The bottles of premium-quality maple syrup are neatly lined up inside a shed at the Lansdowne Outdoor Recreation Development Association park.
The season is just getting started this year for park curator Jim Crawford, who collects the maple sap in plastic buckets fixed to trees close to where he’s been camping out this winter.
Money earned from maple syrup sales helps cover expenses at the park, which is designed to be accessible for both people with disabilities and the elderly.
Sales were a bit slow last year for the maple syrup.
“It’s just the way it is I guess, there’s not much we can do about it,” said Crawford.
He is hopeful sales will pick up heading into the spring.
As Crawford spoke, he showed The News the buckets where maple sap is collected, which is then poured into barrels. Some buckets have lines leading back to the camp where they connect to a barrel.
Other revenue streams for the LORDA park include a fishing pond where each fish costs $2, which helps pay for liability insurance.
Otherwise, the park does not charge for camping or fishing on its grounds, but encourages people to make voluntary donations.
