Just a reminder.  If you are looking to take advantage of the reduced fees for summer camp, be sure that you have made your first installment payment by 1 March.

Learn all of the details by studying our Summer Camp Fees page.

While it may seem like we are in the depths of winter, the spring is approaching and with it, Bear Paw Maple Syrup Days.   Maple Syrup Days is a one day activity, held this year on March 20, March 27, and April 3, when Scouts and Scouters of all ages participate in the harvesting and processing of raw sap into pure maple syrup.  The all-day event includes lessons and hands on work in collecting and making Bear Paw Maple Syrup.  And the best part, it includes tasting.

I asked Maple Days organizer, Derek Fournier, for more about the operation and he shared these fun facts about maple syrup and about the Bear Paw Sugar Bush.

• Wisconsin ranks fourth in the United States in maple syrup production, after Vermont, New York, and Maine
• Each tap will yield an average of 10 gallons of sap per season, producing about one quart of maple syrup.
• Maple syrup contains as much calcium as does milk. Is an excellent source of potassium, yet is low in sodium.  Contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals.  Contains no fat, no cholesterol, and is the lowest in calories of all the natural sweeteners
• For 2010 approximately 210 trees will be tapped at Bear Paw
• Scouts at the Bear Paw Sugar Bush collected 2700 gallons of sap in 2008.  It was evaporated into 58 gallons of pure maple syrup or about 300 table sized 12oz bottles.

The volunteer staff for maple days is ready to handle hoards of interested Boy Scout  and Venture Scout units and plenty of room remains available for units to register for any of the three Saturday sessions.  Units can register by sending the completed registration form to the Center for Scouting in Appleton.   If you are hoping to make a weekend of it, campsites are still available throughout camp for a Polar Bear experience or contact the Center for Scouting to enquire about limited indoor unit camping that may be still be available at Bear Paw or down the road at Gardner Dam Scout Camp.

Be sure to visit the Maple Days page on this site to learn all about the program or join the conversation on the Bulletin Board.  Also find a Frequently Asked Questions discussion on the Bulletin Board.