Recreation and Sporting Activities

Recreation

Sports and Hunting

• Hunting
• Fishing
• Hiking: Chenango Land Trust
• Fingerlakes Trail System
• Horseback Riding
• Mountain Biking
• Bird Watching
• Golfing
• Motocross Racing

Located just outside of Oxford, Bowman Lake State Park has a wilderness apsect you might not expect to find in Central New York.  Within the park's 653 acres sits a 35-acre natural spring-fed lake.  Spend the day, hike around Bowman Lake, and have a picnic at one of the many picnic facilities.  If paddling is your pleasure, rent a paddle boat at the boathouse, or simply spend an afternoon enjoying the scenery from a chair on the sand beach.  Bring the family for the weekend and camp at one of 198 large camp sites.  Then hike the park's nature trails. Keep your eyes open for a white-tailed deer, a wild turkey, a red fox and her kits, and maybe even a beaver.   Geese, ducks, warblers, and woodpeckers are among the birds you can spot.   Magnificent mosses, ferns and towering maples line the quiet woodland trails.   Bowman Lake State Park is open all year for fishing, summer and winter camping, swimming, bycycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.

Hikers on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) in Chenango County gain another perspective on our beautiful countryside.  Traversing the county from the northwest to the southeast corner, the FLT offers 72 miles of hiking through state land and park land, along fence rows and through forests.  Discover the magnificent gorge in North Pharsalia.  Hike through fertile meadows and hillsides and stands of balsam.   Along the trail, see sparkling waterfalls and points of historical interest, like the stone foundation of an old stagecoach inn and large, mysterious old stone piles.   In the fall, the trails are lined with amber, red and gold, and views are ablaze with the autumn colors that are the trademark of Chenango County.  E-mail:  fltc@axsnet.com

The Brookfield Trail System

The Brookfield Trail System offers 130 miles for horseback riding and snowmobiling, and is shared between Chenango and Madison counties.  The trail has an assembly and camping area that can accommodate up to 150 horses and campers.  Stalls, rest areas, picnic areas and camping facilities are available.  Hikers and corss-country skiers enjoy the Brookfield Trail System as well.

Whaupaunaucau State Forest

Another great trail system can be found at Whaupaunaucau State Forest in North Norwich.  Hikers and cross-country skiers have access to nearly 1,200 acres of state land.  It's a great location for a day hike, or plan an overnight stay in a lean-to along the trail.

Rogers Environmental Education Center

There is a lot to do at Rogers Center. Its 600 acres offer a variety of habitats for the walker, bird watcher, photographer, snowshoer, or cross-country skier. Trails traverse woodlands, meadows, wetlands, plantations, and farm fields. The Visitor Center features exhibits focusing on natural resources, a library, staff offices, classroom space, and restrooms. The upper gallery of the Visitor Center offers a view of the marsh, enabling the visitor to see geese and ducks feeding, muskrats swimming, and great blue herons and osprey fishing.

Scheduled Programs and Services:
Rogers Center staff provide a variety of programs for interested visitors. Program areas include natural resources, nature study, ecological concepts, and environmental quality.
School Visits -
School groups come for a variety of programs or on a self-guided basis. Visits should be arranged at least three months in advance.
Youth Groups - Camping sites and programs are available to educational groups. Programs are designed to meet the group's needs, such as merit badge requirements.
Special Interest Groups -
slide shows and other programs are available on a variety of nature and environmental topics.
Teacher Workshops -
Project WILD in lesson plan format, the K-12 Activity Guide provides 122 interdisciplinary lessons cross-referenced by grade, subject, topic, skill and time required; and includes early childhood extensions. Project WILD Aquatic forty-eight more activities emphasize aquatic wildlife and their habitats. Project WET offers ninety-one activities to help students understand water and water issues. Science & Civics offers high school students informative, innovative and interactive science and social science activities. Flying WILD presents forty-three activities designed to excite middle school students about celebrating birds. Below ZERO focuses on winter ecology: wildlife in winter and frozen conditions. Proyecto WILD offers some activities from both Basic and Aquatic WILD in Spanish. Inquire about other topics.

Public Programs - Weekend and evening programs are offered throughout the year for individuals and families. Visit our Scheduled Programs and Services page on our website http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1831.html.
Naturalist Intern Program - Three months of training help people learn the skills of an environmental educator.
Rogers Center in Winter:
Rogers Environmental Interpretation Institute - An intensive four-week course in natural history and environmental education.
Winter Living Celebration - Our annual big event includes many winter activities and attractions for everyone.
Accessible features: Day use, picnic pads, grills, picnic tables, rest rooms, nature walk, and pavilion.