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Cooper’s hawk zipping by...

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Just TWO WEEKS remaining to make YOUR PLEDGE!  Visit: www.experiment.com/NYCeDNA

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17 days left on this “ALL-OR-NONE” campaign! This mean no pledges are collected if the goal is NOT met! If you’ve been waiting, now is the time to make a pledge to help science!  www.experiment.com/NYCeDNA

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Help this snapping turtle live in clean, healthy ponds!

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Greeting Supporter of Science,

I am reaching out to you today to ask for your help in funding my summer 2015 ecological research project. Like most people, we New Yorkers want to live in a healthy, sustainable city. To that end, there may be nothing more important than having rich greenspaces that support abundant biodiversity within the urban landscapes that make our city a thriving metropolis.

Parks, wetlands, and open areas provide countless benefits to city dwellers. Clean air and water, space to recreate, and budding trees keep us connected with the natural world while helping to support wildlife in surround habitats. Restoration and conservation of these important “ecosystem services” could not be possible without scientific understanding of the functioning and processes that occur. The first step to building a better city through ecology is to identify the organisms at each designated research site. This is my immediate goal, and with help from supporters like you, it can be achieved!

Ecological research funding has decreased in recent years as the need for and number of research projects has increased, making the grants game extremely competitive. With that in mind, I have taken alternative measures to garner the necessary funding for this summer's research and set up a crowd funding page on Experiment.com.

Once funds are raised, all donations will be transferred to an account at the CUNY Research Foundation which will then be made available for research activities such as genetic sequencing and field assistants.

Experiment.com is an “all-or-none” site which means that I have to reach my funding goal of $17,000 in order to receive any of the donations, and I only have 45 days!

The CLOCK IS TICKING! DONATE NOW at http://www.Experiment.com/NYCeDNA

If you have any questions about this project or how to donate, please let me know.

Thank you for considering supporting ecological research in New York City with results that will help change the world!

Sincerely,

Seth Wollney

Doctoral Student

College of Staten Island and Graduate Center - CUNY

Seth.Wollney@csi.cuny.edu

Seth.Wollney@gmail.com

 PS- please feel free to forward this e-mail or share this letter!

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Red-headed bush cricket, Wallkill River, NJ

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We all just hanging around....

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Cruising to the top on Flickr.

adult cicada cruising the top of the world… or tree…

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The cicadas are here!  The first round of emergence is finally upon Staten Island.  These Magicicada septendecum were photographed this morning on the south shore… the best is yet to come!

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Nymph magicicadas are starting to be commonly found under boards, logs and rocks around Staten Island.  Once the temps warm up just a little more, we will start seeing the adults!

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A cicada shedding its skin.

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An online gallery I recently curated on the Staten Island Museum's website with images from local artists.

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Get ready New York, they’re coming soon……..

Artwork by Chris Sorrentino

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Purple gallinule bring a gift home

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Willets waiting for some color

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white-winged dove now black and white