Blog

The Community Science Institute (CSI) is releasing a free 30 page booklet that guides kids and their families through exploring water quality in streams by looking at aquatic life. This “Water Quality Report Card” is intended to serve as both a field guide to recognizing some of the most common organisms found in streams, andRead more

2020 marks the third year that the Community Science Institute (CSI) has led the Cayuga Lake Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) Monitoring Program in collaboration with the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network (CLWN) and Discover Cayuga Lake (DCL). The program is made possible by our dedicated volunteer HABs Harriers who monitor assigned lengths of shoreline for bloomsRead more

Join the Community Science Institute (CSI) for Fun and Educational Water Science Activities for Kids! To Sign Up for an Event, please Fill out the Form at the Bottom of the Page Stream Biomonitoring Fun at Upper Treman State Park Date: August 6      Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM Reservations are required and spaceRead more

Dear Volunteer Partners and Supporters, In the midst of COVID-19 cancellations and concerns, we would like to let each of you know CSI’s plans for cleanliness and community safety. In order to minimize the spread of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend practicing social distancing, hand hygieneRead more

Last week, Biomonitoring Coordinator Adrianna Hirtler traveled around Cayuga Lake to collect samples of phytoplankton including cyanobacteria for analysis at CSI’s certified water testing lab. The ongoing survey is helping CSI build a better understanding of Cayuga Lake’s natural cyanobacteria populations, the photosynthesizing bacteria that form harmful algal blooms. During the survey, Adrianna traveled toRead more

Check out this new radio series presented by WRFI Community Radio! Entitled The Ripple Effect, this series investigates issues impacting water in the Finger Lakes region such as climate change, flooding, invasive species, and harmful algal blooms. It features CSI and the dedicated volunteers we partner with who help us monitor and protect water.  YouRead more

The Northeast Chapter of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas (DSA) will be hosting its 2020 Dragonfly and Damselfly Nymphfest here in Ithaca! This day-and-a-half long event will include presentations from odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) experts, nymph identification workshops, and trips into the field to demonstrate nymph collection. The keynote speaker will be Marla Garrison,Read more

CSI is excited to present the Fall 2019 edition of The Water Bulletin: The Newsletter of the Community Science Institute This edition of the newsletter highlights the work of CSI and the dedicated volunteers we partner with to monitor harmful algal blooms (HABs) on Cayuga Lake and the water quality of tributary streams in theRead more

Join us at a public presentation sponsored by the Friends of Salt Point! Outreach Coordinator and Cayuga Lake HABs Monitoring Program Coordinator Nathaniel Launer will share observations and data from two years of community HABs monitoring on Cayuga Lake. The presentation will take place on November 21 at 7:00 PM in the Lansing Town Hall,Read more

Join us at the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 2019 Fall Community Conference to learn about the results of the 2019 Cayuga Lake Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Program. CSI Cayuga Lake HABs Monitoring Program Coordinator Nathaniel Launer will be presenting on the results of the 2019 monitoring season and what has been learned about harmful algalRead more