Minnesota DNR proposes foraging limits

Hi there 🍄 

This week’s highlights include two news stories from Minnesota related to functional and psychedelic mushrooms, and an interview with the first person to receive psilocybin in Oregon.

Minnesota DNR proposes mushroom foraging limits

One gallon per person per day. That’s the bag limit that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced it will introduce in state parks. This unexpected move surprised Minnesota foragers, a population that has grown in the years following COVID-19 and favors varieties like chanterelles, hen of the woods, and morel mushrooms. The increasing regulations raise an important question that requires careful consideration: Should government agencies uphold these rules to protect the environment, or should foragers be granted unrestricted access to these natural resources for personal use? — Seraiah Alexander

Read more about the proposed bag limits here.

Connecting with nature to improve well-being

When was the last time you walked barefoot in the grass? Grounding (also known as earthing) refers to actions that connect us with the Earth’s energy. Ya know, things like walking barefoot on natural surfaces such as grass, sand, or soil, swimming in natural bodies of water, gardening, or even sitting or lying on the ground. A study published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health found that grounding the body to the Earth’s surface significantly reduced blood viscosity, indicating improved circulation and cardiovascular health.

Read more about the practice and benefits of grounding here.

Mushroom moments

• Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed an executive order that makes psychedelic-related arrests the lowest priority for law enforcement. While other cities like Detriot, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. have taken these steps, this is the first time a mayor enacted this reform without seeking approval from other officials or parties.

• Jane C. Hu spoke to retired home builder Jim Carroccio, thought to be the first person to receive psilocybin under Oregon’s new system, on The Microdose. It’s a short but sweet read under their 5 Questions format that gives insight into the early stages of the legalization process.

• The Mushroom Show from FreshCap released a new episode on the mysterious “blue staining boletes.” While this variety doesn’t contain psilocybin, some users claim they can sense psychoactive properties, including seeing “the little people.”

Featured artist: Markos Kay

Markos Kay is a disabled artist, director, and visual alchemist whose surreal projects blend the natural world with physiology. His digital world comes alive in the space between the molecules of our beings, whether human or plant or fungi. Kay told Red-Eye in an interview, “The aim of my work is to engage viewers on an intuitive level with complex, often inaccessible, subjects such as molecular biology, particle physics and artificial intelligence and their various implications. I hope to evoke people’s imagination and curiosity about the happenings behind the scenes of our reality.”

Check out his online shop for limited edition prints here.