(Sherburne, NY – Jan. 2016) Friends of Rogers, the non-profit organization operating the Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne is celebrating an outstanding season while anticipating another milestone year.
For 2015, reported attendance in the Visitor Center reached nearly 11,500, an increase of 12 percent over the previous year. When added to the estimated number of casual on-property visitors, Rogers Center hosted nearly 20,000 guests last year.
Growth at Rogers Center occurred in other areas as well. A “Native Pollinator” garden – featuring exclusively local plants – was created to make Rogers Center more friendly to local pollinators. Environmental Educator Sarah Freedman is preparing this garden to become a real-life learning laboratory for future programs.
“Nature’s Nursery,” a unique, nature-led early childhood education program, began this fall. Children’s Coordinator Jenni Larchar leads pre-schoolers through a variety of specialized activities, allowing them to learn and grow surrounded by the outdoors.
Youth “Summer Adventures Camps” grew from five weeks in the summer of 2014 to eight weeks in 2015, joined by the newly-created “Junior Adventures” for campers ages five and six.
A host of initiatives are currently in development for 2016. This includes creation of the “Local Environmental Education Project,” an innovative approach which will transform traditional field trip experiences at Rogers Center into outdoor classroom opportunities. Exhibit renovation is underway, with the aim of enhancing educational components and an emphasis on interactive elements for higher-quality learning experiences. The strategic expansion of experiential learning programs will bring even more visitors to Rogers Center for hands-on learning and exploration of the natural environment.
“It’s the willpower and commitment to the pursuit of our goal that continues to enable Friends of Rogers to succeed,” said Simon Solomon, Friends of Rogers executive director. “We are certainly inspired and motivated by last year’s successes, and we look forward to an exciting year in 2016.”
Rogers Center is operated by Friends of Rogers Environmental Education Center, Inc., a nonprofit organization that offers educational programs for people of all ages. Seasonal hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.