|
Hartwick Pines State Park Hosts Maple Syrup Day The Michigan Forest Visitor Center and Hartwick Pines Logging Museum today announced the annual Maple Syrup Day, March 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Hartwick Pines State Park, northeast of Grayling. Michigan ranks sixth in maple syrup production in the United States, producing about 90,000 gallons of maple syrup each year. Maple sugar is North America's oldest agricultural product. Visitors attending Maple Syrup Day at Hartwick Pines State Park can walk into the sugarbush to tap a maple tree; observe the boil-down process, which converts the sap to maple syrup and ask questions about backyard and commercial sugaring of MSU District Extension Forestry Agent Russell Kidd. Visitors also get to taste the sap and maple syrup as it is being made. Children will have the opportunity to make their own paper mokuk. A mokuk was a birch bark container used by Native Americans to transport maple sugar. Three videos on maple sugaring will be shown in the visitor center auditorium throughout the day, and maple sugar candy and syrup will be on sale. Maple sugar recipes also will be available for those wishing to savor the sweetness of the day long after they return home. There is no fee for this event, but a state park motor vehicle permit is required for entry into the park. The park is located off I-75 at exit 259, north on M-93 three miles. For more information, contact the park at (989) 348-2537. The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural resources for current and future generations. Source: MDNR |