Murdered By Pyramid: It Could Happen Here Murdered By Pyramid It Could Happen Here By Daniel Van Riper Public officials and neighborhood activists are holding the notorious Pyramid Corporation responsible for the traffic death of a young mother outside Buffalo, NY. Pyramid operates the Walden Galleria Mall in the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, and is responsible for Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, which destroyed a vast area of prime Pine Bush. According to the February 19 issue of Time Magazine, the…
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Bonding that threatens historic Stanford homestead Stanford Home Hearing Information Hearing Notes January 23 Hearing Canadians are Coming! Archeological Information Photos – Outdoor Photos – Indoor Bonding Editorial Preservation Donate Contact December 15, 2006 Dear Concerned Citizens, Friends of Stanford Home, Health Care Advocates, and Niskayuna Neighbors, Bonding that threatens historic Stanford homestead on State Street and Balltown Road, and its parkland, is going forward. As soon as this coming Tuesday night, the Schenectady County Industrial Development Authority…
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Search Newsletter Archives: What is Full Protection, Partial Protection and who is the Pine Bush? – By Lynne Jackson – June / July 2022 Newsletter A Tribute To Lew Oliver, our wonderful lawyer The Pine Bush’s Most Famous Resident – The Karner Blue Butterfly Save the Pine Bush Victories and Fights The Thruway Authority Comes Across Royally, Dec 99/Jan 00Save the Pine Bush is 25!, Mar/Apr 03 Legislation regarding standing in court We Need the Environmental Access to Justice Act,…
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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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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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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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On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, Tina Lieberman and Bill Reinhardt of the Capital District Community Energy delivered the following presentation, via Zoom to the Save the Pine Bush Virtual Meeting. Links and accessible text are available below. Down To Earth: Practical Steps You Can Take to Reduce Carbon Emissions & Save Our Climate Tina Lieberman, Vice Chair, Albany Sustainability Advisory Committee Bill Reinhardt, Albany County Legislator, Co-Chair Solarize Albany Founding Chairs, Capital District Community Energy, Inc. Notes: One main takeaway…
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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…
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2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 2019 🦋 2018 🦋 2017 🦋 2016 🦋 2015 🦋 2014 🦋 2013 🦋 2012 🦋 2011 🦋 2010 2019 Newsletter 🦋 December/January 2019-20 Newsletter Download printable PDF version Listen to the Podcasts Merton Simpson — Fighting Environmental Racial Injustice, December/January 2019 Air Pollution in Albany’s South End, December/January 2019 Dunn Landfill — Stinks Up the School; Parents and Residents Protest, December/January 2019 Proposals in the Pine Bush December/January 2019…
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Weather is supposed to be sunny, mid-40s. Volunteers still needed. Capital District climate, community and faith groups are organizing a rally and march in Albany on Saturday, November 6 as part of the COP26-focused Global Day of Action for Climate Justice. The rally and march will start at 11 AM at the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, 153 Grand St, Albany. The march will conclude with a rally at the federal O’Brien Building at 12:30 PM at Clinton and Pearl Sts….
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Letters to Save the Pine Bush Letters to Save the Pine Bush Here is a sampling of letters written to Save the Pine Bush and some responses written by Lynne Jackson: From: rngeorge@gw.dec.state.ny.us (Richard Georgeson) To: pinebush@aol.com To Lynne Jackson: Lynne – In your history of Save the Pine Bush section of your web page, you incorrectly state, “In September of 1978, there were no environmental laws in effect in New York State.” However, in 1978 there…
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Albany Area Coalition for Light Rail Christian Gunther: Albany Area Coalition for Light Rail by Rezsin Adams "Albany Area" means Capital District (Albany, Schenectady, Troy.) The Capital District Transportation Com-mittee has prepared 5-year and 20-year plans–the 5-year plan is "New Visions" but is hardly visionary: light rail maybe in 20 years! Light rail is lighter than trolleys–2-3-4 cars in a line, usually overhead electric. Light rail would have the right-of-way and be non-polluting. It would be ideal for corridors,…
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ALBANY — Those squiggly compact fluorescent light bulbs are being touted as an easy solution to save energy and fight global warming. But there are drawbacks: The bulbs contain toxic mercury, and so far there is no easy way to recycle them. In the Capital Region, homeowners are being encouraged to keep burned-out CFL bulbs until local hazardous waste recycling days, although state law allows homeowners to throw bulbs into the regular trash. "If a resident calls me now, I…
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Candidates Night at SPB Candidates Night at SPB Three Candidates for Common Council President Tell Us About Themselves by Lynne Jackson All three candidates for Common Council President spoke at our August dinner to an attentive audience. Rezsin Adams introduced the candidates in alphabetical order. Gregory Burch spoke first. A lifelong resident of Albany, Burch is a newcomer to politics. He got the political bug six months ago, feeling that things need to be changed. "We are off-course," he said,…
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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…
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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….
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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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Albany Common Council Denies Dunes Residents Chance to be Heard Albany Common Council Denies Dunes Residents Chance to be Heard by Lynne Jackson July 1, 1996, Albany City Hall, was the place where the Common Council refused to listen to 25 or so angry Dunes residents who wanted the opportunity to speak. Charlie Touhey wants to build an office complex in their backyard, and no one wanted their opinion. A public hearing on this proposed office complex had been held…
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Come to this art exhibit of beautiful oil paintings of the Pine Bush by Bob Collin. The Local Color Art Gallery is located at 961 Troy-Schenectady Road (Route 7, across from Peter Harris Plaza) in Latham. Open Wednesday through Saturday, 10-6 and Sundays 10-5. Call 786-6557 for more information. The proceeds from the sale of the paintings will go to Save the Pine Bush. Printed in the August, September, 2001 Newsletter
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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Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Save the Pine Bush 30th Year Celebration & Birthday Bash! Of course, we will serve vegetarian & vegan lasagna (what else?!!) at the First Presbyterian Church. Tell YOUR Pine Bush story! Do you have Photos * Stories * Tales of the Pine Bush Help add to the historical record of Save the Pine Bush! Email Lynne Jackson and send her photos, your stories, your ideas of what your favorite Save the Pine Bush story and any…
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by William Engleman SCHENECTADY: Save the Pine Bush is considering an appeal of a recent State Supreme Court ruling dismissing a lawsuit brought against the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board and DCG Development Co. Save the Pine Bush and 11 citizen-petitioners sued the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board over site plan approvals for a 142,000 square foot flexspace warehouse project on land along Wood Road in the Town’s northeast corner. In dismissing the case, a State Supreme Court…
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by John Wolcott Click on map to see larger image Now: you can see it at a glance. The top topo map displayed here, is of the Karner Dune Field, the Type Locality of the Karner Blue Butterfy, in the Pine Bush, as it was way before Rte. 155 appeared. A unified field, fully connected west to east. This dune field is a grouping of sand dunes within the much larger Schenectady-Albany “Dune Belt.” All. of the cultural information has,…
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by John Wolcott Guilderland just enacted six-month moratorium on development in the western part of town. The Town of Colonie is considering a moratorium in certain segments of town. As both Guilderland and Colonie contain Pine Bush, one would have expected the Pine Bush to have been included in the moratoriums as both town supervisors are on the Pine Bush Commission, but the Pine Bush was left out. Colonie, at least, has some conscientious citizens and an environmentally responsible board…
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by Lynne Jackson SCHENECTADY: Volunteers for Save the Pine Bush (SPB) were invited by the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to participate in a charette regarding eliminating the at-grade crossings at Morris and Cordell Roads in Colonie. The stated goal of the charette was to come up with ideas to allow safe passage of high-speed trains through the Pine Bush by eliminating the dangerous at-grade crossings. Volunteers for SPB were told over and over that DOT had no…
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by Lynne Jackson OK, Crossgates has been in the news a lot recently. Actually, they made it into the international news. Save the Pine Bush has received emails from out raged people as far away as Sydney Australia, and California. People are mad. To recap: On Monday evening, March 3, Stephen Downs and his son Roger, were stopped by a security guard at Crossgates Maul. They were wearing T-shirts which they had just purchased at the mall. Stephen’s T-shirt said…
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Save the Pine Bush has a traveling exhibit. We bring it to fairs, schools, and especially every year to the Albany Tulipfest, held on Saturaday and Sunday of Mother’s Day weekend in May. If you don’t have a chance to visit our exhibit in person, we have put the pictures and captions in our exhibit on the web for your enjoyment. The photographs linked to this page are spectacular, and, are quite large (between 60K and 140K). Click on the…
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by Tom Ellis ALBANY: Albany Pine Bush Management Commission (APBMC or the Commission) Executive Director Chris Hawver was the October 15 SPB dinner speaker. Lynne Jackson and I introduced him saying that Save the Pine Bush is very pleased that the Commission exists and is protecting the Pine Bush. Lynne said the work of SPB has become institutionalized with the APBMC. Chris said he has worked for the Commission since 1993, first as fire management coordinator, later as conservation director, and, beginning…
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by Sheree Cammer, Troy Compost volunteer Easily compostable organic waste is generated at the rate of an estimated 3/4 pound per person per day in the USA, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Crisis or opportunity? It’s up to us. Inter-Municipal Organics Wate Initiative A resolution approving the City of Troy joining the Inter-Municipal Organics Waste Initiative (IOWI) and endorsing the IOWI Application to NYSERDA’s Cleaner, Greener Communities Program Phase II was passed by unanimous vote by the Troy City…
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Save the Pine Bush Action Alert! Action Alerts! Call Your Albany City Common Council Member To oppose re-zoning of 365 Washington Avenue Extension (If you do not live in Albany, then choose someone to call). Call before March 20, 2000 Call Your Albany County Legislator To call for the County to request that part of the budget surplus be spent on acquiring land in the Pine Bush for preservation. Call any time. The more calls the better! Guilderland Comprehensive Management…
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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…
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Albany: At the October Save the Pine Bush dinner, Gregory Rosenthal spoke about the Car-Free Lifestyle Guide to the Capital Region. Last summer, Gregory Rosenthal, author, singer, song-writer and pianist, self-published a book on why we should ride the bus. He began by speaking about his history. He grew up in Niskayuna, is 23 years old and is currently a graduate student at the University at Albany studying public history. In Niskayuna, everyone drives cars. It is a wealthy, affuent,…
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 7 p.m. Stanford Home Hearing Information Hearing Notes January 23 Hearing Canadians are Coming! Archeological Information Photos – Outdoor Photos – Indoor Bonding Editorial Preservation Donate Contact Skip the ‘state of the union’ on Tuesday, January 23rd, and join the ‘state of Niskayuna’ rally and gathering at 7 p.m. Town Hall, Niskayuna, where the action is. Urge a NO vote on the Special Use Permit. The vote is close. One swing vote could…
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Yes, the King’s Royal Yorkers are Coming! Stanford Home Hearing Information Hearing Notes January 23 Hearing Canadians are Coming! Archeological Information Photos – Outdoor Photos – Indoor Bonding Editorial Preservation Donate Contact Yes, the King’s Royal Yorkers are Coming! Well, one man is representing the Captain Richard Duncan Company. Background: In the 1777 and 1783, Captain Richard Duncan commanded a company in the 1st Battalion of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, under Sir John Johnson. Richard…
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Home From Nowhere – Book Review Home From Nowhere Book Review by Lynne Jackson As a child growing up in the suburbs in the sixties, I really wanted sidewalks. I could not understand why there were no sidewalks. I envied the children who walked to school, and were even allowed to walk home at lunch. As I got older, I wished that I could take the bus, but as the bus stop was two miles from my house, along a…
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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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by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: On August 21, Lou Ismay completed the lecture he began in April about his experiences teaching and leading the Environmental Forum course at the University at Albany beginning fifty years ago. Lynne Jackson introduced Lou saying Lou’s office was in the Arts building. Lou hung strings from the ceiling connected to manila folders with the names of the many Forum guest speakers. Lynne happily recalled the cookie jar in Lou’s office that held large cookies….
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Background: As early as the end of March some of us in PAUSE (People of Albany United for Safe Energy) noticed that greenhouse gas emissions were going down around the world due to Covid 19. We thought this was a very good thing but knew unless direct action was taken to keep them low they’d pop right back up again. This pandemic has brought to the fore our vulnerability to the just-in-time global supply lines. The usual abundance at the…
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What is the Pine Bush? The Pine Bush is the only sizable inland pine barrens sand dunes in the United States, and is recognized world&endash;wide as a unique pine barrens ecosystem. It contains over 300 species of vertebrate animals, over 1,500 species of plants, and over 10,000 species of insects and other invertebrate animals. Many of them are rare and restricted to the Pine Bush habitat. Its most famous occupant, the Karner Blue Butterfly, is on the Federal and State’s…
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45 years of fighting for the Pine Bush John Wolcott, historian, preservationist, activist, and fierce advocate for the Pine Bush, dies at 90 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…
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