It’s hot. It’s humid. We just got a good rain and the creeks are flowing, so it’s the perfect time to go swimming, right? Well, probably not. Even though it may seem like your best chance at cooling off, swimming immediately following a rain storm means that levels of E.coli and other pathogens are present in highRead more
Blog
Two Ithaca-based organizations, CSI and the Sciencenter, are teaming up for a summer camp program that builds leadership while providing an up-close look at the residents of Cascadilla Creek. The program, which begins on Friday, is the result of a successful 2013 pilot program that aimed to get Sciencenter summer campers and counselors-in-training involved with real-lifeRead more
Nearly 2 million New Yorkers rely on private wells for drinking water. Most of them have never done extensive testing to know what’s in their water. Now, thousands of Otsego County residents have a very good idea of their water quality, thanks to a recent initiative to document baseline water quality in advance of hydrofracking,Read more
A new collaboration between the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association (SLPWA) and the Community Science Institute (CSI) to monitor streams flowing into Seneca Lake has kicked off with volunteer training workshops, which are now completed. Monitoring will begin in late May. The goal of the pilot Stream Analysis Project is to monitor three streams thatRead more
In recognition of National Drinking Water Week, the local nonprofit water testing lab, Community Science Institute, will be offering discounted coliform bacteria testing for residents with private wells. National Drinking Water Week raises awareness about drinking water protection and highlights the importance of the availability of safe drinking water. Less than one percent (1%) ofRead more
6/23/14 Update: This position has been filled. The Community Science Institute (CSI) seeks a qualified individual at the junior or senior level to join our small, versatile lab team performing certified analyses of potable and non-potable water for coliform bacteria and over 15 chemical parameters. Minimum Qualifications: Either a B.S. in chemistry or related disciplineRead more
Youth aged 8-13 and their families are invited to come to an Open House for the 4-H20 Club, a 4-H club that partners with the Community Science Institute to monitor water quality in the streams and Cayuga Lake near Stewart Park . The Open House is scheduled for May 8th from 4:30-6:30 PM at CornellRead more
Abundant clean water is a defining characteristic of the Finger Lakes region. While the miles long lakes, tumbling waterfalls, and endless recreational opportunities can be easy to take for granted, there are teams of community volunteers, who, partnered with the Ithaca-based nonprofit water testing lab, the Community Science Institute, routinely monitor area streams and collectRead more
An expensive fix is set for the wastewater treatment plant that has spilled sewage and sent feces-bacteria-filled water cascading into Trumansburg Creek. The pollution, first reported by The Ithaca Journal in 2012, attracted attention from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and now, the Trumansburg Wastewater Treatment Plant is slated to receive $5.4 million in upgrades to fixRead more
CSI Ithaca Investigates Local Water Quality If you’ve ever needed your water tested, you might have come to the Community Science Institute (CSI). Tucked away on the second floor of Langmuir Lab by the Ithaca airport, CSI does much more than residential water testing. Founded in 2002, the Community Science Institute is a nonprofit organizationRead more
CSI’s Biological Monitoring program just got a big boost, thanks to a donation of six dissecting microscopes from the Ithaca College Biology Department. Microscopes are necessary for identifying benthic macroinvertebrates as part of CSI’s biological monitoring program. Benthic macroinvertebrates are aquatic insects that live at the bottom of streams. They are excellent indicators of waterRead more
If you can’t tell whether or not the pronotum of a thoracic segment of a Netspinning Caddisfly is scleratized, you’re not alone. You may have never even heard of a Netspinning Caddisfly. Fine details such as these are not noticed by casual observers, but play a major role in the world of aquatic entymology. WhenRead more
The Community Science Institute will be holding another event in the “What’s in Your Watershed?” series, focusing on Fall & Virgil Creeks. This event will take place on Wednesday, January 15th at 6:30 PM at the Tompkins County Public Library BorgWarner Room, located at 101 E. Green Street in Ithaca. This event will highlight theRead more
CSI and 59 other local nonprofit organizations will be at the 10th Annual Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair this Saturday, December 7th from 11 AM – 6 PM in Ithaca. The fair is held in both the First Baptist Church and the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of N. Cayuga and Court Street in Ithaca. The Alternative Gift Fair is an opportunityRead more
On the mellow autumn evening of October 12, the third Sunset Dinner on Cayuga was enjoyed by all in the beautiful dining hall at Wells College on Cayuga Lake’s east shore in the picturesque village of Aurora. “Sunset” is a dinner-dance fundraiser for the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network (Network), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating aboutRead more
