NOTTAWASAGA VALLEY CONSERVATION AUTHORITY
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The trees are tapped, and lines are running to welcome the first drop of sap from the sugar maples at the Tiffin Conservation Area. For more than 40 years, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) has run a volunteer based maple syrup program to support the local community.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of litres of Tiffin Maple Syrup was sold at the annual Spring Tonic Maple Syrup festival, a fundraiser hosted by NVCA and Rotary Club of Barrie. Although the festival is cancelled this year, NVCA is still producing the maple syrup in hopes to further support local causes.
“NVCA started its maple syrup program in the 1980s as an environmental education program for schools and families in the Nottawasaga Valley Watershed, said Byron Wesson, Director of Conservation Services at NVCA. “As the program evolved, the Spring Tonic Festival was born. Over the past decade, NVCA has been in a partnership with the Rotary Club of Barrie that sees all revenues split 50/50 with each side allocating their portion accordingly.”
The share received by NVCA is invested back into the maintenance of the maple syrup operation and our conservation areas while the Rotary Club of Barrie redirects their portion to the local community.
“Every year the event size and participation has been building,” said Darren Robinson, Director of the Spring Tonic Festival at the Rotary Club of Barrie. “A big part of our fundraising is driven by maple syrup sales at the event. The proceeds help the club provide donations to local charities and also allows us to take on self-directed initiatives that benefit the community as a whole. We look forward to working with the NVCA for years to come."
Volunteers who help with the maple syrup program mainly comprise of seniors and students. In a normal year, the seniors would be on the production line and students would be collecting sap buckets in the sap mobile. NVCA staff only plays a small role, including site preparation and overseeing the production process.
Tiffin Maple Syrup is available for sale online on NVCA’s website or during the weekend at the Tiffin Conservation Area from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Cash is not accepted at this time.
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