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research dossier

BLACK ROCK FOREST CONSORTIUM INC
CORNWALL, NY · EIN 133536463 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE C360 · Environment · Medium ($1M-$10M)
revenue
$2.4M
expenses
$1.8M
net assets
$24.4M
employees
18
volunteers
75
program ratio
74%
mission · from form 990

ADVANCE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, & CONSERVATION.

profile · synthesized from sources

Environmental organization based in Cornwall, NY that advances scientific understanding through research, education, and conservation at Black Rock Forest. Hosts students from kindergarten to graduate levels for field trips and STEM programs, and supports external scientific research through funding and access to facilities. Operates a long-term ecological research site and conducts conservation initiatives in the Hudson Highlands region.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $361K
    EDUCATION:BLACK ROCK FOREST FACILITATED 7,628 STUDENT VISITS AND 1,734 OVERNIGHT VISITS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. THIS INCLUDES A DIVERSE ARRAY OF STUDENTS OF ALL AGES - KINDERGARTEN TO GRADUATE STUDENTS. DURING OUR SUMMER SCIENCE ADVENTURES, WE ONCE AGAIN PARTNERED WITH LOCAL NEWBURGH NONPROFITS AND THE NEWBURGH DISTRICT EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAM (BLACK ROCK STEM) TO PROVIDE PROGRAMMING FOR 909 STUDENT VISITS. FIFTY-SIX TEACHERS ATTENDED THREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENTS HOSTED BY BLACK ROCK FOREST. THIS YEAR, WE ENGAGED 115 STUDENTS IN HANDS-ON CONSERVATION EFFORTS SUCH AS PLANTING TREES AND WORKING IN OUR NATIVE POLLINATOR GARDEN.
  2. #2 $488K
    RESEARCH:DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025 THE RESEARCH DEPARTMENT FOCUSED EFFORTS ON STANDARDIZING PROTOCOLS AND LONG-TERM RESEARCH EFFORTS IN 5 AREAS. WE HOSTED THE 14TH HUDSON HIGHLANDS RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM THAT FEATURED 28 PRESENTATIONS FROM SCIENTISTS. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO FACILITATED FIELD RESEARCH ACTIVITIES BY EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS AND PROVIDED FUNDING TO 4 NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS THROUGH THE DAVID REDDEN CONSERVATION SCIENCE FUND. EIGHT PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES WERE PUBLISHED BY BLACK ROCK FOREST STAFF OR EXTERNAL RESEARCHERS UTILIZING OUR DATA, FACILITIES, AND/OR LANDS.
named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Conservation Efforts
Engages students and staff in hands-on conservation, including tree planting and native pollinator garden maintenance.
Hudson Highlands Research Symposium
Annual symposium featuring scientific presentations; hosted 14th edition with 28 presentations in FY2025.
Professional Development for Teachers
Offers educator workshops, open houses, and credit-bearing courses to support curriculum development and field trip planning.
Research Support and Facilities Access
Facilitates scientific research by external collaborators through logistical support, data access, and funding via the David Redden Conservation Science Fund.
Student Field Trips and Overnight Visits
Hosts thousands of student visits annually, including day and overnight trips for K-12 and college students, with hands-on environmental education in Black Rock Forest.
Summer Science Adventures / Black Rock STEM
Summer STEM programming for students, particularly in partnership with Newburgh nonprofits and school district, serving hundreds annually.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Wildlife Monitoring and Field Research 3 activities
    • Conducting and supporting long-term ecological monitoring
      Establishes standardized forest health monitoring sites, collects tree and seedling measurements, documents understory plant species, and maintains long-term datasets on biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics within the forest.
    • Operating a living laboratory for ecological research
      Manages a 3,920-acre forest as a long-term ecological research site, supporting field-based studies on ecosystem functions such as carbon storage, water filtration, and the impacts of climate change and invasive species on native forests.
    • Supporting external and collaborative research projects
      Facilitates research by external scientists and institutions through access to land, data, and infrastructure, including turtle tracking with the American Museum of Natural History, bat acoustics with Fordham University, chickadee memory studies, and salamander health programs with high school students.
  • Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 2 activities
    • Engaging students in conservation and outdoor learning
      Involves students in active conservation work such as tree planting, pollinator garden maintenance, trail bridge repairs, and biodiversity documentation during events like BioBlitz.
    • Providing hands-on environmental education programs
      Delivers science education experiences for over 8,000 student-visitor days annually, including field trips, overnight stays, Summer Science Adventures, and curriculum-aligned programming for K–12 and college students.
  • Environmental Conservation Grantmaking 1 activity
    • Funding conservation science research
      Awards grants through the David Redden Conservation Science Fund to support new research projects and fieldwork by external collaborators using Black Rock Forest’s resources.
  • Scientific Conference & Symposium Management 1 activity
    • Hosting biennial Hudson Highlands Research Symposium
      Organizes a biennial research symposium every odd-numbered year in June to showcase scientific research through presentations and posters, with recordings and abstracts made publicly available online.
  • Historic Site Public Programming 1 activity
    • Hosting public educational and community events
      Organizes public programs such as lectures on regional history, legends of the Hudson Highlands, and seasonal classes to engage broader audiences with the forest’s cultural and natural heritage.
  • Educator Conferences & Professional Development Events 1 activity
    • Offering professional development for educators
      Hosts teacher training events to build capacity in environmental science education, with three professional development sessions held for 56 teachers in fiscal year 2025.
  • Academic Research Dissemination 1 activity
    • Publishing and disseminating scientific findings
      Supports the publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles based on research conducted at the forest and makes symposium recordings and research abstracts accessible to the public via online platforms like YouTube.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.42M
Contributions & grants$1.23M51%
Program service revenue$83K3%
Investment income$744K31%
Other revenue$360K
expenses
Total expenses$1.81M
Program expenses74%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$1.13M
Grants paid out$30K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$24.57M
Cash$254K
Investments$22.20M
Liabilities$212K
Net assets$24.36M
Liquid reserves148.6 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -20.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
ISABEL ASHTON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $217K
board members · 16
  • CATHERINE DIEFENBACH — DIRECTOR
  • CHRISTOPHER ELLIMAN — DIRECTOR
  • CHRISTOPHER J RAXWORTHY — DIRECTOR
  • EMILIE DION — DIRECTOR
  • HILARY S CALLAHAN — PRESIDENT
  • HUME R STEYER — CHAIR
  • JEANNETTE REDDEN — DIRECTOR
  • JESSICA WARE — DIRECTOR
  • KEVIN GRIFFIN — DIRECTOR
  • LOTUS DO — DIRECTOR
  • MATTHEW I PALMER — VICE PRESIDENT
  • RICHARD A BARTLETT — DIRECTOR
  • SAMUEL T KEANY — SECRETARY
  • TERRYANNE MAENZA-GMELCH — DIRECTOR
  • VERONICA SIVERLS-DUNHAM — DIRECTOR
  • WILLIAM A GLASER — TREASURER
relationships · 16

Who they work with

  • American Museum of Natural History Partner — Collaborates with Black Rock Forest on the BioBlitz program, providing scientific expertise from multiple departments.
  • American Museum of Natural History Partner — Conducts turtle tracking research at Black Rock Forest as a field site.
  • Columbia University Partner — Hosts graduate students and researchers, including MFA students and master's degree recipients, for field visits and research.
  • Columbia University Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute Partner — Collaborates through research presentations, such as the keynote address on chickadee memory and brain function.
  • Columbia University’s Teachers College Partner — Collaborates on evaluating student engagement in science education using the Baker-Rodrigo Observation Method Protocol (BROMP).
  • FEMA Government — Collaborated with Black Rock Forest on rebuilding trail infrastructure to improve resilience after an extreme rain event.
  • Fordham University Partner — Collaborates on bat research with Dr. Craig Frank using acoustic monitoring.
  • Local Newburgh nonprofits Partner — Collaborated with to provide programming during Summer Science Adventures.
  • NY/NJ Trail Conference Partner — Provided volunteer support, including Bob McCormick, for the installation of new trail bridges.
  • National Science Foundation Government — Provided grant funding through the Field Stations and Marine Laboratories Consortium to support network infrastructure upgrades.
  • Newburgh District Extended School Year Program Partner — Partnered to deliver the Black Rock STEM program and Summer Science Adventures for students.
  • Newburgh Enlarged School District Partner — Provides tree identification and outdoor education field trips for students.
  • Queens College Partner — Hosts annual winter ecology classes for students led by Dr. Mitchell Baker.
  • Renaissance Youth Center Partner — Partners with Black Rock Forest to bring urban youth from the Bronx into immersive wilderness and scientific research experiences.
  • Riverdale Country School Partner — Collaborates on student education and research programs including salamander health studies and art camps.
  • SayCel Inc. Partner — Partnered with Black Rock Forest to upgrade its radio telemetry data network to a wireless mesh wi-fi network.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Citizen Science for Youth Engagement and Data Collection
    methodology: citizen_science
    By involving students and urban youth in authentic biodiversity research using tools like iNaturalist, the organization generates actionable ecological data and increases science engagement because participatory research fosters ownership, learning, and real-world relevance.
  • Experiential Field-Based Science Education
    methodology: experiential_education
    By using hands-on field trips and direct interaction with native ecosystems, the organization improves science education outcomes because immersive experiences in nature enhance student engagement and conceptual understanding beyond classroom instruction.
  • Integrated Research, Education, and Conservation Model
    methodology: integrated_research_and_education
    By combining field-based research, experiential education, and conservation initiatives within a single ecosystem, the organization advances scientific understanding and public engagement because interdisciplinary integration strengthens both knowledge generation and educational impact.
  • Long-Term Ecological Monitoring for Predictive Insight
    methodology: long_term_ecological_monitoring
    By implementing standardized, long-term monitoring across permanent forest plots, the organization develops predictive understanding of ecosystem change because consistent, comparable data over time reveals trends in forest health and resilience that short-term studies cannot capture.
  • Research-Driven Cognitive and Biological Insight
    methodology: natural_world_research_for_insight
    By studying natural systems such as bird behavior and ecosystem function, the organization advances fundamental biological and cognitive science because complex behaviors and interactions in wild populations provide models for understanding broader scientific principles, including brain function and ecological dynamics.