The goal of this project is to collect varying species of beetles that inhabit the Suffolk County area, increasing our knowledge of the biodiversity of beetles on Long Island. Beetles are also responsible for the decomposition of trees in forested areas of Long Island. These trees are likely to fall and create potential danger if they were to fall on buildings and the property of others. To maintain a safer environment, the niche of beetles in their environment should be identified. A barcode team from our school found potentially invasive beetles in this same park two years ago. We are interested to see how the diversity of beetles in this park has changed. The beetles will be collected at Gardiner Park, in various locations throughout the park. The organisms will be dug up in different locations: near the shoreline, in the forest (under leaves), and in grassy areas, under debris and rocks. All beetles collected will be kept in individual test tubes, with labels indicating where they