Sugar Maple Tree to Table Community Days

March 28-30, 2022

Need family-friendly outdoor activities to do during spring break? Join us at the Welty Environmental Center as we explore the process of making maple syrup. People of all ages and their families are welcome to join in the festivities.

Events will be an hour and a half each day, where children, parents/guardians, and adults will hike Big Hill Park and join in interactive activities to learn more about the ecology and Native American history of maple trees as well as how to make our own maple syrup! Each day will build off each other, so it’s encouraged that you attend all three days, but please come when you are able!

Day 1: Sugarbush Foundations

Are you a maple syrup connoisseur and wonder where it comes from? Have you heard about a sugarbush but aren’t sure what it is? Maybe you’d like to start your own sugarbush and don’t know where to start? Join us for Sugarbush Foundations! We are going deep into the woods to learn about how to identify sugar maple trees, how they differ from other trees in the forest, and how to harvest sap! 

Day 2: Maple Sap Tapping

Did you know maple syrup was created by accident many hundreds of years ago by First Nations in the United States? Join us for Maple Sap Tapping as we explore a Native American oral tradition that helps answer the question of how syrup was discovered. We will be looking at trees and investigating what makes a maple ready to be tapped for sap in our local sugarbush. We also will be going through the hydrologic (water) cycle process to see how sap needs to be altered to become the sweet golden goodness we put on our pancakes at home!

Day 3: Evaporation Technology

The Native American and European methods of making maple syrup are strikingly different, and we will be able to explore both. Join us for Evaporation Technology as we learn more about other Native American oral traditions and learn firsthand how Native Americans created maple syrup. We will fast forward 200+ years and use more modern technology to do the same process and test real maple syrup. 

Registration is required, and masks are required when indoors. Hiking will be low-impact (2-6% slope) throughout the park. These events are free. Donations are accepted and appreciated (we recommend $5 per person per day).