Blog

Please enjoy this article written by one of CSI’s longterm HABs Harriers, James Edwards. This article was first included in the 7th HABs Newsletter of the 2025 season, compiled by the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network. James has been monitoring for harmful algal blooms on Cayuga Lake since our monitoring program began in 2018 on theRead more

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Community Science Institute has long been known for our environmental monitoring partnership programs. Our partnerships with groups of volunteers are at the core of our mission to empower citizens to monitor and protect water quality. However as CSI grows, our needs for volunteer engagement are increasing. We have developed new ways for community members toRead more

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global celebration of generosity. This Giving Tuesday, we hope that you will consider making a difference by becoming a member of CSI. Just take a look at what your support of CSI means to one of our valued members and longtime volunteers, Di Florini:   “CSI taught James and IRead more

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 partsRead more

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