Blog

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

Long-Term Study of Soluble Reactive Phosphorus Concentration in Fall Creek and Comparison to Northeastern Tributaries of Cayuga Lake, NY: Implications for Watershed Monitoring and Management has been published! Congratulations to authors Niamh O’Leary, Roxanna Johnston, Erica Gardner, Stephen Penningroth, and David Bouldin who have published this article in the peer-reviewed journal Water. Many thanks toRead more

A bit late but worth the wait! CSI’s 2018 Annual Report has been published. You can find an electronic edition of the report on our website with past newsletters and annual reports under the Outreach and Education tab. A big thanks to all of the naturalists, citizen scientists, supporters, and partners who made it possibleRead more

Saturday, September 28th from 1:00 – 4:00 PM South Seneca School 7263 Main St. Ovid, NY Please join us for this important community discussion. The Cayuga and Seneca Lake communities have been confronted by harmful algal blooms (HABs) on the lakes, changing weather patterns, and nutrients throughout the watershed. This forum seeks to address complexRead more

The Cayuga Lake Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) Monitoring Program had a busy start to the summer. On July 7th the first bloom on Cayuga Lake in 2019 was reported. In the following weeks, over 40 blooms have been reported and sampled by trained volunteers. A harmful algal bloom that occurred on the southwest shores ofRead more

Join the Community Science Institute for our Annual Volunteer Symposium. The event will take place on Thursday, June 6th, from 5:30 – 8:30 PM at the beautiful North Point Pavilion on the shore of Cayuga Lake at Taughannock State Park.   The CSI board and staff invite all of our volunteers to join us atRead more

Please join the Taughannock Garden Club for a public guest presentation on Harmful Algal Blooms by Nathaniel Launer, Cayuga Lake Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Program Coordinator. The presentation will take place on April 18th at 12:30 PM in the Melvin Room at the Ulysses Philomathic Library. All are welcome to attend. The presentation will provideRead more