(WNY News Now) – Jamestown, N.Y. –  The Sugar Maple trees are gearing up to push sap, and anyone who knows what that means is starting to anticipate the arrival of the sweetest treat.

You are invited to Audubon Community Nature Center’s February 2 First Friday, 11 a.m.–noon, for “Adventures in Making Maple Syrup with Rick Rupprecht.” This is your opportunity to learn about maple syrup from beginning to end.

Rupprecht has been making maple syrup for years, and he has a sweet little sugar shack to help with the effort. Come and learn more about how the low-sugar tree sap becomes the topping of choice for pancakes, waffles, ice cream… the list goes on. You may even get to sample some.

Retired from Jamestown Community College where he was director of aviation and professor of mathematics, Rupprecht has spent his entire life enjoying the outdoors in many ways. His longtime service as an Audubon volunteer includes conducting field trips to elk country in Pennsylvania, guiding viewing-only rattlesnake hunts, leading children on discovery walks, working at festivals, preparing spaghetti dinner fundraisers, presenting maple syrup workshops, building wood items for displays and exhibits, and more.

You are welcome to bring a bagged lunch and stay after the program.

The fee is $8 or $6 for Nature Center members and children ages 9 to 15. Reservations are appreciated by calling (716) 569-2345 or online through Programs and Events at AudubonCNC.org. Walk-ins are welcome.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. You can visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, and hike, snowshoe or cross country ski over five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 – 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.

To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC.org.

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.