The New Rochelle Squirrel Institute is an independent non-profit research organization dedicated to maintaining healthy population rates of endangered squirrel species across the five boroughs of New York City and the surrounding region.
Mission
The Institute exists to prevent further squirrel extinctions in the twenty-first century. We pursue that aim by combining managed breeding programs with sustained ecological and historical research, and by working alongside zoos, academic laboratories, and individual researchers across the region.
Scope
Field work and population monitoring extend across the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. Our headquarters and breeding facilities are located in New Rochelle, New York.
Approach
Our scientific program is organized around a small number of long-running research questions, of which the central one concerns the local extinction of the North American flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) from New York in 1910. We treat that historical loss as a working laboratory for thinking about the species still present today.
Get Involved
The Institute welcomes inquiries from students, volunteers, academic collaborators, and supporters interested in urban wildlife conservation. Please write to info@newrochellesi.org.