Onondaga Environmental Institute (OEI) embraces a model of community-driven environmental stewardship based on science. OEI’s purpose is to seek responsible stewardship of the environment, recognizing that human life and ecological systems are inter-related and have intrinsic value. Fostering responsible stewardship requires an understanding of community values about the environment around us; as well as educating the public regarding best practices.

Public participation allows community members to identify issues and set goals for our shared environment, helping to drive OEI’s research, planning, education, and restoration programs. The practice of adaptive management frames our approach to our programs; as it allows us to learn and modify projects to achieve the best outcome for the environment, aligned with the community’s expressed values and needs.

In turn, OEI shares information about the local environment through education and outreach programs. There are many challenges facing our environment, OEI is here to confront them and find solutions that work for the Central New York Community.

Adaptive management is a method of managing natural resources that places an emphasis on learning during the implementation process for environmental policies and strategies; then adapting implementation strategies accordingly.

Project Management:

Lead, coordinate, and schedule environmental projects, often involving multidisciplinary teams including academic institutions, government agencies, for-profit and non-profit organizations, and the public. OEI may either implement a project to its completion, or provide extended administrative services that facilitate a project conducted by an agency or subcontractor. Facilitation services include assistance with Requests for Proposals (RfP), bidding processes, scheduling of project meetings, document distribution and mandated communications.

Administrative Services:

Administer federal and non-federal environmental grants. Services include bookkeeping, budget tracking, communications, subcontracting, procurement, and information technology management. Coordinate funding acquisition for multi-institutional teams.

Community Outreach and Information Exchange:

Create environmental education programs and products for general public and school-age audiences, and facilitate community discussions about local environmental and related issues.

Environmental Field Services:

Coordinate and perform water quality measurements, aquatic and terrestrial biological assessments, bacteria and contaminant monitoring, and geospatial data acquisition (global positioning systems).

Geographic Information Systems (GIS):

Map and interpret geospatial data to support scientific field studies and analysis, community planning, and public education.

Data Analysis & Scientific Writing:

Synthesize scientific literature, databases, qualitative community input, field data and perform statistical analyses to serve program areas in research, education, planning, and restoration.