Meet our Stations!
We are very fortunate to have student groups, research groups, and community partners collaborate with us and provide you with a variety of environmentally themed activities!
Scroll below to learn about who our collaborators are and the types of activities that will be offered!
Register for Tours throughout the Kickoff Event here, or visit our Activity Tables between 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on April 26th, 2025.
The EcoBlitz Kickoff Event is happening rain or shine! Tours will be leaving as scheduled from Lot M (blue square) and the activity tables will be in the Appalachian Collegiate Center lounge (orange square). The best places to park will be Lot M or Lot Y2.
Table: Ant-Plant Mutualism
Affiliated with the Prior Lab
The Prior Lab studies how a key interaction between ants and plants are altered in present-day forests, particularly how anthropogenic change including land-use history, climate change, invasive species impacts this interaction and plant communities.
Stop by their table for ant and plant stickers, check out a children's graphic novel that highlights forest floor wildflowers and ant-plant mutualisms in eastern deciduous forest, and see a poster about their ongoing work on the augmentation and restoration of native wildflowers in previously cleared forests in New York. This work is in collaboration with the New York State Parks FORCES program and the First-Year Research Immersion Program at Binghamton University.
Instagram: @priorecologylab
Table: Zero Hour Binghamton
Zero Hour Binghamton is an environmental justice organization that unites Binghamton students and the local community to take meaningful action in the fight against climate change. Join Zero Hour at their table to learn about environmental justice and to hear about their upcoming events.
Instagram: @thisiszerohour/bing
Table: Ross Park Zoo
The Ross Park Zoo is the 5th oldest zoo in America, celebrating 150 years in 2025, aiming to inspire empathy for wildlife and wild places through educational programming both on-site and in our community. Stop by their table to see some animal artifacts such as skulls and pelts of native species, as well as an interactive activity about the American Red Wolf.
Instagram: @rossparkzoo
Table: BU Audubon Society
The Binghamton Audubon Society seeks to provide people with an opportunity to learn more about ornithology, as well as gain a sense of confidence in bird watching!
Instagram: @binghamtonaudubon
Table: Plant-Ecosystem Lab at Binghamton University
The Plant-Ecosystem Lab at Binghamton University is a research group of plant ecologists conducting research on the consequences of global environmental change at the interface of plant community and ecosystem ecology with an interest in ecosystem functions and services especially in grassland systems such as lawns and pasture and how biodiversity may support resilience. Activities provided will include 1) seed packets of alternative lawn species (clovers) and stickers of plants/pollinators for kids, 2) a 'pick your favorite lawn' activity using photos and 3) a guess the month based on lawn greenness activity also using photos from our local field experiment.
Table: Citizens' Climate Lobby at Binghamton (CCL)
CCL is a bipartisan nonprofit grassroots organization that is focused on national legislation and lobbying elected officials regarding environmental issues. Have an environmental issues you would like to see them lobby? Come write in on a post-it and add it to their poster board!
Instagram: @binghamtonccl
Table: Grames Lab of Conservation Biology
The Grames Lab at Binghamton University uses quantitative methods, evidence synthesis, and long-term data to understand the effects of rapid environmental change on biodiversity, with a special emphasis on the causes of insect decline and consequences for insectivorous birds. Stop by their table to get some native wildflower seed mixes, do some coloring pages featuring native plants and insects, and/or pick an insect to have face painted while learning fun facts about that species!
Check out their website here
Table: Waterman Conservation Education Center
The Waterman Center is the Southern Tier's last independent nature center. They roll nature education, hiking preserves, land conservation, workshops, and science all into one engaging package. If you enjoy this region's iconic properties like the IBM Glen or Brick Pond, you already know what Waterman is all about.
Stop by their table to learn how you can help minimize the "impact" of window strikes on bird populations, see some interesting nature artifacts, and/or do some coloring pages.
You Tube, Facebook, & Instagram: @WatermanCenter
Website: www.watermancenter.org
Table: Evolutionary Studies Club
Evolutionary Studies Club is dedicated to exploring evolution through an interdisciplinary lens. Their goal is to create a fun, inclusive space for students to learn about science and evolutionary theory through interactive events.
Stop by their table for evolution-themed trivia and an interactive game in the theme of Darwin's finches' beaks where participants use different-sized tools to grab different types of candy.
Instagram: @bingevosclub
Table: BU Bees
The Binghamton Bees focus is to promote the importance of pollinators for both humans and earth's ecosystems. We have two honeybee hives on campus that we use for education for Binghamton students.
Stop by their table for some pollinator trivia questions as well as honey to try and/or buy from their club!
Table: The Swierk/Donohue Labs
The Swierk/Donohue Labs are the amphibian and reptile labs at BU investigating aspects of herp behavior, color, and microbiota.
Stop by their table to see some live amphibians and learn about what amphibians could be in your backyard!
Table: Binghamton Gardening Club
Binghamton Gardening club is dedicated to showing its members sustainable food practices and trying to get them to grow their own food. We're also interested in beautifying our campus and local communities! Stop by to collect seedlings so you could grow your own food!
Table: Marine Science Club
The Marine Science Club is a group of students who love all things aquatic and want to share that passion! Our events represent a diverse range of aquatic topics including marine biology, fossils, climate science, water pollution, nautical history, and more!
Stop by their table to learn about various local aquatic systems in the greater Binghamton area (Harpur Pond, Fuller Hollow Creek, Susquehanna River, vernal pools, Endicott and Vestal groundwater, etc.), with fossils found locally from Fuller Hollow Creek.
Table: Binghamton Fungarium Project
The Binghamton Fungarium Project is dedicated to documenting local fungal species throughout the University campus and educating on the role fungi play in the local ecosystem.
Acquire hands-on learning with a variety of fungal species while learning about the importance of fungi to both humans and the surrounding ecosystem.
Stop by their table to try to label a mushroom anatomy diagram to win a small prize, do an arts-and-crafts style activity inspired by the reproduction process of fungi. Interested attendees can use fresh and local fungi as stamps to create their very own spore prints on construction paper and take home.
Learn about various mushroom sporing methods, spore colors and shapes, all while creating unique pieces of mushroom art!
Tour: Birding Walks
Audubon Society
(BU Student Association)
The Binghamton Audubon Society seeks to provide people with an opportunity to learn more about ornithology, as well as gain a sense of confidence in bird watching. Join them on their birding walks!
Table - EcoBlitz: How to!
This table will introduce you to the purpose of the EcoBlitz event and describe how to navigate the iNaturalist app. We will go over safety and some basic definitions to get you started on making your own observations! Enjoy using the iNaturalist app while participating in crafts and other activities!
Tour: Plants
Interested in biology, evolution, and ecology of plants? Join us for a tour of the plants in the Nature Preserve and learn about land plant evolution.
Tour: Spring Nature
Join us for a tour of spring nature with emphasis on spring forest wildflowers!
Tour: Color Walk
Do you love all the beautiful colors of nature? Join us for a color walk where you'll learn about different types of coloration in nature.
Tour: Fungi
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Go on a tour with The Binghamton Fungarium Project to document spring mushrooms and fungal diversity of a small section of the nature preserve, as well as educating about the emerging fungi and the importance of having flourishing mushrooms and fungi within an ecosystem.