The Adams Farm Property

Located just north of Rogers Center, on the corner of State Route 80 and Williams Road, the Adams Farm property was part of the original Sherburne Game Farm in 1909. Up through the mid-1900s, ponds were dug and pens were built to house and care for thousands of game birds.

Today the ponds and woodlands on this property are being reclaimed by nature…and invasive species. Still, any visitor to the property is likely to see green herons, painted turtles, Joe Pye weed, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, and more. This tract of land holds a lot of promise for a more balanced ecological future.

The answer is complex and manyfold.

In the early days of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), it was thought that the sale of Asian honeysuckles, autumn olive, common buckthorn and multiflora rose would benefit wildlife.

We have since learned that these non-native plants (and many others) were not the panacea they were thought to be, and in fact, they have turned our landscapes into areas where native plants and animals are now struggling to survive.

Across the United States, many grassroot and governmental groups are now joining forces to eradicate these invasive species and restore our native vegetation.

This is a Herculean task, but one we are ready to tackle, thanks in part to a grant the Friends of Rogers received in July 2023 from the Chenango County Soil and Water Conservation District. This grant is allowing us to purchase the materials needed to begin our restoration project over on the Adams Farm property.

Stay tuned here for updates on the restoration project and learn how you or your group can become a part of this restoration success story.