Local youngsters to tap sugar bush, enjoy sticky-sweet syrup at Merry Lea

WOLF LAKE, Ind. – Some 1,270 elementary students from 21 area schools and homeschool groups, along with their parents and teachers, will find environmental learning to be sugary-sweet at Sugar Bush 2009, sponsored by the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. This day-long, hands-on experience in maple syrup making takes place at the Yoder Sugar Bush near Huntertown, Ind.

During their visit students participate in demonstrations that provide information about the history of syrup making, tree tapping, methods for collecting sap, woodcraft, the effects of weather on sap flow, and the process of boiling the sap into finished syrup. Most of the teaching stations feature hands-on experience in small groups. The program ends with a lunch of pancakes and sausage smothered in freshly made maple syrup.

Each year about 20 adult volunteers, mainly from the Fort Wayne area, assist with teaching, operating the sugar bush, and instructional support. Accompanying parents help to prepare the noon meal.

The 350-tap sugar bush, part of the Yoder family for four generations, produces about 80 gallons of syrup annually.

The 2009 schedule includes the following schools (with contact information):
Feb. 17 & 18 – Lincoln Elementary, Fort Wayne, Nancy Caywood, 260-467-5400
Feb. 18 & 20 – Cedarville Elementary, Fort Wayne, Mary Kiningham, 260-446-0110
Feb. 23 – Fairfield Elementary, Fort Wayne, DaNene Neff, 260-467-5900
Feb. 23 – Blackhawk Christian Schools, Fort Wayne, Mary Martin, 260-493-7400
Feb. 24 – Fairfield Elementary, Fort Wayne, Brian Felger, 260-467-5900
Feb. 24 – Blackhawk Christian Schools, Fort Wayne, Gwen Keaton, 260-493-7400
Feb. 26 & 27 – Huntertown Elementary, Huntertown, Terry Snyder, 260-637-3181
March 2 – St. Joseph's Catholic School, Decatur, Michelle Miller, 260-724-2765
March 4 – Pine Hills Kiddie Garden, Fort Wayne, Michelle Mettert, 260-637-3197
March 5 & 6 – Holland Elementary, Fort Wayne, Joanne Montgomery, 260-425-7364
March 9 – Homeschool: H.E.L.P.S., Warsaw, Kate Denham, 574-267-6193
March 9 – Homeschool: NICHE, Auburn, Catherine Wyss, 260-925-4967
March 10 & 11 – Haley Elementary, Fort Wayne, Mary Swearingen, 260-467-4510
March 12 – Canterbury Elementary, Fort Wayne, Tom Meyer, 260-432-7776
March 13 – Central Lutheran Elementary, New Haven, Sandi Herman, 260-493-2502
March 16 – St. Peter's Lutheran School, Fort Wayne, John Westrem, 260-749-5811
March 17 – Woodburn Lutheran School, Woodburn, Karen Hoeppner, 260-632-5493
March 17 – Most Precious Blood School, Fort Wayne, Pam Marx, 260-424-4832
March 18 – Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran School, Fort Wayne, Peggy Zilz, 260-483-9371
March 18 – Concordia Lutheran School, Fort Wayne, Leann Gieschen, 260-426-9922
March 19 – Holy Cross Lutheran School, Fort Wayne, Michelle Koehlinger, 260-483-3173
March 20 – Waterloo Elementary, Waterloo, Lana Young, 260-920-1016
March 23 & 24 – Leo Elementary, Fort Wayne, Dorcas Curry, 260-446-0170

Complete information about the program is available at www.goshen.edu/merrylea/sugar/maple.html. For more information, contact Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center at (260) 799-5869.

Merry Lea, 300 S. 500 W. in Noble County south of Wolf Lake, a natural sanctuary for northern Indiana's plants and animals, provides environmental education for people of all ages and a setting to recreate opportunities that benefit the human body and spirit without exploiting the land. Merry Lea, created with the assistance of the Nature Conservancy and the generosity of Lee A. and Mary Jane Rieth, is owned and operated by Goshen College. For more information, log on to www.goshen.edu/merryleaor call (260) 799-5869.

Editors: This program affords a rich opportunity for photographs and interviews.  Because of differences in school policy, it is important that you contact, in advance, the teacher and principal of any school you wish to cover in order to arrange for permission to accompany the group and photograph the activities. For more information, contact Larry Yoder at (260) 799-5869.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.