By Damaris Fernandez, Co-Editor in Chief
The Outdoors Club is hosting a maple syrup tasting and winter hike. The New Weiss Center will open its doors on March 5 for students to take an educational hike while learning about maple syrup, sap, and trees. Participants will be able to witness the evaporation process and get a chance to taste a fresh maple syrup batch.
“It’s a fun seasonal activity that combines the joys of winter hiking with lessons about maple sap history and ecology,” said Jade Tollis, president and founder of the Outdoors Club. The event is free for Bergen students, but space is limited. Participants are required to fill out a registration sheet where the exact address will be provided.
The maple syrup ecology trip is not sponsored by the college or the club, therefore event-goers are participating as individuals at their discretion.
Masks are required, as is appropriate clothing for the weather conditions.
The New Weiss Center is a non-profit space for ecology education and art recreation for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, skiing, and other outdoor sports. It sits on 42 acres of land that was purchased in 1920 by an organization named The Nature Friends. It was made up of mostly working-class German-speaking immigrants, who wanted a place where they could get away from the city.
In 2014, they officially became The Highlands Nature Friends, Inc, a tax-exempt organization seeking to educate and connect people with nature and the environment, as well as preserving and restoring the historic buildings and grounds of the property. “It was a sanctuary for young and old, a real sense of community. A more idyllic place, I could not imagine,” said John Matthes, grandson of early HNF member Adolf Matthes.
