| FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
|
For
More Information, Contact: |
| March
16, 2009 |
Coria
Holland
Director of Communications
617-624-9319
coria.holland@jud.state.ma.us |
PROBATIONERS
HELP PREPARE FOR BLUE HILLS’
ANNUAL MAPLE SUGAR DAYS FESTIVAL
(Photos by
Lisa Hickey, Community Service Assistant
Statewide Supervisor)
A group of probationers
lent a hand to the state Department
of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
in the preparation for and set-up of
the annual Maple Sugar Days Festival
at the Brookwood Farm in the DCR Blue
Hills Reservation recently which drew
3,000 children and families. March
is “Maple Sugar Month” in
Massachusetts.
The 84 probationers,
part of the Massachusetts Trial Court
Community Service Program, logged in
336 hours of work over an eight-day
period. This year marked the fourth
consecutive year the Community Service
Program assisted the DCR on this project.
“This year was
a challenge with all the snow, but
the offenders eagerly jumped right
in to help and make sure the event
went off on time,” said Walter
Skinner, Norfolk County Court Services
Coordinator.
The offenders were ordered
by the court to perform community service
work in lieu of paying court fines
and costs. The Maple Sugar Days event
featured the collection and cooking
of raw maple sugar, an instructional
session for children as well as games.
The other festival highlights included
a large bonfire.
“Our Maple Sugar
program is by far the most intense
programs we offer in terms of set-up
and preparations. The Community Service
crew helps with all aspects of set-up
from tapping the maple trees to collecting
the sap to splitting cords of wood
to burn in the evaporator,” said
Lt. Tom Bender, District Ranger at
the Blue Hills Reservation. “Since
the crew is here on Saturdays, they
are a big help getting all of the last
minute tasks done that require a bunch
of hands. I think it is a win-win situation
for both agencies. We get tons of help
with set-up and hopefully we are instilling
stewardship of the parks and open space
in the minds of the crews.”
Among the duties probationers
performed were the splitting and stacking
of firewood for the kiln, hanging and
collecting buckets of sap from trees
throughout Houghton’s Pond and
Brookwood Farm. Crew members also stacked
firewood in the barns, set-up tables
and chairs and piled brush and trees
for the bonfire. |
