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 veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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 Alberta has everything, except an official mushroom [CAN] 
#9854640 - 02/24/09 07:55 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Alberta has everything, except an official mushroom
February 24, 2009 - Edmonton Sun
 An Edmonton Tory MLA figures it's time Alberta had an official mushroom.
MLA Carl Benito is hoping the private member's bill he tabled recently in the legislature (Bill 502), will pass to allow the wild, edible Northern Roughstem (also known as the Red Cap) to be designated as the official mushroom of Alberta.
The Edmonton-Mill Woods MLA says he proposed the bill after being asked to do so by the mushroom-loving Alberta Mycological Society.
Benito points out a handful of U.S. states have official mushrooms, so the notion of picking one for Alberta is not so far out.
Besides that, the society's push for the mushroom has previously received the endorsement of Aboriginal Relations Minister Gene Zwozdesky and former Lt.-Gov. Lois Hole, who was an avid gardener.
"We have to be careful in approaching this because the Alberta government is talking restraint," said Benito.
Benito admits he's a fan of mushrooms, as is his wife.
"When we go to Swiss Chalet she won't eat the chicken unless she has sauteed mushrooms on it," he says.
There might be some added impetus for Oilers fans who'd like the mushroom's colours, notes Benito, "because the Northern Roughstem is kind of orange on the outside and blue in the middle."
If the mushroom gets picked as an official fungus, it would join a host of other Alberta symbols.
We have an official animal, bird, fish, tree, rock, grass and flower - among other things.
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Funguymon
Stranger
Registered: 01/27/09
Posts: 185
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Re: Alberta has everything, except an official mushroom [CAN] [Re: veggie]
#9855150 - 02/24/09 10:10 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Legalization of cannabis in California, DMT and our neuron receptors, and now this.
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veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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Re: Alberta has everything, except an official mushroom [CAN] [Re: veggie]
#9882329 - 02/28/09 04:29 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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The debate continues ...
Mushroom fancier opts for Shaggy Mane over Red Cap
Februaryy 28, 2009 - Edmonton Sun
 Alberta should pick a different variety of mushroom to name as its official fungus, says a collector of the tasty morsels.
An Edmonton MLA has tabled a bill in the legislature pushing for the province to officially designate the wild, edible Northern Roughstem (also known as the Red Cap).
"I think the choice is a bit risky," said Sharon Cott, who has been picking wild mushrooms in Alberta for 30 years.
"The Red Cap is a beautiful and tasty mushroom, but it can be very easily confused with what's known as the Fly Catcher mushroom (Amanita muscaria) and that one can be deadly," Cott said. "They are very tricky to identify."
Edmonton Mill Woods MLA Carl Benito went to bat for the Red Cap mushroom after being asked to do so by the Alberta Mycological Society.
According to other mycological websites, the Fly Catcher or Fly Amanita is also hallucinogenic if ingested.
"Instead of the Red Cap, my choice would be the Shaggy Mane, which is also very beautiful and tasty and you cannot mistake this one for anything else," said Cott who has taken a handful of courses on identifying 'shrooms.
"The Shaggy Mane loves to grow along the side of roads, fields and where the earth has been turned over.
"I believe this would be a much safer choice in case the amateur gets the Red Caps mixed up with the poisonous one."
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veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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Re: Alberta has everything, except an official mushroom [CAN] [Re: veggie]
#9956687 - 03/12/09 03:25 AM (15 years, 1 month ago) |
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Finally, a decision is made  ...
MLAs support official mushroom motion
March 10, 2009 - Edmonton Journal
 EDMONTON — After roughly 40 minutes of debate Monday night, Alberta's MLAs gave the nod to introducing an official provincial mushroom.
Edmonton-Mill Woods Conservative MLA Carl Benito introduced the private member's motion to make the leccinum boreale, or red cap, Alberta's official fungus.
In debate, he noted the motion may seem frivolous or funny, but, "I'm willing to take that risk to represent the views and interests of my constituency members."
Still, opposition and government MLAs took small shots at the motion, which will not be law unless an amendment is introduced to the Emblems of Alberta Act.
"The reason that I'm unable to support the motion is simply because there are too many other (mushrooms)," Calgary-Nose Hill Conservative MLA Neil Brown said. "I would hate to pick one over the other."
Edmonton-Strathcona NDP MLA Rachel Notley noted the legislature was spending time on mushroom chatter when they could be discussing job losses, long-term care, foster care and the environment.
"I will of course also say that, you know, were I to actually have to choose one, I would have to say that the puffball, reflecting this legislature, would definitely be the more appropriate choice," she said.
But Bonnyville-Cold Lake Conservative MLA Genia Leskiw backed Benito's motion.
"Mushrooms not only play an important role in our natural world, but they also play a role in my culture," she said. "There are approximately 300,000 Albertans of Ukrainian descent in our province today, and mushrooms are very important to the Ukrainian culture, especially in our cooking."
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