Community Maple Program
Spring is the time when sap flows again in maple trees. Celebrate the sweetest time of year on March 22-23 and 29-30. Indulge in a Pancake Brunch on March 22, or head out to the sugar shack to watch maple sap get boiled into golden syrup. Taste the finished product while learning about this North Country tradition.
Watch maple producer Addison Bickford in the video below and listen as he talks sugaring.
Watch maple producer Addison Bickford in the video below and listen as he talks sugaring.
Community Maple Project
Get involved!
The Community Maple Project, one of the first initiatives of its kind in the state, invites our local community to take part in this Adirondack tradition. Residents living within a 5-mile radius of the Center are encouraged to participate by tapping maple trees in their own yards, with assistance and equipment provided by The Wild Center. Once collected, the sap will be returned to the Center for processing into maple syrup, with participating community members receiving 70% of the syrup produced from their contributed sap. Those interested in joining the Community Maple Project may email maple@wildcenter.org for further information.
The Community Maple Project, one of the first initiatives of its kind in the state, invites our local community to take part in this Adirondack tradition. Residents living within a 5-mile radius of the Center are encouraged to participate by tapping maple trees in their own yards, with assistance and equipment provided by The Wild Center. Once collected, the sap will be returned to the Center for processing into maple syrup, with participating community members receiving 70% of the syrup produced from their contributed sap. Those interested in joining the Community Maple Project may email maple@wildcenter.org for further information.
NEW YORK MAPLE WEEKENDSPancake Brunch - March 2210 am to 12 pm
Join us for a pancake brunch like no other. Indulge in a morning of culinary delights as we celebrate maple season and the artistry of pancakes with live demonstrations.
Watch in awe as staff artists pour, flip, and create intricate designs right before your eyes, turning simple pancake batter into edible masterpieces. Visitors select their favorite design from a curated pancake list to watch come to life on the griddle. The Great Hall takeover includes choose-your-own pancakes, maple trivia giveaways, and pancake art competitions. And what's brunch without a refreshing beverage? Sip on coffee or juice as you enjoy the spectacle, adding a touch of effervescence to your morning. Artist-designed pancakes are included with admission (1 per person as time and supplies last).
For those craving a full meal, the Waterside Café will offer a selection of hearty pancake breakfasts featuring Tupper Tapper Maple Syrup, produced at The Wild Center. The Pancake Brunch will be available for an additional $13.25 for a hearty option and $6.95 for a lighter option. Admission is not required to enjoy the Waterside Café.
TICKETSFor those craving a full meal, the Waterside Café will offer a selection of hearty pancake breakfasts featuring Tupper Tapper Maple Syrup, produced at The Wild Center. The Pancake Brunch will be available for an additional $13.25 for a hearty option and $6.95 for a lighter option. Admission is not required to enjoy the Waterside Café.
The Wild Center's programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Sugar Shack Tours
During New York State Maple Weekends, the sugar shack will be up and running. Watch how the sweet sap of trees becomes the highlight of a pancake breakfast.
TICKETS
The taste of maple at home!
Visit The Wild Supply Co. store and order pure Adirondack maple syrup today! Available in 8 & 16oz. bottles. Packaged right here at The Wild Center. Don’t miss the other items available in the store.
SHOP MAPLEHistorical Images of Gus Low's Maple Operation
Abbot Augustus Low, an entrepreneur and inventor from Brooklyn founded Horseshoe Forestry Company near Tupper Lake in 1896. Low's company supported all his business ventures which included spring water bottling, maple syrup, wild berry preserves, and wood products. In 1907, HFC produced 20,000 gallons of syrup, the most produced in the world at the time.
A.A. Low's sugarhouse was a large building stocked with plenty of firewood. If you look closely you can see the steam rising from the building.
One of A.A. Low's several patents were these bucket lids for the sap collection buckets. The lids kept bugs and other animals out of the sap and prevented rain from getting in.
Buckets were emptied into pails, pails were emptied into drums, carried back to the sugarhouse on horsedrawn sleighs. Sugaring used to be a very time consuming and physically demanding job.
Employees at Horseshoe Forestry company used horse-drawn sleighs to collect sap from their sugarbush.
Maple Sugaring in Tupper Lake
The Wild Center Maple Project is just the newest part in the history of maple sugaring near our site. In the early 1900’s, Tupper Lake was a major producer of maple syrup.
Abbot Augustus Low was the man behind the sap. An entrepreneur and inventor from Brooklyn who owned the Horseshoe Forestry Company, his business enterprises included spring water production, wild berry preserves, and maple syrup. His large maple sugaring operation was one of the first to have a tubing system with metal pipes and troughs that used gravity instead of pails to collect sap. His property around Lows Lake included a blacksmith shop, an energy generating plant, a stable, an engine house, storehouses and maple sugaring buildings.
At peak production in 1907, Low’s operation produced 20,000 gallons of syrup.
At the time of his death in 1912, he was second only to Thomas Edison for the number of patents held by a single person, for things like a motor, exhaust system, igniter, bottle design and a means of preserving maple sugar. He invented a square glass bottle to ship spring water to New York City. The square bottle allowed for easier packing in a box. The bottles could then be returned and reused.
Abbot Augustus Low was the man behind the sap. An entrepreneur and inventor from Brooklyn who owned the Horseshoe Forestry Company, his business enterprises included spring water production, wild berry preserves, and maple syrup. His large maple sugaring operation was one of the first to have a tubing system with metal pipes and troughs that used gravity instead of pails to collect sap. His property around Lows Lake included a blacksmith shop, an energy generating plant, a stable, an engine house, storehouses and maple sugaring buildings.
At peak production in 1907, Low’s operation produced 20,000 gallons of syrup.
At the time of his death in 1912, he was second only to Thomas Edison for the number of patents held by a single person, for things like a motor, exhaust system, igniter, bottle design and a means of preserving maple sugar. He invented a square glass bottle to ship spring water to New York City. The square bottle allowed for easier packing in a box. The bottles could then be returned and reused.