SHERBURNE – Friends of Rogers joins Cornell Cooperative Extension in presenting a Master Forest Owners Refresher Workshop Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which means there will be a lot of new faces at Rogers Center this weekend. Twenty people have already signed up and the event represents the potential start of a collaboration between the Extension and Friends of Rogers.

The workshop will touch on a variety of useful things including a segment on dealing with feral pigs. Feral pigs have grown into a systemic problem for farmers and gardeners alike, as the rampant piggies get into crops and vegetable patches pigging out on their

contents, Extension experts say.

Since the state cut funding to the Rogers Conservation Center, it has remained operational due to the efforts of the Friends, a volunteer group reliant on the support of the community. The DEC still retains a presence at the park and takes care of some of the trail work which can’t be accomplished by volunteers. The rest of the Rogers operation, such as the events, general upkeep, as well as the bills, are all handled by Friends of Rogers. “We have been able to keep the park open because we have a good group of volunteers and a good board of directors,” said Cara Sefchick, the last of Rogers’ full timers.