Sugaring season arrives in Woodbury

WOODBURY — A contingent of volunteers helped Flanders staff tap over 200 trees recently and now the time has arrived to boil down the sap gathered from these trees to make into maple syrup.

Interested residents are welcome to visit the nature center Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23-24, March 2-3 and March 9-10 from 1-4 p.m. Flanders staff and volunteers will demonstrate turning sap into syrup with an entertaining mix of science, stories and humor, at the Flanders Sugar House located at 5 Church Hill Road in Woodbury. Admission is $3 per person.

The center’s annual pancake breakfast is set for Sunday, March 3, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Woodbury Emergency Services buildingon Quassuk Road. The menu features allyou-can-eat pancakes, sausage, coffee, orange juice and Flanders own maple syrup. The cost is $7 for adults, and $5 for ages 5 to 11. Children under 5 are free. All proceeds from the breakfast benefit Flanders’ education programs.

For more information on any adult or children’s programs, call Flanders at 203-263-3711, ext. 10, visit their facebook page or their website at www.flandersnaturecenter.org

Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that focuses on environmental education, and on the acquisition, conservation, and stewardship of open space. Through its land trust initiatives, Flanders manages over 2,300 acres of preserved land in Woodbury and neighboring towns. Educational programs for children and adults are offered at the Van Vleck Farm Sanctuary, Flanders’ main campus in Woodbury. Trails at its major nature preserves are open to the public at no charge from dawn to dusk. For more information, call 203-2633711 or flandersnaturecenter.org

Contributed photo Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury is preparing for its annual syrup gathering events and pancake breakfasts. Volunteers are needed.