Tapping Trees for Treats (at the Oblate’s La Vista Ecological Learning Ctr.)
Originally Published by AdVantage News
By Dave Pape, via Wikimedia Commons, Maple trees with taps and buckets for collecting sap to be made into maple syrup at Beaver Meadow Audubon Center in North Java, N.Y.
GODFREY — The Nature Institute is planning to bring another year of maple tree tapping.
Maple Tapping at The Oblates is an event for those interested in learning about the process’ history with a hands-on demo on how maple syrup is made. This event will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at the entrance to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, 4350 Levis Lane.
Host Ramona Puskar, education assistant at the institute, will walk guests through the biology and history of maple trees, tapping with everyday items, boiling and even tasting syrup. This event is $10 per person or $8 for current institute members. Proceeds will go to assisting the institute’s mission of preservation, restoration and education.
“For the last few years, the Missionary Oblates have graciously allowed us to bring field trips, home school groups and more out here to use their maple trees as an outdoor learning experience,” Puskar said. “This will be the third year that we have hosted an event for the public to gain knowledge on the same topic. We are excited to extend that same knowledge to the citizens of the Riverbend.”
Guests will first be led on a hike through maple trees with a background of tapping and the biology of the trees. Puskar will demonstrate how to tap the tree, collect the sweet water and boil the water off to create syrup.
Participants should dress for the weather because the group will be outside for most of the course. There is a limited amount of registration remaining. To register, call (618) 466-9930 or email info@thenatureinstitute.org with the names and the number of those planning to attend.
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate owns roughly 255 acres of pristine woodland. Its property is home to native wildlife and has hosted hundreds of Oblates since 1950. Its primary focus is to form future priests, but it is also home to the Oblate Ecological Initiative.
The Nature Institute, 2213 S. Levis Lane, is a conservation and environmental organization with a mission of raising awareness of the natural world through preservation, restoration and education. The organization owns more than 450 acres of protected land that offers public hiking trails. The trails will reopen to the public on April 1 after a period of rest for the winter.
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