SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2000s
2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 2009 🦋 2008 🦋 2007 🦋 2006 🦋 2005 🦋 2004 🦋 2003 🦋 2002 🦋 2001 🦋 2000 2009 October/November 2009 – Download printable PDF version Bringing Back Sustainable Karner Blue Populations, October/November, 2009 September Biogas Talk, October/November, 2009 Buckmoth Monitoring, October/November, 2009 Neither a Borrower or a Lender Be, October/November, 2009 Pesticide Reductions Won at Albany Common Council – We can fight City Hall and Win!, October/November, 2009…
SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 1990s
2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 1999 🦋 1998 🦋 1997 🦋 1996 🦋 1995 🦋 1994 1999 December 1999, January 2000 Garbage in the Pine Bush – City Proposes Landfill Expansion SPB Files Most Unpopular Suit Yet – Sues the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission The Thruway Authority Comes Across Royally Thank You to All Who Responded to the Emergency Appeal 1st Annual Pine Bush Walk-a-Thon a Sucess! October/November, 1999 Save the Pine Bush Sues…
Just Say No to the Bridge!
The Village of Colonie is proposing to build a bridge in the Pine Bush over the Rapp Road/Lincoln Avenue railroad tracks. To allow for high-speed rail, all Òat gradeÓ crossings over railroad tracks are to be eliminated. The Village wants to eliminate the Rapp Road/Lincoln Avenue crossing by building a bridge. Save the Pine Bush knows a much better, much less expensive way: dead-end the road on either side of the railroad track. This would save about $3.5 million taxpayer…
Returning to flight Efforts of New England biologists help usher in rebirth of the endangered Karner blue butterfly
CONCORD, N.H. – Two biologists crawled through a field thick with blueberry, black chokeberry, and scrub oak, searching for butterfly eggs the size of pinheads. Suddenly, one of them, Steve Fuller, thrust a hand into the air. “Found one!” he shouted. As his colleague, Heidi Holman, ran to his side, Fuller opened his hand to reveal a tiny white egg of the Karner blue butterfly, clinging to a twig. Eight years ago, it was impossible to find any sign in…
Destroying History at The Pine Bush Preserve
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…
Ecology and history can walk side-by-side on Pine Bush roads
Reprinted from the Altamont Enterprisel Thursday, May 17, 2018 Before there were cars and trucks, before there were carriages and wagons, before there were wheels, people have always made pathways. The routes they traveled linked hunting grounds with dwelling places, became a means of trade and commerce, linked one community to another or allowed one to fight another. Few of us give much thought to ancient roads in our midst. We didn’t until we got a letter from Steven Rider,…
Keith Schue and Ward Stone fire up “Save the Pine Bush” about the Proposed Gas Turbines and the ongoing toxin issues at Sheridan Hollow
ALBANY, NY: At our February Save the Pine Bush dinner, two speakers, Keith Schue and Ward Stone, spoke about how toxic pollutants continue to impact the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood in Albany and how it might get even worse. Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) had planned to install a new Gas Power Plant in Downtown Albany at the old Sheridan plant, built in 1911, and still operates with steam from electricity derived from fracked gas shipped…
Pesticide Reductions Won at Albany Common Council
By Grace Nichols ALBANY: Save the Pine Bush research revealed that the City of Albany has been in violation of its own Pesticide Ordiance, not only at the Landfill, but also citywide, including public sites such as the Corning Preserve, the Washington Park Lakehouse, the Senior Center, the Visitor’s Center and City Hall. We have consistently been presenting our research as it has developed since last Spring, and in the FEIS plan for the Landfill Expansion, the City agreed…
Ward Stone Speaks about the Most Important Environmental Problems of Our Time
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Ward Stone, NYS Wildlife Pathologist, ate lasagna with Save the Pine Bush at the First Presbyterian Church this past March and spoke about changes in the environment over the past few years. He noted that in the past 30 years, there is some good news. We have shut-down the source of PCBs. We have banned a lot of pesticides such as dialdrin and chlordane. We have recognized the problems of lead, and taken steps to…
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 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…
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Draft Environmental Impact Statement DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT for Avila House Independent Senior Campus Lead Agency: City of Albany Planning Board 21 Lodge Street, Albany, New York 12207 Contact: Nicholas Dilello (518) 434-2532 ext. 28 Project Sponsor: First Colun1bia, LLC 26 Century Hill Drive Latham, New York 12110-2128, (518) 213-1000 Report Contributors: Hershberg and Hershberg 40 Colvin Avenue Albany, New York 12206 Responsible for "Pine Bush" Contact: Daniel Hershherg (518) 459-3096 Transportation Concepts, LLP 152…
Marriott Hotel Poised to Destroy only Known Upstate Colony of Rare Worm Snake
ALBANY: As we go to press, the Albany Common Council may have taken the final step to allow a Marriott Hotel to destroy the only known upstate colony of the rare worm snake by approving a re-zoning for the proposed hotel site. After Save the Pine Bush sued the City over its approval of the hotel, the judge ruled in our favor and sent the developer back to find other rare and threatened species on the site. The developer’s scientist,…
Petition Filed With State Dec Seeks Ruling On 1994 Protection Agreement For Karner Blue In Clifton Park
CLIFTON PARK: A petition for a Declaratory Ruling under the State Administrative Procedure Act was submitted in January to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation by the environmental preservation group, Save the Pine Bush together with 22 Capital Region residents asking the DEC to rule on a 1994 habitat protection agreement meant to save the endangered Karner blue butterfly and its associated ecosystem near Wood Road in the Town of Clifton Park. The petition, dated January 23, was filed on…
The Crude Oil Threat to New York State: The Capital Region as the Focus of Oil-by-RailThe Crude Oil Threat to New York State: The Capital Region as the Focus of Oil-by-RailThe Crude Oil Threat to New York State: The Capital Region as the Focus of Oil-by-Rail
By Oily Bakken and Rude Crude In recent months, the media has carried stories about huge quantities of crude oil being brought into the Port of Albany from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota by CP Rail, where it is stored and transloaded onto barges or tanker ships to be moved on to distant refineries. This petroleum is highly flammable, even explosive. There were 11 derailments of crude oil trains in the U.S. and Canada during 2013. Three of…
Destroying History at The Pine Bush Preserve
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…
Karner blue to get habitat in Saratoga Spa State Park
By Stephen Williams Reporters who devote more than a semicolon and three dashes to environmental coverage find their inboxes full on Earth Day. The delete button and recycling bin are wonderful things, but a few items seem worth passing on. First, the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is creating new Karner blue butterfly habitat at Saratoga Spa State Park. That’s nice. The dime-size blue butterflies are pretty, and outside of a handful of places in the…
Composting Food Waste in the City of Troy
The Troy City Council had appointed last spring a Citizens Working Group to investigate food waste composting. Their report is nearly complete, and will be presented to the Council soon. Published in January/February 2013 Save the Pine Bush Newsletter
Guess what: Study finds herbicides are bad for amphibians
by Grace Nichols For the past several years, Save the Pine Bush has warned the Common Council that buying and spreading more glyphosate (the active ingredient of Roundup) in the Pine Bush, either in the Preserve or on the Restoration is hazardous for the rare spadefoot toads and other amphibians. We’ve asked them to question the herbicide line in the Preserve budget. This spring, the Department of Environmental Conservation Woodland Pool Conservation Program sent around an article describing some further alarming…
Dr. George Robinson Sheds Light on Landfills, their Possibilities and Problems Post-closure.
by Grace Nichols Dr. George Robinson is a professor in the Biodiversity and Conservation Policy graduate program at the University at Albany. He is very knowledgeable about landfills, as much of his work has involved transforming old landfills into positive open spaces which can meet the needs of local wildlife and local communities. Dr. Robinson’s students have traditionally used the Pine Bush as a place to conduct studies; Dr. Robinson maintains a good relationship with the Pine Bush Commission which…
Karine Franke Vote for the Karner Blue for New York State Butterfly
by Lynne Jackson Update: Alas, on January 7, 2008, the Karner Blue came in second in the vote for NYS Butterfly. Here are the election results. ALBANY: Karina Franke spoke at the November Save the Pine Bush vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Karina began by explaining how she became involved in her work to make the Karner Blue to be chosen as the NYS butterfly. Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, "Karner Blue" Kampaign Manager Karina Franke, NYS Senator Vincent…
Crossgates Casts a Dark Shadow Over the Pine Bush
ALBANY, NY: Just when you thought it was safe to go to the mall, Pyramid Crossgates proposes yet another project to destroy Pine Bush and potential Karner Blue habitat. Albany City Hall was the setting for Pyramid to describe to the Albany Common Council Zoning Committee how its proposal to build a residence inn hotel on 3.72 acres adjacent to the one of the largest sites of Karner Blues will have no environmental impact. In 1998, Pyramid Crossgates illegally bulldozed…
Tiny threat looms large this spring
As ticks latch onto kids — not to mention their parents and pets — in big numbers this year, at least one middle school has decided there’s a little too much nature out there. But the bloodsucking creatures haven’t otherwise put too big a damper on spring field trips, despite a marked rise in their ranks in the Capitol Region this season.Guilderland’s Farnsworth Middle School canceled a trip to the Albany Pine Bush after a group of seventh-graders returned with…
Sprawl Costs Money
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Dr. Gary Kleppel, professor of biology at the University of Albany, outlined the economic and environmental costs of sprawl at Save the Pine Bush’s June veggie lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Albany. Dr. Kleppel opened his presentation by challenging conservation groups with the most important mission, “curbing urban sprawl.” What makes urban sprawl particularly important now is the increase in the technology sector which will lead to a proliferation of development. One of…
New York state going dark to save birds
By Matthew Hamilton Albany: There is an unmistakable glow that illuminates the Albany skyline each night. For tourists, the lights are an attraction to the largest city on the Hudson River north of Yonkers. For nocturnal migrating birds, it’s also an attraction — and that’s the problem. The state is set to announce Monday that non-essential outdoor lighting at some state-run buildings across New York will be shut off in an effort to keep warblers, thrushes and other nighttime migrants from…
The Residents and the Pine Bush Win Against Pyramid Justice Prevails
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: In an astonishing, detailed, and carefully written decision, Judge Peter Lynch handed a victory to Westmere Terrace residents and a gas-station owner, the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the Town of Guilderland Planing Board and Pyramid Management Group. The decision makes null and void all of the approvals the Planning Board gave to Pyramid for its proposed development project known as the “Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects. This is a significant victory…
Save the Pine Bush Brief History and Summary
by Lynne Jackson Save the Pine Bush came into being on February 6, 1978. It snowed that day. It snowed so much that the offices of the New York State government closed down and stayed closed the next day. This is the only time in the 20 years that I have lived in Albany that the State closed its offices due to the weather. I was able to ski to work in downtown Albany. On that day, the Albany City…
The Karner Blue Butterfly: The Pine Bush’s Most Famous Resident
So much controversy over such a tiny butterfly-the Karner Blue, Lycaeides melissa samuelis. A beautiful pale blue, this tiny creature only lives in its adult form for one to two weeks. Named by Vladimir Nabokov (probably better known for his writing than his lepidoptery), there were once so many butterflies that all one could see were clouds of blue. Now, only a few hundred survive in the Pine Bush. There are no laws to protect an ecosystem. But there are…
How does Save the Pine Bush stop developers?
Save the Pine Bush uses the courts to force government agencies to follow environmental preservation laws. The City of Albany has been notorious for ignoring the State Environmental Quality Review Act. We have been very successful in our lawsuits to block improper approvals of construction projects in the Pine Bush. Save the Pine Bush’s Victories and Challenges Victories ·The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) purchased “Karner Meadows” (also known as Blueberry Hill) a 190 acre site near…
Coyotes in the Moonlight
Coyotes in the Moonlight Coyotes in the Moonlight Response to the Commission’s Final Implementation Guidelines by Lynne Jackson "It was a cold night in January, snow on the ground, full moon, not a creature moving a muscle," began Jerry Mueller, at the January Lasagna Dinner. He had to get out of the house and decided to take a walk in the Pine Bush, off Sand Creek Road near the Northway. He heard a noise, "Sounds like coyotes," thought Jerry. Heard…
PRESERVE NOT FEELING THE BURN
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…
Amanda Dillon: Science in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve
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….
Save the Pine Bush
Friday, March 22, 7:30 p.m. A Sense of Wonder one-woman play about the life and work of Rachel Carson “A Sense of Wonder,”is a one-woman play about the life and work of Rachel Carson, will be performed at RPI’s Chapel and Cultural Center (2125 Burdett Avenue, Troy). Rachel Carson was a marine biologist and zoologist whose book Silent Spring (1962) alerted the world to the dangers of chemical pesticides. She has been called “the patron saint of the environmental movement.”…
Tracy Frirsch’s PFAS Resolution
Tracy Frirsch drafted the following resolution and is calling on organizations and local legislatures to pass it: A Resolution Calling on the NYS Legislature and Department of Environmental Conservation to Ban the Use of Sewage Sludge in Compost and as a Soil Amendment or Fertilizer due to PFAS Contamination. Summary: This resolution calls for New York State to ban the recycling and use of sewage sludge (also known by the PR term “biosolids”1) as a fertilizer or soil amendment, including…
Returning to flight
CONCORD, N.H. – Two biologists crawled through a field thick with blueberry, black chokeberry, and scrub oak, searching for butterfly eggs the size of pinheads. Suddenly, one of them, Steve Fuller, thrust a hand into the air. “Found one!” he shouted. As his colleague, Heidi Holman, ran to his side, Fuller opened his hand to reveal a tiny white egg of the Karner blue butterfly, clinging to a twig. Eight years ago, it was impossible to find any sign in…
Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution to be introduced in the face of alarming flying insect declines
by Grace Nichols Have you noticed in driving through rural New York, that your windshield – which once would have been covered with the remnants of countless insect collisions are now fairly clean? This observation has been made globally and linked to severe declines in insect populations. Insects are a critical part of the ecosystem as a whole, as they are needed for the full pollination of flower plants, agricultural crops and as a food source for birds, amphibians, reptiles,…
Save the Pine Bush Comments on 10 New Karner Road
Dear Mr. Wemple and the Guilderland Conservation Advisory Council, Thank you for letting me send you some maps and my comments. Save the Pine Bush opposes the proposed sub-division of 10 New Karner Road. Please see map below for location of items mentioned. 10 New Karner Road is proposed to be subdivided. 10 New Karner Road borders land to be dedicated to the Preserve. For the developer to argue that the parcel to be developed is not contiguous to land that…
Walk in the Pine Bush!
From Andy Arthur, our hike leader: Save the Pine Bush Hike Canceled That said, you are more then welcomed — and encouraged to take your own hikes at the Albany Pine Bush. Unlike other public lands in the area, the area is snow and ice free. Additionally, based on my recent walks in the preserve, the all trails are dry and mud-free except a short section of the Red Trail at the Great Dunes off Willow Drive near the vernal…
Save the Pine Bush Raises Money
Save the Pine Bush Raises Money Save the Pine Bush Raises Money If you asked me what my least favorite activity is, I would say "fund-raising". Its no fun. But, we have discovered that our work to preserve the Pine Bush costs money. And because a lot of people believe as we do, we have raised far more money than I ever expected. SPB has no full-time, salaried staff. We are all volunteers, and have been known to put thousands…
The Deer Crisis – No Easy Answers
The Deer Crisis – No Easy Answers The Deer Crisis No Easy Answers By Daniel Van Riper The Pine Bush ecosystem is in great danger from many enemies, particularly greedy developers and ignorant politicians. Invasive plant species, pesticides, runoff from the dump and highways, fire suppression and general abuse by humans have all hurt the Pine Bush. There is one more enemy, white-tailed deer, which may in the end completely destroy the Pine Bush and make all of our…
Guilderland CandidatesNight At SPB
Guilderland CandidatesNight At SPB Guilderland Candidates Night At SPB by Lynne Jackson Candidates for Town Supervisor and Town Board members spoke at the October Save the Pine Bush dinner. Attending were Bill Aylward, Democratic candidate for Town Supervisor; David Bosworth and Cheryl Reul, Democratic candidates for Town Board; and Paul Caputo, Independence Party candidate for Town Board. Lauren Ayers had hoped to attend, but could not due to a family emergency. The other Independence Party candidates, Anne Rose and Tim…
Save the Pine Bush Action Alert!
Save the Pine Bush Action Alert! Coyotes in the Moonlight Response to the Commission’s Final Implementation Guidelines by Lynne Jackson "It was a cold night in January, snow on the ground, full moon, not a creature moving a muscle," began Jerry Mueller, at the January Lasagna Dinner. He had to get out of the house and decided to take a walk in the Pine Bush, off Sand Creek Road near the Northway. He heard a noise, "Sounds like coyotes," thought…
The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission
The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission The Pine Bush Management Commission was created by the New York State Legislature to study and manage the Pine Bush in response to Save the Pine Bush’s lawsuits with the City of Albany over the landfill. Members of the Commission include the executives of the municipalities which include Pine Bush. The City of Albany, the Town of Colonie, the Town of Guilderland, the County of Albany, New York…
New Light on an Old Road – Part II
New Light on an Old Road – Part II New Light on an Old Road – Part II (Continued from March/April 1998 Newsletter) by John Wolcott The new information revealed by this almost destroyed map, about old trails and roads in the Pine Bush is utterly amazing and startling. I had already known that part of the "Old Road to Schenectady" left Albany by a route up near Madison Avenue, and that it went over the UytKyck off Curry Road….
Notes from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Newsletter
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…
In Flurry of Motion, Lessons Take Wing
by ANNE MILLER Staff writer On a wing and a cheer, more than 50 monarch butterflies left their birthplace at the Farnsworth Middle School Friday afternoon for their ancestral winter grounds in northern Mexico. More than 50 students gathered in the school’s courtyard, where the butterflies were raised, and launched the orange and black beauties on their transcontinental migration, chanting, “Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go to Mexico,” to speed the insects on their way. “It’s getting buggy out here,”…
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 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…
Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn
Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn by Lynne Jackson Since last spring, Save the Pine Bush volunteers have been attending hearings, reading long EIS’s (Environmental Impact Statements), and speaking out against the proposed Golden Bear Family Golf Indoor and Outdoor Driving Range. This ugly thing which was to be located between Siver and Curry Road in Colonie, was proposed to be built on 18 acres of Pine Bush…
Is There a ‘Y’ in Guilderland?
Is There a ‘Y’ in Guilderland? Is There a ‘Y’ in Guilderland? Guest Article By Jamie and Mary Malcolm While Save the Pine Bush (SPB) is hard at work preserving any remaining Pine Bush in the Town of Guilderland, a series of projects including a new YMCA facility, are threatening to take protected land from the Preserve for the mere purposes of aligning driveways and easing traffic congestion. To propose further development in this area as a means to solve…
UAlbany Plan Adds to Spraw
The word that springs to mind for the University at Albany’s greasy plan to level 25 acres of classic pine bush on campus in order to build its own version of suburban sprawl isn’t printable. So I’ll settle for a distant second choice: pandering. “We’re told garden apartments are what today’s students want,” said a spokesman for the university. And parking for their cars, too. A marketing survey says do education this way. Give them what they want or they’ll…