BCS Maple  Program

3/13 This week we will definitely busy On Monday.  I think It is likely to fill our sap tank, and have some leftover.   We will Likely not collect on Tue or Wed based on weather, it wont really be running anyway.  On Thursday we will collect and hopefully get the evaporator where it needs to be.  On Friday We will either be finishing getting the evaporator ready, or we will be actually boiling.  It depends on how much progress we make Monday after school.    If we don't boil Friday we will be on Saturday.  We have enough sap to get started for sure.   As per usual with any maple season, we are already behind.  This is not unexpected.  

3/9 its been a busy week, but we are pretty much all tapped out.  We also Partially collected about 75 gallons the other day.  the Weather is looking good.  We will not be working today(Thursday), But we will be very busy tomorrow.  I am going to push the end time back to4:30- 5 tomorrow.  We will need to do a full collection from the woods.  we will also need prep our containers for doing so.  If we finish early, we can start to get the shack in place, leveled out, and put the evaporator back together.   There will be no maple this weekend.  I should, but I have other obligations.  depending on weather, this might make it so that we need to boil sometime next week and next weekend.  We will see how far behind processing we get.  and how warm it is.  

Our schedule always remains fluid, depending on the number of participants and the weather.  If a large number of students participates, I will select specific days of the weeks for different grades to attend.  This has not problem in the past, but our project is growing in popularity with students and we may come to this point this year.  Weather is also a factor. When temps remain below freezing for several days at a time, there is no sap run, so if we have processed what we have, it can leave us with nothing to do.  If it is cold and rainy, we will often skip that day.  

Saturdays/Sunday Afternoon- boiling as needed,  this is often an all day affair, students in the program are not required to attend, and those that do attend are asked to sign-up for a time, so that we always have several students on hand to run the evaporator.  No student is expected to attend all day, some do. 

The key to the success of the program is scheduling students so that we have enough man/women power to do the work on hand, but not so many that students are left wanting things to do. 

Any students in grade 7 or 8 that are in good academic and behavioral standing are welcome to participate.  Much like a coach, the program advisor reserves the right to decide what students participate in the program.

Students should dress for the weather, sometimes It’s warm and sunny, sometimes it was warm and sunny on the weekend and we still need to collect even though it's turned cold.  Students should wear warm boots, gloves and a hat. They should at least have gloves and a hat at all times, it can get quite cold. Waterproof boots are a plus later in the year when things really start to thaw, there are several water filled holes that end up soaking a foot or two each year.  Days in the shack can still be cold, it’s not insulated and the arch is very insulated so that all the heat goes into the pans, not into the rest of the shack. 

Dress in layers, hat gloves always on hand.  Sometimes traction grippers or creepers are a necessary for collection of sap.  Sometimes rubber boots are best, or shoes that can be soaked anyway.