Harvesting Morel Mushrooms Info Workshops in our Communities

1 May, 2015

This past month, Tłı̨chǫ Government staff from the Department of Culture and Lands Protection delivered five Morel Mushroom Information Workshops. Together with the GNWT Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, the Workshops were held in Gamètì, Wekweètì, Whatì and Behchokǫ̀, with turnout ranging from a handful of interested pickers, to upwards of 40 students at Chief Jimmy Bruneau Regional High School and 80 participants at the Behchokǫ̀ Cultural Centre.

Morel mushrooms are a prized delicacy sought by national and international food service markets. Participants heard from a mycologist expert and staff on the morel mushroom harvesting opportunities, proper harvesting and handling techniques, how to identify harvesting areas, tools and preparedness. As demonstrated in previous years in the Deh Cho region, people can generate income from the morel mushroom harvest through picking and selling fresh or dried morels to buyers. GNWT ITI will be delivering a further Walk-In Workshop on-site in June. The morel harvesting season for the Tłı̨chǫ region is expected to begin in mid-June.

Anyone wanting to commercially harvest morel mushrooms on Tłı̨chǫ lands must contact the Department of Culture and Lands Protection of the Tłı̨chǫ Government (information below). The Tłı̨chǫ Government is the governing authority for Tłı̨chǫ lands as it owns the surface and subsurface of Tłı̨chǫ lands and manages the resources on Tłı̨chǫ lands, including mushrooms.