29-03-2025
Wild mushrooms, onions or pecans? Foraging bill passes State Senate unanimously
A bill that would allow Oklahomans to forage for wild growing food on state property has passed the Oklahoma senate unanimously and now makes its way to the House for reconciliation and a possible trip to the governor's desk.
Senate Bill 447's house author is Danny Sterling, who joined forces with Norman Senator Mary Boren. After passing the Senate, the bill will go back to the House. If no amendments are added, it will go on to Governor Kevin Stitt's desk.
Senate co-author Boren, of Norman, said an adventure of her elderly mother–led her to file the bill. While out at Lake Thunderbird with Boren's mother-in-law, the two happened upon pecans growing wild at the park and they picked some up to bring home. That's when the park ranger told them they were breaking the law.
'The park ranger came up and kind of scolded them, and said, 'Y'all aren't supposed to be doing that,' Boren said. 'They talked themselves out of getting in trouble and kept the pecans, and they came home and with a little sparkle in their eye telling this story of how naughty they were for picking up pecans. But that got me thinking…Surely that's not really a law that people can't pick up pecans at a state park.'
Turns out, it is generally against the law to forage for wild food at state parks, wildlife areas, or other state property, no matter how plump those persimmons, how green that poke salat is, or how savory those wild onions. Folks are mostly not allowed to pick them up.
So, they tried a bill that would allow 'harvesting' wild foods, but it ran into trouble. Harvesting suggested equipment, combines, commercial operations. Probably not what her mother was trying to accomplish at Lake Thunderbird with the pecans. Instead, they tried a different word, 'forage,' which seems to fit the meaning.
'I wanted foraging to be legal. I didn't want harvesting, so I changed the bill,' Boren said. 'Then we defined what forage meant and it was just basically not for commercial purposes and you know, what one person could take.'
This version went through the agricultural committee and the wildlife department. There were rules suggested that proper clothing be worn so foragers wouldn't get shot by turkey hunters; the kinds of things a country-oriented bill ought to be. They also ran into a 'morel' issue.
'Morel mushrooms come out right after turkey season,' Boren said. 'They were concerned that morel mushroom hunters would disrupt turkey nests and habitats because I guess they start nesting right after turkey season. They were also concerned about just foraging during deer season and all of that.'
Rules were added not allowing foraging on prison grounds or the side of the interstate. Senator Julie McIntosh, a physician, asked Boren a question about the bill.
'She said, why don't you have fungi?' Boren said. 'I intended for mushrooms to be included and I just thought that they were under the definition of plants. Then she goes, 'Oh no. They are fungi.' and then I asked Siri, I said, 'Hey, Siri, are mushrooms, plants?' Nope, it's fungi. And so I amended my bill to include that word.'
And the bill passed. Boren said she hopes that the bill will get a good reaction from Stitt's office. Wild foods are part of life in Oklahoma, she said. For instance, there's the staffer who has the Seminole recipe for wild onions. There are those who love to go pick blackberries, or 'dewberries' in the spring. Persimmons. Poke salat.
'Because just like the story about my mother and my mother-in-law, their story of going and getting pecans, people have stories of going out on horses and looking for blackberries and going out and looking for peaches and all kinds of really neat stories,' Boren said.
