packed with artisan wares and handcrafted items including pottery, plant-dyed silks, jams, jellies and hand-knits. Proceeds from the dinner benefit the festival and Copper River Watershed Project, a regional non-profit which promotes a salmon-rich, intact watershed and culturally diverse communities.
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Cordova Fungus Festival is a partnership between the Cordova Chamber of Commerce, the US Forest Service – Cordova Ranger District, and others. It exists to promote conservation education and increase environmental literacy by inviting locals and visitors to explore and appreciate the wonderful Chugach National Forest. Fungus Dyeing and Crafting workshops with The Net Loft require pre-registration by calling (907)424-7337. Tickets for the Wild Harvest Feast, which will feature wild Copper River Coho salmon and mushrooms, are $65/person (includes wine, dinner and dessert) and are available from the Copper River Watershed Project by calling (907)424-3334. Ilanka Cultural Center’s bear-bread painting class is $10 – call (907) 424-7903 to sign up. All other festival activities are free, donations accepted. Festival registration is required through the Cordova Chamber of Commerce, but is FREE. Registration and a full schedule of Cordova Fungus Festival activities can be found at cordovafungusfestival.com or on the festival’s Facebook page (facebook.com/cordovafungusfest). Press passes and high resolution images available upon request.
