Natural Resources
5,500 Acres of Natural Resources in the Heart of the Catskill Mountains
Frost Valley YMCA is situated across about 5,500 acres. This land is home to vast natural resources in the heart of the Catskills, which are managed by the Natural Resources and Environmental Science Department. Our land is managed for multiple uses, including recreation, watershed protection, diversity, timber, fish and wildlife, and aesthetics.
Learn more about our Maple Sugaring, Streamside Classroom, and Outdoor Sporting Programs below.
For more information, contact us at 845-985-2291 ext 397, naturalresources@frostvalley.org
Maple Sugaring
Frost Valley first began maple sugaring in 1978 using buckets to collect the sap from sugar maple trees. At that point, only a few hundred buckets were used. Today we use tubing to collect the sap and large tanks for storage. Our sugaring operation has nearly 1,200 taps. Still a small operation by commercial standards, we offer the opportunity for visitors to learn how trees grow and store energy and how we can make syrup using only pure maple sap.
Frost Valley is in the heart of sugar maple country. Northeast North America is the only place in the world where sugar maple trees grow and where Maple Syrup is made. Visit one of Frost Valley’s maple sugar open houses during the early spring to learn about how pure maple syrup is made. See the tap-to-table process, identify a sugar maple tree, see our evaporator, and try a sample of fresh syrup. Our Maple Sugar/Sap House is 1 mi. east of our main entrance at 2000 Frost Valley Road.
Streamside Classroom
Frost Valley YMCA’s Streamside Classroom was made possible through an educational partnership granted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1995. It provides data to research partners that contributes invaluable information on pressing environmental issues such as acid deposition (or acid rain), nitrogen saturation in Northeast forests and broader global climate change. The Streamside Classroom at Frost Valley models these watershed studies, giving students and teachers the opportunity to study the watershed. An integrated curriculum is used to investigate how watershed hydrology and chemistry, geology, ecology, and wildlife interact in a watershed.
Hike, Fish and Hunt
Our Outdoor Sporting Program provides nature enthusiasts access to 5,500 acres of forest, fields, lakeshore, riverbeds, and trails to experience the freedom of the outdoors. With enrollment, one can hike, camp, fish and hunt our piece of the “forever wild” Catskill Park.
