Do you love the taste of maple syrup?  Enjoy hearing the songs of birds in the woods?

Join Steve Hagenbuch, Audubon Vermont Conservation Biologist, for an interactive exploration of Audubon Vermont’s Bird-Friendly Maple sugarbush.

Biologically and structurally diverse sugarbushes offer great places for birds to forage, find cover, and raise their young. They are also likely to have better long-term sap production, fewer forest health problems, and be better able to adapt to the stresses of climate change.

Learn from Steve about Audubon’s  Bird-Friendly Maple Project, which works with maple producers in Vermont to integrate intentional forest management keeping birds in mind with producing maple syrup. We’ll explore the essential habitat features at Audubon’s sugarbush that birds rely upon for their survival.  Audubon’s sugarbush management is focused on enhancing the following bird-friendly characteristics:

• Increasing woody material on the ground to benefit bird species such as Ovenbird and Wood Thrush
• Increasing the understory forest layer over time to benefit bird species such as Black-throated Blue Warbler and Veery
• Leaving standing dead trees, known as snags, for birds and other wildlife to use for nesting and foraging

There will be the opportunity to purchase Audubon’s wood-fired, maple syrup produced in our bird-friendly sugarbush. Please bring cash if you’re planning to go home with some syrup!

This outing is appropriate for birders from beginner to advanced, everyone is welcome! Binoculars will be available to borrow.

This walk is part of our community-wide Audubon Bird & Barn Festival that will take place at the Green Mountain Audubon Center on the same day as the walk (Saturday, September 25). We encourage program participants to come enjoy bird banding, a live bird show, and other activities to celebrate the work Audubon does. The newly renovated Education Barn will be open to the public all day to tour the space.

This program will be limited to 20 participants. Click here to register. 

Program fee: FREE
Donations to Audubon are appreciated: vt.audubon.org/donate

Regarding the weather: Normally with light rain forecasted, we will go ahead with the walk. If strong winds or thunderstorms are expected, we will email folks and reschedule the walk. 

Trail/accessibility information: Our walk will be at a slow (birding) pace and will cover approximately 1.5 miles. The trail is mostly flat and unpaved. There are a few small wooden plank sections to cross wet/muddy areas. A wheelchair-accessible port-a-let is located on site. The trail is not wheelchair accessible.  If you require accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please contact Audubon Vermont at 802/434-3068.

COVID Safety: We are committed to our community's health & safety.  

Following CDC guidance, masking and physical distancing for fully vaccinated Vermonters is no longer required. The mandate remains in place for those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, including children who are not yet eligible for a vaccine.    

We understand that some people - even those who are vaccinated, or those who have health concerns, or those who might just feel more comfortable - may choose to continue to wear a mask. We wholeheartedly support their decision and ask all program participants to be respectful of their choice. We recognize that the decision to wear a mask and comfort levels could change for individuals, even over the course of an event. Folks should feel comfortable to ask others to physically distance. 

Please bring a mask to this event, as there are still spaces where masks may still be required. If you do not have one, please reach out to staff and we will provide one for you.  

Please do not attend if you are sick or symptomatic (with fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath), if you have received a positive COVID-19 test result within the last 14 days, or if you have had contact with any other person who is diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days.   

We will be collecting COVID-19 contact tracing information from everyone when you register for the event. This information will be kept confidential and used for COVID-19 tracing.