Give the gift of community water stewardship - now and in the future
Our 2025 Fundraising Goal Progress
$50,000
25%At Community Science Institute, our impact is powered by the generosity and commitment of people like you. Your support fuels our mission to inspire and empower communities to safeguard water resources through science, education, and collaboration.
In 2024, thanks to our dedicated supporters and volunteers, CSI achieved meaningful milestones in community-based water stewardship:
- Partnered with over 250 local volunteers to collect more than 5,000 water quality data points
- This included approximately 545 stream and lake samples,
- 127 Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) reported on Cayuga Lake,
- Thousands of benthic macroinvertebrates sorted for stream health assessments, and
- 250 streamside water samples analyzed during the final year of the Red Flag Program.
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Engaged the public through 20+ outreach events across the Finger Lakes region, both in-person and online.
- Hosted 149 children and families in our free Journey of Water youth education series, made possible by the Park Foundation.
- Of these families, 60.2% reported household incomes of $30,000 or less, highlighting the value of accessible, no-cost environmental education.
- Performed 2,916 drinking water tests—a 28% increase in testing volume compared to 2023, supporting clean water access for more households.
Join us in 2025 by Becoming a Member:
As part of our 2025 Annual Membership Drive, your membership will help us continue and expand our work in environmental monitoring, scientific education, and community engagement.
This year, you can choose to contribute to the CSI campaigns that matter most to you, including the following:
Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
Profiling nutrient loading and monitoring pathogenic bacteria in streams and Cayuga Lake. Through these monitoring efforts, we identify potential dangers to swimmers, boaters, and aquatic ecosystems. You can now “Adopt A Stream” in Seneca, Cayuga, or Tompkins County by contributing to these campaigns! Click here to view the Streams & Lakes Database.
Cayuga Lake Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring
Monitoring Cayuga Lake Harmful Algal Bloom frequency, location, composition, density, and toxicity so that we may better understand patterns of HABs on Cayuga Lake. The results of this program are published in near real-time on our HABs database to help area residents, visitors, and municipalities make informed decisions about water recreation!
Journey of Water, CSI’s Youth Education Series
The Journey of Water (JoW) is CSI’s 12-part summer education series for youth and families, exploring how drinking and surface water flow through the Cayuga Lake Watershed. Through hands-on activities, participants learn about the water cycle, wetlands, wastewater treatment, biomonitoring, and water quality. JoW builds place-based water science knowledge using CSI’s expertise and partnerships with local and state organizations.
Biological Monitoring
Biological monitoring (or biomonitoring) is a fun, affordable, and effective way to assess stream health by studying aquatic life. Benthic macroinvertebrates—stream-dwelling insects and other small organisms—are commonly used because they’re widespread and easy to collect. Organizations like NYSDEC have developed protocols to translate these communities into water quality ratings. Biomonitoring offers a reliable, low-cost snapshot of stream health and is ideal for citizen science.
Together, we can continue building a future where communities are informed, engaged, and empowered to protect the waters they depend on.
Become a Member at one of the annual contribution levels listed below. All members receive a subscription to our Water Bulletin Newsletter and our Annual Report as well as an invitation to our Annual Volunteer Symposium, and receive a 15% discount on one certified water test performed at CSI’s lab during their membership year!
Donations can be made online or by mailing your contribution to the Community Science Institute at the address listed below. CSI is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and your donation is fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Community Science Institute
95 Brown Rd./ STE 1044
Ithaca, NY 14850
Make a One-time Donation
Give the lasting gift of community water stewardship and protection. Your gift today will ensure that we can further our mission to partner with communities to protect water. Your gift will support our existing programs – such as the Cayuga Lake Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) Monitoring Program – and will fund new initiatives to shed light on the Finger Lakes’ most pressing water quality issues.
“This is my community and water is life. If I want to live well in my community, I need to know that the water is being guarded.”
– Roberta Healey, Red Flag Volunteer monitoring Fly Meadow Creek
Purchase Community Science Institute Attire!
Help spread the word about our organization by wearing a CSI T-shirt or sweatshirt! Shirts and sweatshirts come in multiple sizes and colors.
Our custom apparel was designed by a former CSI Staff member, Aleah Young.
Recent Posts
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New ways to volunteer at CSI in 2025!
Community Science Institute has long been known for our environmental monitoring partnership
7 March, 2025