Search Results for: Pine Bush Preserve

Two Times Union Articles on the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

Landfill plans clear a hurdle Pine Bush panel OKs test wells in preserve; McEneny blocks bill approving expansion By *MATT PACENZA*, Staff writer First published: Friday, June 23, 2006 ALBANY — The city received permission Thursday to begin digging test wells in the Pine Bush — a first step toward a possible and controversial expansion of the Rapp Road dump into the nature preserve. Nearly simultaneously, however, the city’s plan was dealt a blow when state Assemblyman John "Jack" McEneny,…

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City of Albany Illegally Bulldozes Albany Pine Bush Preserve

by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush volunteers discovered yesterday that the City of Albany bulldozed several roads through the Pine Bush Preserve last week.  Dedicated to the Pine Bush Preserve by the Albany Common Council in 1991, this Preserve land is located west of the City landfill .  Click here to see photos of the bulldozing. The Pine Bush is a globally rare and endangered ecosystem.  The land bulldozed was high quality, classic Pine Bush, known to…

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Amanda Dillon: Science in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve

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by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Amanda Dillon, field ecologist and entomologist for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (Commission), was the speaker at the November 16 Save the Pine Bush virtual meeting. She discussed “Science in the Albany PIne Bush Preserve.” Amanda Dillon earned both a BS in Natural History and Interpretation in 2007 and a MS in Environmental Forest Biology with a concentration in entomology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Ms….

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The Pine Bush & the Pandemic – April 2021 Save the Pine Bush Lecture by Long time Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC) Conservation Director Neil Gifford

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By Tom Ellis, June/July 2021 Save the Pine Bush Newsletter ON THE INTERNET: Long time Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC) Conservation Director Neil Gifford began his April 17, 2021 SPB meeting comments saying, “Thirty years of managing the world’s best scrub oak pitch pine barrens has taught us a lot.” His topic was “The Pine Bush and the Pandemic: Update on the Preserve.” He offered an update on land protection, management and monitoring. His comments focused on paleoecology. He…

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Destroying History at The Pine Bush Preserve

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by Steve Rider On its website it states that the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission “assure(s) the protection, restoration and management of the natural and cultural resources of the Albany Pine Bush.” However, in reality preservation of cultural resources is given little priority compared to the ecological goals. Original, unspoiled remnants of four historic roads can be found within the Preserve, some as part of the trail system, and nothing has been done to protect them nor to educate the…

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The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Turns 25

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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission celebrated its 25th anniversary by throwing a wonderful party at the Discovery Center on Route 155 on October 29. A few people from Save the Pine Bush and I attended. Rezsin Adams often tells the story of how in 1988, then Assemblyman Richard Conners invited her to his office to tell her about the passage of ECL Article 46 which created the Commission. At the time, we thought that our…

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Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Proposes a New Plan – Mark October 18 to Attend Hearing

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Maps available: A new graphic Pine Bush trail map is now available. The new map was produced using a Global Positioning System to record trail locations. The brochure includes a mural depicting many of the typical plants and animals, interpretive information and a summary of the Preserve’s public use rules and regulations. The Preserve guide and trail map can be obtained from the Albany Pine Bush office or at trailhead kiosks. (785-1800). Preserve Regulations: BICYCLES may only travel on the…

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SPB Files Most Unpopular Suit Yet – Sues the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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SPB Files Most Unpopular Suit Yet – Sues the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission  SPB Files Most Unpopular Suit Yet Sues the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission by Lynne Jackson In October, Save the Pine Bush filed its most controversial and unpopular suit yet against the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission to over-turn its fire management plan for the Pine Bush. Attorney Lewis B Oliver filed suit on behalf of Save the Pine Bush in New York State Supreme Court….

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Pushing and Pulling West: Pending Extensions of the Boundaries of the Pine Bush Preserve

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Pushing and Pulling West: Pending Extensions of the Boundaries of the Pine Bush Preserve   Pushing and Pulling West: Pending Extensions of the Boundaries of the Pine Bush Preserve By John Wolcott A Little Background When I first started mulling over the notion of a Pine Bush Preserve in 1971, it was with the thought of the opportunity to set aside a large, more or less, continuous bi-city forest for the benefit of car-free city dwellers, stretching between Schenectady and…

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Notes from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Newsletter

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Visitor Use Education Efforts Increasing in the Preserve — Several new educational tools are being used to increase protection of the Preserve’s natural features while allowing for appropriate recreational and educational use of the Preserve. About one dozen Preserve Naturalists are out on the trails, a new mountain bike education patrol is being created, new brighter trailmarkers are on most of the trails and additional signage relating to appropriate and responsible trail use has been installed. The Commission has recently…

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Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Proposes a New Plan – Mark October 18 to Attend Hearing

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Upscale Tammybrook, a newish Cresskill, NJ., neighborhood, offers a pleasing glimpse of modern suburban living: imposing million-dollar homes, designer landscaping, sweeping vistas across northern New Jersey. What it fails to offer resident John McCann is a sidewalk to anywhere. So instead of hoofing it, the Cresskill councilman drives the 1.1 miles to the post office. ThatÕs after he has dropped his laundry at a drive-through dry cleaner and motored across town to deliver his daughter to a play dateÑafter picking…

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Pine Bush Update from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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The Butterfly Station located at the Farnsworth Middle School has completed its fifth year of operation reaching over 2,600 people over a seven week period during July and August, 2003…60 students in grades 6-11 volunteered three to five weeks of their summer as guides at the Butterfly Station a well as rearing butterflies and maintaining native plant and butterfly gardens and seven faculty also dedicated their summer to the operation of the Butterfly Station. In mid-August, eight students from the…

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Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Proposes a New Plan – Mark October 18 to Attend Hearing

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The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is mandated by law to revise its Management Plan every five years. The last revision to the Management Plan were the Implementation Guidelines, adopted by the Commission in 1996. The Commission will hold a public hearing on its Draft Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve on Thursday, October 18 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Town of Colonie Community Center, 1653 Central Avenue, Colonie. Originally, the…

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Governor Promises 600 Acres for the Pine Bush Preserve

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Governor Promises 600 Acres for the Pine Bush Preserve Governor Promises 600 Acres for the Pine Bush Preserve Governor George Pataki, in his State of the State Address, January 7, 2000 said, “And right here in the Capital District, we’ve made outstanding progress in protecting the Albany Pine Bush. With your [the Legislature’s] support, the Preserve has grown to 2,400 acres. Over the next two years, we will expand the Preserve to 3,000 acres, bringing greater ecological stability to this…

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The 1914 Pine Bush Preserve – What became of it?

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The 1914 Pine Bush Preserve – What became of it?  The 1914 Pine Bush Preserve What became of it? by John Wolcott In 1914, Albany almost benefitted immensely from the City Beautiful movement. This was part of the Progressive movement, then afoot around the country with its strong public spirit, open, honest better government and conservation bent. This, temporarily, influenced even traditionally conservative Albany. Albany in 1912, commissioned an architect, Arnold W. Brunner, and a landscape architect, Charles Downing Lay,…

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The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center

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On Saturday, September 29, I participated in Save the Pine Bush’s first ever bicycle ride to the Pine Bush, led expertly by Steve Redler. The two of us rode on this glorious morning to the Pine Bush. It took us about an hour to leisurely pedal to the Discovery Center on back roads. I was astonished at the Discovery Center. It is absolutely beautiful. It is gorgeous. When you first walk in, you are greeted with beautiful paintings of the…

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News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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Good fact to know: Our Pine Bush is one of just 20 inland pine barrens in the world. Dr.Fiero and his students at Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland are in the news again. Students raised $409.75 from bake sales and bottle drives to benefit the Karner Blues. The next school project is to raise Karner Blues to repopulate the more than 100 acres that have been restored to high quality Karner Blue habitat. What a worthy project! Preserve Pick-up —…

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News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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Members of the public are invited to provide written comments towards the process of reviewing and/or amending the 2002 Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Comments can address all aspects of the Commission’s work including land protection, habitat or natural resource management, public education and recreation. Comments are due by 4:00pm August 31, 2007 and may be mailed via postal service or email to:, Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, c/o Margaret Stein, 195…

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Common Council Ignores Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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ALBANY: In an astounding series of votes, the Albany Common Council voted to allow two developments in the Pine Bush to go forward: the proposed Residence Inn Hotel and an office complex in front of the Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home. Three Common Council members voted against the proposals and for the Pine Bush: the Honorables Dominick Calsolaro, Richard Conti and Shawn Morris. It is clear these votes were hurriedly taken in the last two meetings in December, before the…

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News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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To the Editor: At a recent Albany Common Council General Services Committee meeting concerning the expansion of the Rapp Road landfill, three issues of concern were raised: the city hot line phone number established to report complaints about the smell emanating from the landfill; the little monetary reward the city realizes from the methane-to-energy project; and the lack of funding by the city to promote the three R’s of conservation — reduction, reuse and recycling. The General Services Committee was…

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From the newsletter of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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Winter Programs: Saturday, February 14: 8:30am-10:30am: Tracking Wildlife with Dr. Roland Kays & Carl Herzog. Meet Madison Avenue Pinelands Trailhead #7. Friday, February 27: 6:30pm-8:00pm. Owl Prowl. Bring a flashlight. Meet Great Dune, Trailhead #8 (end of Willow Street). March 26-28: Capital District Garden & Flower Show at HVCC. For more information: 785-1800 x100. News Briefs: A four-member crew from the Student Conservation Association were hired for 12 weeks focusing primarily on eradication of black locusts. They worked at 25…

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Notes from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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Prescribed burn season proposed for spring, summer and fall 2003: This year the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission has scheduled a potential of 112 days to conduct prescribed burns. The 2003 burn windows are proposed to be April 14 to May 24, July 7 to August 31 and September 29 to October 18. This is the largest number of potential burn days in a year since the prescribed fire program was established in 1991. Spring and fall burns will focus on…

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City of Albany Attempts to Sneak Legislation Past the Public Removing Land from the Pine Bush Preserve

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ALBANY: The City of Albany tried to sneak in legislation at the last minute that would radically change the protection of the Pine Bush Preserve. The Albany Common Council, in vote of 11-4, asked the NYS Legislature to pass a home rule bill to alienate 12.5 acres of protected Pine Bush Preserve in order for the land to be used to expand the City’s current landfill. Assemblyman John J. McEneny sponsored the bill in the NYS Assembly. Despite the secrecy…

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City of Albany Attempts to Sneak Legislation Past the Public Removing Land from the Pine Bush Preserve

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By MATT PACENZA, Staff Writer ALBANY – The city received permission Thursday to begin digging test wells in the Pine Bush – a first step toward a possible and controversial expansion of the Rapp Road dump into the nature preserve. Nearly simultaneously, however, the city’s plan was dealt a blow when state Assemblyman John “Jack” McEneny, D-Albany, blocked a bill that would have allowed the city’s dump to expand by 12.6 acres in exchange for the city acquiring another 30…

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Destroying History at The Pine Bush Preserve

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by Steve Rider On its website it states that the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission “assure(s) the protection, restoration and management of the natural and cultural resources of the Albany Pine Bush.” However, in reality preservation of cultural resources is given little priority compared to the ecological goals. Original, unspoiled remnants of four historic roads can be found within the Preserve, some as part of the trail system, and nothing has been done to protect them nor to educate the…

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Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Releases 2017 Draft Management Plan Update

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The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is releasing its Draft Management Plan Update for public review and comment on October 4, 2016. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25, 2016 from 7:00-9:00pm, at the Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center, 195 New Karner Road, Albany, NY to gather public comment on this document. People can participate at the hearing and/or provide written comments via email to managementplan@albanypinebush.org or standard mail to: Management Plan, Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, 195…

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Neil Gifford of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Speaks

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by Tom Ellis   ALBANY: Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Conservation Director Neil A. Gifford was the featured speaker at the March 22 SPB dinner.  Reszin Adams introduced him.    Mr. Gifford said he is a conservation scientist by training.  He said the Pine Bush Commission now has 27 staff, is an authority, the preserve contains 3200 acres, including at least fifteen invasive species.   He said there are hundreds of acres of Blue Lupine planted, the Karner Blues Butterfly population doubled from 2010 to 2011, the preserve…

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Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Wants Your Opinion

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The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission has a web-based survey asking people to comment about what they would like in the new Pine Bush Discovery Center to be located in the State Employees Federal Credit Union building on Route 155. The survey asks about what types of exhibits you find most helpful and informative, how you like to learn about subjects, attendance at other nature centers, and how much you would be willing to pay to visit the center, among…

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Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Proposes a New Plan – Mark October 18 to Attend Hearing

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ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush filed suit in New York State Supreme Court over the Albany City Planning BoardÕs approval of the Roman Catholic Diocese senior housing project in the Pine Bush. The Planning Board violated the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) in approving this project on an essential Karner Blue Butterfly migration corridor. Lewis B. Oliver, Jr. filed the suit on behalf of Save the Pine Bush. “The population of Karner Blue butterflies has dropped drastically in…

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Notes from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

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by John Wolcott Suburbs by any other name are suburbs just the same, and need to be solidly opposed by environmentalists and urbanists. Pine Bush sites that are within the City of Albany boundaries are disconnected from the real urban city, besides being in a globally rare eco-system. This applies to the sites of the high tech research facilities being built at the University of Albany. These sites are right next to the “Ship of Academia” (otherwise knows as the…

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Pine Bush Preserve adds 15 acres

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Reprinted From The Altamont Enterprise on Friday, January 6, 2023 ALBANY COUNTY — The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission announced on Friday that it has acquired 15.1 more acres of land in Colonie to add to the 3,400-acre preserve. The property was purchased from a willing seller late in 2022, the release said, noting Colonie dedicated 41 acres to the preserve last February, creating an area of nearly 120 connected acres of protected land in western Colonie. “The goal is…

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Nature preservers For 30 years, Save the Pine Bush has fought for ancient barrens

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Albany — A blizzard howled on the evening of Feb. 6, 1978, when a shrinking remnant from the last Ice Age faced the prospect of the bulldozer. Anyone who cared that land in the Pine Bush — glacially created sand dunes and pitch pines at the city’s western edge — was slated for an office building would have to brave the storm to complain at the sole city hearing on the issue. The storm was so bad that the state…

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Save the Pine Bush Enjoys Another Victory – Adventure Park Parcel Added to the Preserve

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Save the Pine Bush Enjoys Another Victory – Adventure Park Parcel Added to the Preserve Save the Pine Bush Enjoys Another Victory Adventure Park Parcel Added to the Preserve by Lynne Jackson The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission purchased 34 acres of land on September 24, 1996. Included in this purchase a key parcel that had been slated to become an adventure park consisting of go carts and miniature golf until Save the Pine Bush stepped in and filed suit…

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Habitat Restoration and Mitigation Project: How it Fits in to the Preserve Goals for Restoration” Neil Gifford Gives Save the Pine Bush Dinner Talk in March, 2011

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by Grace Nichols ALBANY, NY – Neil Gifford, Conservation Director at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, has been working in the Pine Bush since the early 1990s. He describes the mission of the Albany Pine Bush Commission, a body representing the many different governmental interests in the Pine Bush land, as “to preserve the pitch pine/scrub oak barrens” as authorized by Environmental Conservation Law Article 46 (1988) in which the legislature declared it is in the public interest to protect…

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Save the Pine Bush Comments on Proposed Hotel

written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Financial & Economic Impacts Employment: The DEIS fails to identify all of the financial impacts of the proposed development. The DEIS indicates there will be both full and part-time employees, but does not show how much the employees will be paid. If employees are paid minimum wage, and given no health insurance benefits, it is possible that the employees may be eligible for Medicaid and/or food stamps and/or HEAP and/or other social…

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No dump in the Pine Bush!

For Immediate Release:  January 25, 2006 For Further Information, contact Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY — Mayor Jennings’ new landfill proposal is just as bad as his last proposal, only his new proposal may mean the end of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Mayor Jennings proposes to take 10 acres from the forever wild Albany Pine Bush Preserve and turn it into the landfill. “Land dedicated to the Preserve is forever wild, which means forever wild.  Taking land from the Preserve…

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No dump in the Pine Bush!

ALBANY — The city wants to expand its rapidly filling dump onto 10 acres it had already dedicated to the Pine Bush Preserve. "We hope that people would be reasonable and know what we are up against," Mayor Jerry Jennings told the Times Union editorial board on Wednesday. "I know some people are going to fight us on this." During his State of the City address last week, Jennings said the city wants to expand the Rapp Road facility near…

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Save the Pine Bush Comments on Proposed Hotel

written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Creation of a Viable Preserve The Applicant in the DEIS, goes to great lengths to show that a 2,000 acre fire-manageable Preserve has been attained. However, since the court cases listed by the Applicant, scientific research has shown that a viable preserve must be much larger than originally thought. The Albany Pine Bush Commission’s goal for a viable Preserve, based on scientific research, is set at 4,610 acres, much more than the…

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Albany Pine Bush Landfill Expansion Parkland Alienation Albany Pine Bush Landfill Expansion Parkland Alienation

Save the Pine Bush vigorously opposes this bill, which would alienate 12.6 acres of high-quality Pine Bush habitat and set a dangerous precedent by which land, already dedicated to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, can be alienated from park purposes and destroyed.  Furthermore, this bill, rather than enable or advance the SEQRA process, will effectively foreclose an honest and comprehensive environmental review of the City of Albany’s options with respect to its existing landfill. SEQRA review of the project can…

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John Wolcott, historian, preservationist, activist, and fierce advocate for the Pine Bush, dies at 90

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ALBANY, NY: It is with great sadness that Save the Pine Bush learned of the passing of John Wolcott of Albany, NY, Thursday afternoon, August 17.  John was a founding member of  Save the Pine Bush in 1978.  He was a plaintiff on every lawsuit filed by Save the Pine Bush. Born September 22, 1932, John passed away a few weeks shy of his 91st birthday. John was an expert map-maker and researcher.  He discovered evidence of a forgotten foot path through the Pine…

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John Wolcott, passionate advocate for Albany Pine Bush, dies

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A founding member of Save the Pine Bush in 1978, Wolcott was a month shy of his 91st birthday when he passed away Thursday ALBANY — John Wolcott, a passionate long-time defender of preserving the Pine Bush ecosystem, self-proclaimed Albany historian, and thorn in the side of developers and government officials for decades, died this past week. Wolcott, a founding member of Save the Pine Bush in 1978, was a month shy of his 91st birthday when he passed away…

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PRESERVE NOT FEELING THE BURN

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Handling fire can be dangerous, something the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission knows only too well. In April 1999, a controlled burn at the pine barren that straddles Albany, Guilderland and Colonie blazed out of control, scorching 75 acres and shutting down the New York Thruway for several hours because of smoke. No homes or private property were in jeopardy and the burns have continued, but officials are careful about when and where. And the conditions this spring haven’t been…

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30×30 – Let’s Buy All of the Remaining Pine Bush!

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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation (A.5390B/S.6191A) that sets the goal to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. land and water by 2030. This legislation will promote biodiversity and preserve New York’s wildlife, forests, and clean water sources, which are all essential to New York’s health and economy. Governor Kathy Hochul said, “New Yorkers rely on our clean water for recreation, forests to provide wildlife habitats, and the outdoor spaces for jobs and adventures,” It’s…

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Save the Pine Bush Turns 45 Years Old!

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by Lynne Jackson Forty-five years ago, Save the Pine Bush came into being. On February 6, 1978, the Albany City Planning Board scheduled a public hearing on four developments in the Pine Bush: the Dunes, Pinehurst, Pine Circle, and a development by Charles Touhey. However, it snowed that day. It snowed so much that the offices of the New York State government were closed by the governor and stayed closed the next day. Just because the entire city was shut…

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Save the Pine Bush Appeals Decision Approving Illegal Landfill in the Pine Bush

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For Immediate Release: June 25, 2001 ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush filed an appeal to the State of New York Appellate Division, Third Department over the Albany County Supreme Court’s ruling to approve the expansion of the Albany Landfill in the Pine Bush. Save the Pine Bush is appealing on the grounds that the permit approval was illegal because the Department of Environmental Conservation’s authority to grant a variance expired on Dec 31, 1995. Lewis B. Oliver, Jr. filed…

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Save the Pine Bush Action Alert!

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Save the Pine Bush Action Alert! Action Alerts! December, 1998/January 1999 Albany Residents – Call/Write To Your Alderman to Oppose the Drumlin Fields Office Complex Capital District Residents – Call/Write to Local Elected Officials Please call/write to Oppose these Guilderland and Albany Developments ACTION ALERT!! Write or Call Your State Legislators Today Ask for Money to Buy Pine Bush Your Voice Makes a Big Difference! The New York State Budget is being prepared and it’s that time of year when…

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Ask Albany County to Dedicate Funds to Buy Pine Bush

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Dear All, Save the Pine Bush made a great showing at the Albany County Legislature budget hearing held two days before Thanksgiving.  Seven of the eight speakers at the hearing asked for funds to buy Pine Bush.  Good for us! Tomorrow, December 5, the Albany County Legislature will vote on the budget.   Let’s continue our ask to the Albany County Legislature for funds to purchase the remaining privately-held properties in the Pine Bush ecosystem.   Anyone can speak at…

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Save the Pine Bush Lost Good Friends – Jim Travers, Save the Pine Bush Volunteer

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ALBANY, NY: Lynne Jackson was asked to speak at Jim’s memorial service. Here are her edited comments. Jim was a passionate advocate for the environment. With Save the Pine Bush, he worked tirelessly opposing the expansion of the Albany Landfill in the Pine Bush. But, he especially worked to stop the City of Albany from operating a landfill on 361 acres of beautiful woodland in the Town of Coeymans, where he lived. Jim read and researched landfills extensively. He knew…

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What is Full Protection, Partial Protection and who is the Pine Bush?

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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Recently, a number of people have asked me why developers can build in the Pine Bush — isn’t the Pine Bush protected? This question has got me thinking about how confusing all of the terms used in this fight to save the Pine Bush can be. And, it does not help that government officials and developers don’t seem to know either. The Pine Bush Ecosystem Let’s start at the beginning — the Pine Bush ecosystem….

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Center, NY/Karner, NY Old Development Never Finished in the Pine Bush

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by John Wolcott Join us on a visit to a forgotten locale at the crossing of Old Karner Road with the AMTRAK tracks. This was bypassed when New Karner Road was built and then after a while the crossing was closed. This place was the location of the railroad stop half way between Albany and Schenectady established in 1831 when the first chartered passenger railroad in the Western Hemisphere was constructed here and for it’s first several years ran only…

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