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It is a pleasure to announce that Community Science Institute’s (CSI’s) board of directors and staff have adopted a new mission statement as well as a vision statement for our organization. As part of CSI’s recent strategic planning process, CSI’s staff and board concluded that our previous mission statement did not fully encapsulate all parts of CSI. The previous mission statement was focused largely on our volunteer water quality monitoring partnerships while failing to acknowledge the important work we do to provide fee-for-service water testing to the public or provide education about water science to the community. Our board and staff therefore set out to revise the mission statement and craft a vision statement that more accurately reflect CSI’s full purpose. 

What are Mission and Vision Statements? A mission statement outlines an organization's purpose and goals. It defines what the organization does, why it does it, and for whom. A vision statement, on the other hand, is a future-oriented declaration of what an organization aspires to become. It paints a picture of the organization's desired future state.

Why do they matter? Mission and vision statements provide a clear sense of direction for an organization. They help guide decision-making, inspire staff and volunteers, and align stakeholders. For a nonprofit like CSI, these statements are particularly important as they help to focus efforts and resources on achieving our organization's goals.

CSI's New Mission and Vision

The Community Science Institute (CSI) is excited to announce its new mission and vision statements:

Mission:

To inspire and empower communities to safeguard water resources by cultivating scientific literacy through volunteer water quality monitoring, certified laboratory analyses, and education.

Vision:

Communities empowered by science to sustain, protect, and restore our shared water resources.

What it all means:

Mission:

“To inspire and empower communities...”

At CSI, we believe in the power of community and working together. Our work aims to provide communities with the information, skills, and inspiration they need to take action to protect our shared water resources.

“...to safeguard water resources...”

CSI's programs provide valuable data on water quality trends, enabling early detection of pollution and other issues that threaten water resources such as harmful algal blooms.

“...by cultivating scientific literacy...”

In our current climate, many have grown to mistrust science. By building a greater understanding of the scientific process through opportunities for community members to engage in the process of data collection and providing educational resources, we can foster trust and comprehension of scientific data. 

“... through volunteer water quality monitoring...”

CSI partners with over 250 volunteers to monitor water quality through our Synoptic Sampling, Biomonitoring, and Harmful Algal Bloom monitoring programs.

“... certified laboratory analyses...”

CSI is a NYSDOH-ELAP certified laboratory. We provide regulatory quality results for both drinking water and surface waters. These data can be confidently used to inform water resource management and public health decision-making.

“... and education.”

CSI offers a variety of educational programs centered around water quality, including workshops, symposia, online resources, and notably our Journey of Water Summer series for kids and their families.

Vision:

“Communities empowered by science...”

Informed communities that are armed with the knowledge and tools to understand and address local water quality issues are our most powerful assets.

“...to sustain...”

Sustaining water quality refers to maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of our local water bodies, ensuring they remain healthy and capable of supporting aquatic life and human activities.

“...protect...” 

Protecting water quality involves safeguarding water bodies from pollution and degradation, ensuring they remain clean and safe for human consumption and recreation as well as aquatic wildlife.

“...and restore...”

Restoring water quality involves taking actions to reverse the degradation of water bodies, such as removing pollutants, restoring damaged habitats, and implementing practices to prevent future pollution.

“...our shared water resources.”

Our streams, lakes, and groundwater aquifers are used and impacted by residents, visitors, and businesses. These resources are interconnected and require collective efforts for their sustainable management.

With these new statements as our guiding principles, CSI is poised to continue its important work alongside our community partners so that we may make a lasting positive impact on water quality in our region.

On December 4th, join Cayuga Lake Watershed Network and the Cayuga Lake Hydrilla Task Force for an informational session that will include background on the program, annual reports from the NYSDEC, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and a Q&A panel. Our second session on December 11th will include presentations and an expert panel onRead more

From the desk of CSI Executive Director, Grascen Shidemantle, PhD.  To visit this article on the Ithaca Times website, visit: 8/15/24: Guest Opinion: Correcting the Record on Cayuga Lake Pollution To read the 8/8/24 article on the Ithaca Times website, visit: 8/8/24: Guest Opinion: Pollution of Inlet and Cayuga Lake  On August 8th, 2024, theRead more

Community Science Institute (CSI) is excited to announce the completion of our organization’s first strategic plan. This comprehensive roadmap outlines our vision for the future and identifies key strategies to make CSI’s operations more sustainable while deepening our impact on our community and our shared water resources. CSI’s strategic planning process was guided by localRead more

We thank you for your interest in participating! However the precipitation monitoring program is closed at this time and all rain gauges have been deployed around the region. Many thanks to the Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County for funding this collaborative project between CSI and CoCoRaHS. If you would like to monitor precipitation, you mustRead more

With this new feature on our database, you can: Monitor active blooms on the lake – just like you could with our HABs reporting page last year. Explore data from all previous years of the Cayuga Lake Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Program! Download HABs data to analyze patterns yourself. We are so excited to unveilRead more

CSI’s Water Quality Indicators: Chloride in Context As someone who drives route 13 from Cortland to Ithaca every day, I am grateful for road deicers, especially during this time of year. They are absolutely critical for keeping roads safe for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. In fact, road deicers reduce the rate of car accidents byRead more

At Community Science Institute (CSI), environmental education is a core part of our mission to empower residents to become stewards of their local water resources. Thanks to a generous gift from the Community Foundation of Tompkins County directed by the estate of Dr. Tapan Mitra, CSI will be able to take that mission to newRead more

The Power of Community-Collected Data: how CSI’s data have been used to effect positive change Community Science Institute has been a pillar in the Finger Lakes region for over two decades. In that time, we have collected over 80,000 water quality data points with the help of our extensive community volunteer network. While short-term dataRead more

Our 2022 Membership Goal                                                                                                       Read more

Save the date! The Community Science Institute will host our 2022 Volunteer Thank You Dinner and Celebration on Friday, July 15, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. The celebration will be held in the large pavilion at Ithaca’s gorgeous Stewart Park on the waterfront of Cayuga Lake! The celebration will be a fun time to connectRead more

Dear CSI Volunteers, Friends, and Supporters,           The board and staff of the Community Science Institute are delighted to announce that Grascen Shidemantle will assume the duties of Executive Director in July 2022. Grascen will begin her work at CSI February 7 as our Executive Director in training on a part timeRead more

This summer CSI will again be hosting fun, water science education events as part of our 4-H2O Education Program. These events include Water Quality Cruises with Discover Cayuga Lake, Biomonitoring Fun at local state parks, and the Amazing Cyanobacteria of Cayuga Lake Workshops. Whether you have attended a 4-H2O Education Program event in the past, orRead more

Dear CSI Volunteers, Friends, and Supporters, The land owned by the Baden-Powell Boy Scout Council, long home to Camp Barton, will be sold. Similar to the Bell Station Landing on Cayuga’s eastern shore, this 138-acre property on the southwest shore is an invaluable natural resource. In it, Trumansburg Creek flows through mature hardwood forests overRead more

CSI is excited to present the Fall 2021 Edition of The Water Bulletin: The Newsletter of the Community Science Institute This exciting edition of our newsletter brings you stories of water quality data in action, demonstrating the strength of community-led monitoring of water resources and regulatory-quality data. Articles in this edition: CSI’s Role in theRead more