Teachers can sign up classes for maple syrup field trips

Have you ever wondered how maple syrup was discovered? Have you ever seen more than 40 trees hooked up to collect and process sap in a scenic woodland?

The McHenry County Conservation District offers free field trips to elementary schools within McHenry County and public tours for the annual Festival of the Sugar Maple at Coral Woods Conservation Area in Marengo.

Sign up for the popular Festival of the Sugar Maples School Field Trip starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. Teachers should call (815) 479-5779 to book their outing. Field trips are for grades K-5 and are offered daily March 6-9 and March 13-16, 2017.

Students will learn the fascinating history of maple sugaring and see how the sap collection process has evolved to modern day techniques. They will also get to visit the evaporator house and to watch the sap as it is transformed into syrup.

Finally, everyone gets a taste of pure Coral Woods maple syrup before they leave. The entire length of the field trip is held outdoors, lasts about an hour and travels along a one-mile stretch of a wooded nature trail.

Free public tours are offered weekends, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 4-5 and 11-12. Coral Woods Conservation Area is at 7400 Somerset in Marengo. For more information, call (815) 479-5779 or visit www.MCCDistrict.org.