Rogers Environmental Education Center

Quick Bits

Main Activities - Hike,  XC-Skiing
Distance - ~ 3.4 miles of trails
Quiet - road noise in sections  near  state highway 80, otherwise quiet.
Surface - very accessible at  the Center, less so at Farm Tower Trails
Elevation - very flat at  the Center,  some climb for the Farm Tower Trails
Pets - no pets
Address - 2721 NY Route 80, Sherburne, NY
Facilities - Restrooms at the Center

In a Nutshell

The Rogers Environmental Education Center is very accessible and well maintained. Besides the interpretive trails they offer various programs throughout the year. Cooperative effort between NY DEC and Friends of Rogers Center organization. They also have two other satellite locations nearby and the Farm Tower Trails across the road.

Location and Parking

More details

Rogers Environmental Education Center, also known as Rogers Center, is New York's oldest environmental education center. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation operated it until 2010. The following year, a private non-profit organization called Friends of Rogers began the management and operation of the Rogers Center (which I'll refer to here as The Center).  The Center is very accessible with a series of paved trails and additional wide, flat, mowed-grass trails. There is also a visitor's center and exhibits.  The Center has about 2.3 miles of trails with pond and river water features spread across about 94 acres. One border is the Chenango River. You'll also find a marsh and a couple ponds.

While the DEC website has maps, the Rogers Center map is better. Because of the number of loops, I suggest taking a map with you. The map box at the kiosk was empty when I was there, so perhaps print/download or your own ahead of time.  Rogers Center Trail Map. (Note: some of the maps are not oriented North, i.e. North is not at top of page). You may also find some service roads/paths if you get off the marked trails.

Across the road from the Center is the Farm Tower Trails which is over a mile of additoinal trails and a large, sturdy wooden tower that gives great views of the valley and the 91 acres of property on this south side of highway 80. Farm Tower Trail Map. another 1.1 miles or so of trails. 

Some of the trails, especially mid-summer, are cut through fields of high grass and wild flowers. This is beautiful, though for those under three-feet tall or in chairs, the view will be different than for those that can look over the thick grass. So if you're traveling with small children, they may want a lift up from time to time. This scenario is just a fraction of the trails.

The history of Rogers Center, goes back to 1909 when the New York state purchased 168 acres of land for the original game farm. It was the first game farm established in New York. The first managers of the Game Farm were Harry and Gertrude Rogers. The Great Depression would change things with the Civillian Conservation Corps being housed at Adams Farm starting in 1933. Fifteen years later, the Sherburne Pheasant Farm is renamed Rogers State Game Farm in 1948. In the 1960s, the game farm is phased out and the area is considered a nature area. It would become an Education Center in 1968. It would get the name Rogers Environmental Education Center in 1970 and for three decades used by the community for day visits and camps. The Friends of Rogers, a private 501(c)(3) organization, would come to the resuce in 2011 as the prior year, the NYS DEC closed the Center due to fiscal challenges. They offer many programs and activities.

Links of Interest

• Friends of Rogers Center

• Friends of Rogers Facebook Page

• NY State DEC website

Wander & Ponder Videos Recorded Here