Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

10/30/2026

By holding space for nature, cemeteries can help support biodiversity in cities. Defining Urban Biodiversity (DUB) is a project exploring plants and animals in the Hudson Valley cities of Kingston, Newburgh, and Poughkeepsie. Cemeteries like Old Town Cemetery in Newburgh – established in 1713 – are among the study sites. Trail cam and community observations are revealing that it is used by an array of wildlife, from skunk families and hawks to pollinators.

Help document urban biodiversity in the Hudson Valley by sharing your observations through iNaturalist.
Kingston: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/defining-urban-biodiversity-in-kingston
Newburgh: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/defining-urban-biodiversity-in-newburgh
Poughkeepsie: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/defining-urban-biodiversity-in-poughkeepsie

Red-tailed hawk on iNaturalist: Sam Mateo Junior

Defining Urban Biodiversity (DUB) is co-led by Cary Institute and our partners at Scenic Hudson. Learn more: https://www.caryinstitute.org/science/research-projects/defining-urban-biodiversity

10/30/2026

Just a reminder that Cary’s hiking trails and grounds close for the season on November 1.

We look forward to welcoming visitors back to our grounds on April 1, 2027.

We are grateful for your cooperation and support.

Photo: Barry Haydasz

10/28/2026

In partnership with Millbrook Library and The Dover Plains Library, Cary Institute's Ashley Alred is offering Winter Nature Journaling at on November 17.

On this guided exploration at Cary, learn field-based techniques for capturing our outdoor observations with sketching and watercolor. All materials will be provided; however, you are welcome to bring personal supplies like a journal, pencil, and pen.

Visit the QR code for more information or register here: https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsRegister.cfm?SiteID=1129&BranchID=1000002571&Branch=Millbrook&EventID=601511&PK=

10/28/2026

Fall colors are beautiful. The science behind them is still unfolding. In this Q&A, Cary Institute postdoc Ian McGregor explores the science of fall foliage, including what leaf colors can reveal about tree health, how remote sensing is helping scientists track changes in forest canopies, and why so many questions about autumn color remain unanswered.

📸 Image: Cary Institute grounds, photographed by Ian McGregor.

Local friends, there’s still time to enjoy a final hike or walk around Cary Institute's grounds before the campus closes for the season on October 31.

READ: https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/feature/science-behind-fall-foliage

Fall foliage is one of the Northeast’s most celebrated seasonal spectacles, yet scientists still have much to learn about what determines its timing, intensity, and color.

10/23/2026

Grasslands and shrublands are often overlooked as natural climate solutions, despite their substantial carbon stocks and roles in supporting biodiversity and water security.

A new policy brief in Plants, People, Planet highlights the forest bias in climate policy and carbon markets. The authors outline actionable steps to incorporate grasslands, shrublands, and other open ecosystems into carbon-credit methods and climate and biodiversity targets. Cary’s Amy Zanne is a coauthor, the effort was led by collaborators Franciele Parreira Peixoto and Natashi Pilon.

At particular risk is Brazil's Cerrado. This vast tropical savanna has soils that hold remarkable amounts of carbon and it is home to thousands of diffuse springs that are vital to replenishing rivers and sustaining water supplies.

Read the policy brief: https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.70292

Pead the press release: https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/press-release/massive-carbon-stocks-grasslands-are-ignored-climate-finance

Open ecosystems — nonforested landscapes such as grasslands, shrublands, and savannas — can store vast amounts of carbon while supporting water supply, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services. Yet the potential of open ecosystems to serve as natural climate solutions remains ignored by polici...

10/14/2026

WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s Lucas Willard talks with Cary Institute’s Steward Pickett about how historical and ongoing segregation influence urban ecology.

Their conversation explored themes in a recent special feature in PNAS, which Pickett helped lead, including how segregation can shape access to green spaces, tree cover, flood protection, and critical infrastructure.

Understanding these connections is essential to advancing healthier, more equitable cities—and ensuring that all residents benefit from environmental investments.

Listen to the segment: https://www.wamc.org/news/2026-10-12/cary-institutes-steward-pickett-discusses-how-segregated-communities-influence-urban-ecology

Read the PNAS special issue: https://www.pnas.org/post/update/ecology-segregation

Read the press release: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1143731

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York led a new series of studies that examine how ecological inequalities are influenced by historic — and ongoing — racial and class-based segregation.

10/14/2026

This Friday, October 16 at 7pm ET join us for an event exploring the afterlife of elephants.

In South Africa’s Kruger National Park, elephants shape the savanna as they feed. But did you know their impact continues long after they die?

First, watch a new short documentary filmed on location. Then, get the inside scoop from Cary’s Jane Lucas and Princeton’s Courtney Reed. In a Q&A, they’ll share fieldwork adventures, from lion traffic jams to clues hidden in vulture behavior, and discuss how mega-carcasses influence plant communities and herbivores.

Come with your questions and curiosity! Free and open to all. In person at Cary Institute’s Millbrook, NY auditorium or via livestream.

RSVP for the live stream: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ecological-afterlife-of-elephants-in-person-tickets-2002154818960?aff=Com

RSVP for in-person: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ecological-afterlife-of-elephants-in-person-tickets-2002154818960?aff=Com

Documentary: The Legacy of Megaherbivores, 18 minutes, directed by Tom Bouyer and Aimee Tallian

Research funded by National Science Foundation (NSF)

Did you know elephants leave a legacy when they die? Learn how megacarcasses shape savanna ecosystems in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

10/13/2026

New PNAS paper, coauthored by Cary’s Jane Lucas, evaluates the ecological impacts of elephant carcasses in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

After sampling 40 carcass sites, ranging from 8 days to 7 years after death, they found megacarcasses released enormous pools of nutrients into savanna soils. Bacteria and plant diversity were lower at megacarcass sites, possibly due to the huge amount of ammonium that carcasses let loose. Conversely, microbial and herbivore activity increased, with effects lasting more than 7 years after the elephant’s death.

Read the paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2605332123

“These animals don’t just leave behind bones; they leave a lasting imprint on the savanna,” said Lucas. “Nutrient-enriched plants at the carcass sites can attract herbivores, including zebras, impalas, and rhinos. Those visitors then deposit their own waste, potentially adding more nutrients back to the site. It’s a reminder that death isn’t the end of an animal’s ecological story. In a place like the African savanna, it can be the beginning of an entirely new one.”

Cary's Jane Lucas and lead author Courtney Reed (Princeton University) will discuss these findings and screen a short documentary about the project at an event on Friday, October 16, at 7pm at Cary Institute. Register to attend via live stream or in person at our Millbrook, NY campus: caryinstitute.org/events/ecological-afterlife-elephants

The 14-author team on the paper also included:
• Nathan Lemoine, Marquette University, Milwaukee Public Museum
• Michelle Budny, Marquette University
• Vincent Clarke, Northwest University / Noordwes-Universiteit
• Johan T. du Toit, Utah State University, Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
• Ryan Helcoski, Utah State University
• Helga Knoetze, North-West University / Noordwes-Universiteit
• Josh Schimel, UC Santa Barbara
• Izak Smit, South African National Parks, Nelson Mandela University
• Tercia Strydom, South African National Parks (SANParks), University of the Free State
• Aimee Tallian, Utah State University, NINA - Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
• Dave Thompson, North-West University / Noordwes-Universiteit
• Deron E. Burkepile, UC Santa Barbara, South African Environmental Observation Network

Terrestrial megafauna (animals >1,000 kg) have substantial impacts on ecosystems while alive; yet, we know little about the impacts of these ecosys...

10/11/2026

This Friday, October 16 at 7pm ET join us for an event exploring the afterlife of elephants.

In South Africa’s Kruger National Park, elephants shape the savanna as they feed. But did you know their impact continues long after they die?

First, watch a new short documentary filmed on location. Then, get the inside scoop from Cary’s Jane Lucas and Princeton’s Courtney Reed. In a Q&A, they’ll share fieldwork adventures, from lion traffic jams to clues hidden in vulture behavior, and discuss how megacarcasses influence plant communities and herbivores.

Come with your questions and curiosity! Light refreshments will be served. Free and open to all. In person at Cary Institute’s Millbrook auditorium or via livestream.

RSVP for in-person: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ecological-afterlife-of-elephants-in-person-tickets-2002154818960?aff=Com

RSVP for the live stream: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ecological-afterlife-of-elephants-live-stream-tickets-2002157047626?aff=Com
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Documentary: The Legacy of Megaherbivores, 18 minutes, directed by Tom Bouyer and Aimee Tallian

Research funded by National Science Foundation (NSF)

Did you know elephants leave a legacy when they die? Learn how megacarcasses shape savanna ecosystems in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

10/08/2026

The atmosphere is an ecologically active system.

Microbes, viruses, fungi, pollen, and other biological particles in the air—collectively known as the aerobiome—likely have important impacts on health, agriculture, weather, and climate. Yet this dynamic part of our environment has been largely overlooked.

A new perspective in Eos from the American Geophysical Union (AGU) calls for new monitoring capabilities and transdisciplinary research to better understand what’s in the atmosphere, where it comes from, and how it affects Earth systems.

Cary scientist Kathleen Weathers is a coauthor, with Allison C. Aiken (Los Alamos National Laboratory) and Sonia Kreidenweis (Arizona State University).

As Weathers notes: “We hope to accelerate discoveries about the aerobiome system and move toward understanding it as a unique ecosystem whose dynamics are key to environmental and human health.”

Proceedings from a National Science Foundation (NSF) workshop on “Bioaerosols in the Earth System”

Read more: https://eos.org/opinions/life-in-the-skies-links-ecosystems-near-and-far-it-deserves-more-attention

Our understanding of Earth’s biology and its responses to environmental change is limited by an incomplete picture of the planet’s dynamic aerobiome.