SHERBURNE – Friends of Rogers (FOR), a not-for-profit group affiliated with the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Rogers Environmental Education Center, has reached an agreement with the DEC to operate the Rogers Center in Sherburne. Under the agreement, Friends of Rogers will continue to offer educational activities and public programs at the center.

The state closed the Rogers Visitor Center on Dec. 31, and funding for five education staff positions was eliminated.

“Like all state agencies, we are being required to make hard choices. Laying off these state employees was not something that we wanted to do, but given the tough economic times, it is something we needed to do,” said Acting Director of Communications Michael Bopp.

The property remains open to the public, from dawn to dusk. The state continues to maintain the buildings, plow and provide security.