Time to tap trees for maple syrup

While it doesn't yet feel like spring, it will be soon, and that means the trees are nearly ready to be tapped and used to make maple syrup, and everyone in the community is invited to participate at the E.L. Johnson Nature Center on Franklin Road in Bloomfield Township.

Making maple syrup is a traditional rite of spring, and the E.L. Johnson Nature Center, part of Bloomfield Hills Schools, has a tapping program that is one-of-a kind, showing participants the entire process, from tapping trees to forming the syrup in their Sugar Shack.

Join them on Saturday, March 9, to make syrup and taste fresh maple syrup.

"This is one of our signature programs," says Dan Badgley, manager of the Nature Center. "Families and people of all ages love coming to make the syrup and then taste the fruits of their labor. The tours are scheduled every twenty minutes and last about an hour, so it's a perfect activity for a Saturday," he said.

Advanced registration is recommended as the program tends to fill fast. The tours begin at 11 a.m. and run until 2 p.m. The E.L. Johnson Nature Center is located at 3325 Franklin Road in Bloomfield Township. To register, call 248.341.6449.