Seneca Park Zoo Society

The Seneca Park Zoo Society (SPZS) proposes to expand our Urban Ecologist and conservation research programming by purchasing new EnivroDNA (eDNA) kits. eDNA is an invaluable tool for conservation that can be used to detect and study species in waterways. 

The Urban Ecologist Workforce Development Program, now in its eighth year, trains high school youth ages 14-20 living in Rochester's urban core to take data, be ambassadors for the urban environment, advocate for their communities, and be catalysts for change. Our Urban Ecologists mentor Earth Explorers, elementary-aged students participating in programming at Rochester’s recreation centers (“R-Center”). 

With YLACES funding, we will purchase 50 new eDNA kits. With the support of these resources, we will have the capacity to invite other interested student researchers to deploy the kits with our Urban Ecologists, expanding the impact of the program to reach upwards of 500 people. This summer, Urban Ecologists will be tasked with collecting samples of water from local waterways with eDNA kits to identify evidence of biodiversity and track the health of riverways adjacent to Lake Ontario. For most of our Urban Ecologists, this will be the first fieldwork and data collection experience. 

The results of this project will be shared with Zoo guests, community members at local R-Centers, and conservation partners like the Department of Environmental Conservation. If the study is successful, it could lead to future studies and published research.