KATHLEEN DICKSON Owner, OtterBee’s Market What began as a fun activity to stay active and outdoors in the rainy winter months has since become full-blown love. Hunting for mushrooms, Kathleen Dickson says, is a gratifying and rewarding experience. “It’s so quiet. All you hear is the rain or the birds singing,” she says. Dickson, who owns the online localfood marketplace OtterBee’s Market at OtterBeesMarket.com, has organized the annual Wild Rivers Mushroom Festival in Brookings since 2017. Visitors attend workshops, listen to speakers and go on mushroom-identification hikes. Dickson says she enjoys watching her community discover and embrace mushrooms that thrive on the Oregon Coast. Unlike hiking, mushrooming is a solitary activity that immerses you in the trees more intentionally, allowing you to observe the forest. “We relish the rain,” she says. “It can be pouring buckets, and we’ll say, ‘Let’s go.’” CITIZEN HIGHLIGHT SOUTHERN OREGON COAST 75 VISITTHEOREGONCOAST.COM FROM TOP: ARTHUR HITCHCOCK; ERIK URDAHL; KEN HAGEN AND ANTON HUGO Hawthorne Gallery in Port Orford Shore Acres State Park Natural Bridges viewpoint
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==