Bill Making Morel the State Mushroom Passes First Committee

The House Tourism Committee this week passed House Bill 3263 to establish the morel mushroom as Oklahoma’s state mushroom.

Considered a delicacy because of cultivation difficulties, several thousand Oklahomans partake in morel hunting every spring.

'I'm one of the thousands of Oklahomans who hunt the tasty morel mushroom each spring,' said the bill’s author, Rep. John George, R-Newalla. 'I wanted to run this fun piece of legislation to support these dedicated foragers and maybe attract new interest in Oklahoma’s landscape and promote more awareness of Oklahoma’s variety of mushrooms. By implementing a state mushroom, we could even expand opportunities for communities across the state to attract tourists and teach about fungi safety.”