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Ally Whitbread and Cody Gilbertson pose with COAS display at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca.
First-ever Live Exhibit of One of New York State’s Rarest Animals at Ithaca’s Museum of the Earth
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Sept. 10, 2025 — One of the rarest New York species lives near Syracuse. It is a tiny and jewel-like animal called the Chittenango ovate amber snail (COAS). This special land snail crawls among rocks and leaves in Chittenango Falls State Park – but it also lives in a conservation-focused captive breeding program at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). Because this species is imperiled, biologists in ESF’s Department of Environmental Biology are working to increase the snail’s numbers in the wild.
Until now, this delicate and painstaking work was mostly behind the scenes in a research lab, where Associate Professor Rebecca Rundell leads a dedicated team of conservation staff and students helping to save the species from extinction. They hold special permits to conduct this research. ESF conservation staff Ally Whitbread and Cody Gilbertson took the lead on creating a new live-animal exhibit, through a new collaboration with the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca.
The exhibit features a child-height terrarium with built-in cooler, that keeps the snails at the optimum temperature and humidity present in their native habitat at Chittenango Falls. The terrarium is layered with COAS’s favorite foods, a “leaf litter lasagna” of decaying leaves at just the right stage of decomposition.
“Out in the wild, COAS helps the environment cycle nutrients through its munching and, ahem, pooping,” said Rundell “You can see that at the museum, too.”
The COAS exhibit is part of a new exhibition at the Museum of the Earth, called “Marvelous Mollusks: The Secret World of Shells.”
“Mollusks are one of the most diverse and widespread groups of animals on the planet, and include deep-sea octopuses, the clams we eat, and the largest invertebrates ever to roam the Earth,” said Rundell. “In this exhibition visitors can enjoy hands-on stations with real shells, and view rare specimens from the Paleontological Research Institution’s world-renowned collection of over 1 million fossil and modern mollusks.”
“The COAS exhibit is a powerful example of how ESF’s research connects with the public in meaningful and inspiring ways,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “By showcasing the Chittenango ovate amber snail, our scientists are not only advancing conservation but also sparking curiosity in young minds about the natural world around them.”
The life of COAS is also featured in the museum’s online exhibit where people can learn about the conservation partners working to save the snails, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Parks, and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. The exhibit is made possible with support from the National Science Foundation and the Tompkins County Tourism Program.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.