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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September 3, 2019 Mr. Joseph LaCivita, Chair (by e-mail only)Director of Planning & Economic DevelopmentTown of Colonie Public Operations Center347 Old Niskayuna RoadLatham, NY 12110 RE: 2772 & 2792 Curry Rd. – Eden Renewables proposed Solar Farm Dear Director LaCivita, Thank you for requesting Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC) review and comment on the above referenced sketch plan. The Albany Pine Bush supports the world’s best remaining example of an inland pitch pine-scrub oak barrens, 78 wildlife Species of…
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As much as we love solar, the Eden Renewable Solar Project in Colonie is NOT okay. Dear Save the Pine Bush Friends, Please come to the public hearing regarding the proposed Solar Farm in the Pine Bush. I have included links to the documents and maps. Thank you so much, Lynne Jackson For Save the Pine Bush Join the next fight for the Pine Bush Wednesday, June 1, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Town of Colonie…
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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…
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By Laura Ferran, Founder of (SEBS) South End Butterfly Sanctuary, Albany NY ALBANY, NY: My mother Nadia Ferran, now age 89, remembers seeing hundreds of monarchs in the 1970’s in our family yard located in the South End of Albany. But when my young children and I came to live in Albany last year, we saw just ONE. This sighting was both exciting and frightening at the same time. We researched that monarchs are plummeting toward extinction. Numbering some 1.2…
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Dear Mr. Wemple and members of the Guilderland Conservation Advisory Council, Thank you very much for allowing Karen White and I to attend the site visit for 10 New Karner Road on April 17, 2021. Save the Pine Bush re-iterates that we oppose any construction on the site. Though the proposed building site has been clear-cut, there is no question that the land is part of the Pine Bush ecosystem and could be restored to typical Pine Bush vegetation. A number…
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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…
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This evening 1/12, the Concept Plan Review for a 2 Lot Minor Subdivision – 10 New Karner Road in the Pine Bush will be under consideration by the Town Planning Board. See the agenda here. You may also provide comment during the meeting by dialing (929) 205-6099, and entering Meeting ID: 870 8196 7894 and Passcode: 726808 Read Save the Pine Bush’s comments on the proposed subdivision and commercial development of the Pine Bush. On 4/17, Save the Pine Bush…
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GUILDERLAND: Regal Cinemas at Crossgates Maul has requested to increase the height of one theater from about 24 feet to approximately 70 feet above grade. The theater will become a “True Imax” according to their application. Save the Pine Bush sued over the approval of the original theaters in the 1990s. Unfortunately, we lost, and the theaters were built in 1997. The theaters are very close to Butterfly Hill, just the width of a narrow road apart. The theaters cast…
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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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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: John Poorman, Executive Director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission spoke at the July SPB vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner. Mr. Poorman began by describing what the Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDTC) is. The CDTC is the designated “Metropolitan Planning Organization” (MPO) for four counties, Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady. Under federal law, the CDTC’s responsibilities are to provide a forum to discuss transportation needs and develop transportation plans in the context of social, economic and…
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by Lynne Jackson, Mar./Apr. 92 The Karner Blue has been proposed to be listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If the butterfly is listed as an endangered species with a designated critical habitat, any developments proposed within the habitat would need to have a federal permit in order to be built. Obtaining a federal permit is a much more rigorous and difficult process to go through than the zoning changes or Planning Board approvals-and…
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Christopher M. Walker, Legal Intern for the The Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic wrote comments for the proposed project. Here is an excerpt from his comments sent to the Guilderland Planning Board. You can view the complete comments and the appendicies online at: http://www.savethepinebush.org/Cases/Crossgates_Expansion/index.html The Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic submits the following comments on behalf of our client, Save the Pine Bush, in response to the proposed Draft Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) on the Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment…
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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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by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Lynne Jackson spoke about current developments in the Pine Bush and Steve Downs about The War on Terror – Twenty Years Later, at the February 23 Save the Pine Bush virtual meeting. After thanking SPB members for their financial contributions to assist one of SPB’s dinner chefs, Adam Baldwin, with his sudden medical bills, Lynne thanked Andy Arthur for creating an on-line “event sweeper” that quickly identifies proposed projects in the pine barrens sections of…
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Dear All, Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 8, the Town of Colonie Planning Board will have a sketch plan review for an 8,000 sq foot warehouse on the 4.8 acre vacant lot behind Yonder Farms in the Albany Pine Bush — 4298 Albany Street. The Planning Board meets at 6:00 PM at the Town of Colonie Memorial Town Hall, 534 New Loudon Rd, Latham, NY 12110. This is a relatively small lot and it’s next to existing warehouses and Yonder Farms, but it…
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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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Albany County Tax records show that 253 acres of Pine Bush were forever lost to development between 2010 and 2020. Acres in Study Area Acres Developed with a Building * % Acres Preserved ** % Acres Undeveloped or Used for Highways / Landfill *** % 13,005 5,723 44.0% 3,317 25.5% 3,965 30.5% * Acres developed does not include highways or other developments that do not contain buildings. ** Albany Pine Bush Commission managed lands *** County tax parcels that do…
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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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The Pine Bush Getting Help from Seventh Graders The Pine Bush Getting Help from Seventh Graders June/July 1995 The Albany Pine Bush is getting help from seventh graders from Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland, to save the Blue Lupine so the Karner Blue Butterfly can have food. by Scott Mason, School Reporter ALBANY-In the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, local seventh graders from Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland have hopes to save a rare plant called the Blue Lupine. They want…
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Proposed Hotel in the Pine Bush Hotel Update: Oral Arguements in the NY Court of Appeals Tuesday, September 15 at 2:00 The Court of Appeals is next door to Albany City Hall. This is an extremely significant case, and could, if we win change who has standing in SEQRA cases. Click here to read Amicus briefs Read attorney Steve Downs’ commentary about the hotel case here. Action Alert! Hear the Oral Arguments in the NYS Appellate Division Friday,…
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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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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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A snow-covered field near Crossgates Mall may become a battleground over the effect of building in the Pine Bush and on that ecologically fragile area’s bellwether symbol, the Karner blue butterfly. Environmentalists are trying to fend off the nation’s largest independent hotel developer, which wants about four acres west of the mall’s movie theaters for a 124-room project. A fight is brewing because that site along Washington Avenue Extension is next to a protected preserve — surrounded by the mall…
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By John Wolcott By way of an etremely simplyfied explaination s drumlin is a major and fairly popularly known outwash feature of glaciial retreat. Over hundreds of thousand of years there have been four major glacial periods on earth when glaciers formed and spread north from the South Pole and south form the North Pole. Then there were interglacial warmer periods. There were miner fluctuations of re advance and re retreat. The fourth North American Glacial Advance; the Wisconsin moved…
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by Lynne Jackson On Wednesday, July 24, the Guilderland Planning Board gave preliminary approval to the construction of 70 houses in the largest roadless area of the Pine Bush. Before giving approval, the Board held a hearing. Lynne Jackson of Save the Pine Bush spoke at the hearing, and wrote down her comments in a letter. The Altamont Enterprise printed her letter on August 1. To the Editor: This past Wednesday, I attended a public hearing on the Lone Pine 7…
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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 Lynne Jackson ALBANY: On Thursday, August 26, the Zoning Committee of the Albany Common Council held a scoping hearing on the proposed 124-Unit Residence Inn in the Pine Bush. This hotel would be built next to the Karner Blue butterfly hill, which is the only large site of Karner Blues south of the Thruway. Last year, when Pyramid Crossgates first proposed this Residence Inn, Save the Pine Bush asked the Council to require a Scoping Hearing, which is a…
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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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by Grace Nichols ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush supports a move by Albany County Legislator Doug Bullock and Save the Pine Bush’s Grace Nichols to introduce to the Legislature a Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution. It would be the first time that the County stood with a class of organisms undergoing rapid extinctions globally. We, at Save the Pine Bush, hope the County of Albany passes the resolution as our small part to address a biological crisis, and also as an…
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Compiled by Tim Truscott Letter: Pine Bush Preserve remains a folly To the editor, Sunday, September 2, 2018 The extension of the lifespan of the Rapp Road landfill is welcome news for Albany taxpayers. It’s unimaginable what the cost of getting rid of our waste will be when we have to close that landfill. I am surprised that a waste-to-energy facility has not been proposed or an end brought to this folly with the Pine Bush Preserve. Enough is enough…
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All Development Halted – Emergency Appeal Succeeds! All Development Halted Emergency Appeal Succeeds! by Daniel W. Van Riper, Jan./Feb. ’93 In a unanimous decision, the Appellate Division of the NYS Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling earlier this year that overturned zoning changes for the 40 Karner Road and Touhey parcel at 300 Washington Ave. Ext., both located in central parts of the Pine Bush. “Congratulations to us!”, said Lew Oliver, SPB’s attorney, flushed with victory once again. “This…
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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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ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush filed suit in New York State Supreme Court over the City of Albany Common Council’s approval of the Residence Inn Hotel and an Office Complex on Washington Avenue Extention in the Pine Bush in March. Save the Pine Bush sued the City about two development proposals, a hotel proposed to be built next to the Karner Blue butterfly hill and an office complex on land designated as a full protection area. “The Pine Bush,…
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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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Dear All, The proposed apartment complex on Rapp Road in Guilderland is back. Pyramid sold the 19 acre parcel to a local developer. This new developer has proposed some modifications to the project. The new name for the project is Apex at Crossgates. The area where the proposed apartment complex is to be built is recommended for partial protection by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. The public hearing: Wednesday, July 13 at 7:00 PMGuilderland Town Hall5209 Western TpkGuilderland, NY…
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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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