Search Results for: 155 New Karner Road

24 New Karner Road Senior Living Facility – Speak out on July 13th

Dear All, In two weeks, the Town of Guilderland will hold an in-person hearing on Pine Bush Senior Living PUD-24 New Karner Road on Tuesday July 13. The Town Board meeting begins at 7 PM This project was approved in 2015, but, it appears that the developer never broke ground. See the Altamont Enterprise article:https://altamontenterprise.com/04042019/depth-look-pine-bush-senior-living Here is the site plan:https://www.townofguilderland.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif3196/f/uploads/200285-3-full_set-4.16.21_2.pdf Here are the documents related to the hearing:https://www.townofguilderland.org/town-board/pages/pine-bush-senior-living-pud-24-new-karner-road I cannot find the Environmental Assessment Form or the Environmental Impact Statement…

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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,…

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How fares the Karner Blue?

by Lynne Jackson The first part of this series was printed in the February/March, 2005 newsletter and is a summary of a presentation given by Neil Gifford at the October, 2004 SPB lasagna dinner. The Karner Blue Butterfly Federal Recovery Plan has three priorities. In New York State, scientists are focussing on priority one, which is doing those things necessary to prevent extinction of or the irreversible decline of the species, everything from monitoring populations to creating and implementing a…

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16-09 Sept-Oct Newsletter

16-09 Sept-Oct Newsletter Sept/Oct 16 No. 132 • 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY 12210 • email pinebush@mac.com • phone 518-462-0891 • web http://www.savethepinebush.org • Circ. 600 Vegetarian/Vegan Dinner Wednesday, September 21, 2016, 6:00 p.m. Climate Crisis and Practical Solutions Conor Bambrick Air & Energy Director, Environmental Advocates of NY will speak about NY Renews and practical solutions for transition to clean energy Mark Schaeffer who works with 350.org will speak about Overview of climate crisis and need for a political…

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SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road

SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road by Lynne Jackson Last summer, Judge Thomas Keegan handed down a win for Save the Pine Bush overturning a vote by the Common Council to make the "Loop Road" or Columbia Circle Drive a public road. The problem is, the Common Council is going to vote again, perhaps in the next couple of weeks. This road is a disaster for the Pine Bush. The road was…

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Save the Pine Bush Newsletter – July/Aug. 92

by Gregg Bell, July/Aug. 92 A significant conference on the Karner Blue Butterfly was held on April 21, 1992 in Zanesville, Ohio, once again illustrating continuing scientific interest in our famous neighbor. The conference was sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Wilds International Center for the Preservation of Animals, The Nature Conservancy, and the University of Minnesota. In all, a total of twenty scientific papers were presented. Several discussed the declining status…

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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…

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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…

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Research

Here are some helpful tools to help you research development and land use changes in Albany Pine Bush. Properties on the Planning Board Agendas See our Planning Board Agenda Tracker. Search a Property You can search a property here, however it must be in a very specific format to match the tax record, like this describing the property: 20 New Karner Rd, Town of Guilderland. If you don’t have that level of detail or nothing is returned, you should use…

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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…

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Driving Backwards – Transportation Committee Shuns The Future

Driving Backwards – Transportation Committee Shuns The Future Driving Backwards Transportation Committee Shuns The Future By Daniel Van Riper Don’t expect to take a take a train to Saratoga anytime soon. Regional traffic planners appear to have little political will to provide taxpayers and citizens of the Capital District with alternatives to driving cars, such as light rail, busses or even bicycle paths. Kristina Younger, Senior Transportation Planner for the Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC), spoke at the January 22nd…

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Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Begins an Updated Plan for Pine Bush Preservation Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Begins an Updated Plan for Pine Bush Preservation Colonie, NY &emdash; The Town of Colonie Community Center was the site of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission’s Scoping Session Hearing on the Commission’s updated plan for Pine Bush Preservation. By law, the Commission must update its management plan every five years. The first step in the process is a “scoping session” where…

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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…

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Save the Pine Bush

Resting on a leaf, click on photo to see larger picture. 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….

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No Credit Given – A Letter From the Commission No Credit Given A Letter From the Commission By Daniel Van Riper In their latest newsletter the Albany Pine Bush Management Commission gives credit for the rehabilitation of the parcel of land off Apollo Drive that used to be a truck parking lot to 3 corporations, 4 municipalities, 2 state offices, the Girl Scouts and the Nature Conservancy. Somehow Commission Director Willie Janeway forgot to mention that this land would now…

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ALBANY: The State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU) building and surrounding land, located in the center of the Pine Bush on Route 155, was traded for state-owned land at the Harrimon State Office Campus. In the late 1980s, Save the Pine Bush sued over the zoning approval given to SEFCU and won. Judge Robert Williams ruled in Save the Pine Bush’s favor citing the fact that the Generic Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the City of Albany failed to take…

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Man charged in bird-killing Albany

DINA CAPPIELLO Staff writer State Route 155 — a k a New Karner Road — may not be as aptly named as you might think. The four-mile-long thoroughfare — which cuts through the heart of the 2,700-plus-acre Pine Bush Preserve — disrupts the movement of Karner blue butterflies crossing the road to mate with others, according to a new study by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. Genetic variety is essential to sustain limited populations in fragmented habitats like Pine…

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The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center

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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Why Does the Discovery Center Look Like a Bank?

By Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The Pine Bush Discovery will have its grand opening on Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and June 17 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. After what seems like an eternity of planning, design and construction, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is pleased to invite the public to the grand opening. As the gateway to the Pine Bush, the Discovery Center introduces people to everything that makes the Preserve rare and adventurous with hands-on and interactive…

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Blues Connection

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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You Can Help Save the Pine Bush in The Town of Colonie

Below is a copy of the Final Scoping document for the proposed hotel adjacent to the Karner Blue Butterfly site. For more information about the project, please see the following: Crossgates Wants to Build a Hotel in the Pine Bush, Will they never go away? (Sept/Oct 04) Save the Pine Bush Sues Crossgates Maul and Asks the City to Deny Crossgates Hotel Proposal (Feb/Mar 04) Crossgates Casts a Dark Shadow Over the Pine Bush (Dec 03/Jan 04)   CITY OF…

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Exploring Bus Service to the Pine Bush

Exploring Bus Service to the Pine Bush Exploring Bus Service to the Pine Bush by John Wolcott One can reach the Pine Bush from Albany by bus. However, it is, at one point, difficult and unsafe. At another point, it is awkward, and, as yet, uncertain. A couple of weeks ago, I tested part of the bus system in person. I took the Number 12 Crossgates bus to Wall-Mart on the Washington Avenue Extension. This is the nearest stop to…

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Chris Hawver of the Commission Speaks

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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A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturne

A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturne A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturned by Daniel W. Van Riper, Mar./Apr. 92 March 5-State Supreme Court Justice George L. Cobb today overturned two zoning approvals by the City of Albany in the Pine Bush at 300 Washington Ave. Ext (Charlie Touhey’s office development in front of Dunes) and 40 Karner Road (the proposed Karner Office Park just south of Pinehurst). This ruling may set a precedent which would bring all development proposals currently…

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Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines from the Preserve Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines Press Releases Press Conference on Monday, August 10 at 10:00 AM Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve Land For Immediate Release: August 7, 1998 For Further Information: Please Contact: Lewis Oliver at 463-7962 or Lynne Jackson at 434-1954   PRESS CONFERENCE & PHOTO OPPORTUNITY Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve on Monday, August…

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Save the Pine Bush Action Alert!

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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LAND SWAP ADDS TO PINE BUSH

by DINA CAPPIELLO, Staff writer A building that Pine Bush protectors once protested for being constructed in the rare pine barren became part of the preserve on Friday, when the state announced it traded a piece of the Harriman State Office Campus for the State Employees Federal Credit Union on New Karner Road. The deal adds 11.5 acres in the town of Colonie and the city of Albany to the 2,725-acre preserve, while allowing a growing company to expand its…

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Pine Bush bridge work to defer to rare butterfly

By JILL BRYCE Gazette Reporter COLONIE – The fate of the tiny Karner blue butterfly will be a factor when crews begin replacing a Route 155 bridge this spring. Even the butterfly’s flight patterns have been taken into consideration in the design of the new $2 million bridge in the Albany Pine Bush, which will span the CSX tracks. From May 15 to Aug. 15, no work will take place within the wetlands adjacent to the roadway, or within a…

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The Way We Were

by Tom Ellis   ALBANY, NY: Don Rittner was the guest speaker at the June 20 SPB dinner.  Don was introduced by John Wolcott who said Don took Albany by storm in 1973 with his archaeological research of the Isaac Truax Tavern on the King’s Highway that George Washington stopped in six times.  He said Don also has the distinction of being fired by Albany Mayors Erastus Corning and Tom Whalen. Don titled his presentation, “The Way We Were.”  Using a PowerPoint,…

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Pine Bush Commission may soon be able to buy land in revolving fund

ALBANY COUNTY — Pending the governor’s signature, the Pine Bush Commission will soon be able to hold title to property and buy land directly from landowners, due to new legislation passed in both the state assembly and senate. This change will allow the commission to move more quickly to obtain land that could otherwise go to developers. Property that the Pine Bush Commission might be interested in adding to the land it manages includes any parts of Guilderland west of…

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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…

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