Kansas City, Mo. – Defy winter by bundling up and attending the annual Urban Woodsman program Feb. 20 at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in the heart of Kansas City. This free Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) event in the center’s native plant garden celebrates winter with outdoor skills tips and warm fires.

Some changes are in place for this year’s event. COVID-19 precautions and protocols will be observed including physical distancing and face masks. Rather than an open walk-in event, this year’s Urban Woodsman is divided into three one-hour sessions for participants ages 10 and older. Sessions will begin at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. Registration is required.

Urban Woodsman will highlight resources that trees provide. Winter camping skills will be demonstrated such as fire building, wood splitting, and campfire cooking. Discovery Center staff have also tapped trees for winter sap gathering, including sugar maples. Participants will get to see how sap is collected, stored, then boiled into maple syrup.

This is an all-outdoor program. Participants should dress for the winter weather of the day. Instructor Pat Whalen, MDC naturalist, will be in touch by email with those who register.

To register, visit MDC’s events page for the Kansas City region, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZXo. For more information on the Gorman Discovery Center, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/discoverycenter.