Projects

Keep up with us as we journey to empower our neighbors and foster environmental health. 

Healthy soil + healthy gardens = healthy communities

Let’s get outside! We’ll be teaching you how to sample and test your own soil using our soil sampling toolkit, and providing tools and resources to create healthy soil and healthy gardens that will help shed the legacy of an industrial past and represent a healthier environment and a healthier community.  The soil can be tested by a soil technician or you can use the soil testing toolkit available at the CSCR lending library and watch an instruction video to test it yourself.  This is an important service in Reclaiming the environment.  Our backyards are vital for both recreation and gardens and clean air and clean soil are equally important.  Soil testing can detect much more than just the potential by-products of an industrial past.  Testing can inform residents about the nutrient content of their soil and what varieties of plants and vegetables it may be best suited for.  The CSCR Environmental Education and Wellness Center is excited to put these projects in motion, especially during these challenging times for everyone.

Community Victory Garden

A core group of dedicated residents are working together to shed the community’s industrial past and create a far-reaching environment that signifies a healthy, hopeful future. Citizen Science Community Resources (CSCR) has created a plan to develop Tonawanda’s first public, interactive Victory Garden. The community has long requested a place where folks can heal, come together, and connect with nature. The creation of the interactive garden and its programs will improve Tonawanda’s environment, provide educational programs, recreation, therapeutic opportunities, and the beautification of a neglected site. Gardens are growing in popularity and are being promoted as a means to win the environmental war against climate change, to improve mental health (and recover from COVID and related psychological problems) and to combat food insecurity. Gardening provides exercise, a much needed outdoor escape, and creates healthier communities. The Victory Garden will breathe new life of greenery and hope into the earth, and the hearts and minds of those looking to create a brighter future. Because the Victory Garden will be developed along the Tonawanda bike path, thousands of people will benefit each year.

Environmental Justice for Buffalo’s Eastside

In collaboration with Open Buffalo and the University of Buffalo, we visited 3,500 properties and collected several hundred soil samples in Buffalo’s Eastside in 2024 and 2025. 92% of the properties tested were above EPA’s guideline of 200ppm. This is unacceptable! Today in 2026, we continue to support Eastside folks with lead data and community organizing experience so these folks living in this neighborhood can fight for their right to enjoy a clean and safe backyard.

Youth Environmental Education: Citizen Scientist Academy 

Citizens and community groups have long contributed to environmental protection and the health of their communities by actively participating in creating solutions.  Our youth education program teaches students how to become citizen scientists and community leaders by introducing them to real environmental issues in their community and engaging them in the solutions.   Students gain hands-on experience gathering samples in the field while learning how to effectively communicate with community leaders. By combining high-quality E-STEM with project-based learning and action civics, the mission of the program is to spark awareness, inspire, and prepare youth to be our next generation of scientists and environmental advocates.