The dog days of summer are nearly upon us; difficult to comprehend sometimes when you think back to May and the snow we received during the spring. Covid-19 has surely made many rethink their priorities and day to day operations / interactions with others. Fortunately, the bright side to the current situation is that Rogers Center property has received some well needed attention. The trout feeding ponds where visitors frequently feed the fish received an overhaul, from not only the dredging of the silt during the months of May/June, but to a re-fencing project around each of the three ponds. The old worn and true wooden posts / lateral rails continue to stand at attention, while an additional metal barrier was added from the top to the bottom of each rail to prevent a child or adult from taking a plunge into the ponds. Our FOR & NYS partnership remains strong and a ‘big thank you’ must go out to the local region 7 NYS DEC staff for their hard work on property due to NYS travel restrictions; from the painting of bridges, trimming of hedgerows, expansion of handicap accessible paths, to the installation of Smokey the Bear along Rt. 80! There had been a longstanding list of benchmark projects on property that only DEC was permissible to facilitate, and many of those projects were accomplished during the past 45 days. And yet, there is lots more to do from painting/striping the main parking lot with designated spots to park a car / unload a wheel chair, to the repair of a leaking skylight in the outdoor classroom – not to mention the work that needs to be done down on the Adam’s Farm Trail parcel. What makes these relationships work is a love for Rogers Center, whether it’s a state employee or a visitor from afar; there’s something about wanting to make Rogers Center the best it can be! We remain hopeful to begin facilitating in-person programming in the future, so be on the lookout for our popular Family Fishing Day event on 8/1 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. when we will also revisit our Spring Frolic Silent Auction from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. adjacent to the Visitor Center in the Outdoor Classroom. And I’m sure all will be happy to hear, the restrooms outside on Rogers Center property are now back up and open from 7 am-7 pm Friday-Sunday.
Stay cool, stay well.
See you on the trails!
Simon M. Solomon