More on the West Nile Virus More on the West Nile Virus To follow up on Ward Stone’s talk at the September Save the Pine Bush Dinner, according to the Albany Times-Union, the disease has spread to 12 states and the District of Columbia, from New York and New England and as far south as North Carolina. In addition to the many birds that have been infected, horses, bats, cats, raccoons, rabbits and a skunk, as well as people, have…
Remember The Elections? Be Thankful We Still Have Them Remember The Elections? Be Thankful We Still Have Them By Daniel Van Riper It’s been 3 months since the November elections, time enough to assess the damage . . . and look forward to more! Here’s a quick roundup, and boy is it partisan: Bond Act Boondoggle More than a few folks were puzzled by Save the Pine Bush’s lack of an endorsement for the Environmental Bond Act, especially since it…
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…
December Ski/Hike at Blueberry Hill Saturday December 3, 2022 at 9 AM Meet at: Trailhead #4 Blueberry Hill East next to Kiddie Academy, 13 Columbia Circle, Albany Leader: Andy Arthur • For More Information: (518) 281-9873 The first week of December join us for a ski trip or hike in Blueberry Hill Area. If there is snow, bring skis or snowshoes. Otherwise just bring comfortable shoes and we will enjoy a nice morning walk around the Pine Bush enjoying the…
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…
Revolution, Treason and Hypnotism- Guilderland Comes of Age Revolution, Treason and Hypnotism Guilderland Comes of Age By Daniel Van Riper The Ancient Machine The really astonishing result of the last local elections was mostly downplayed by the media. The ossified and complacent Guilderland Republican machine, which has ruled undisturbed by the voters since the early part of the last century (!) was reduced to minority status. This is good news for the Pine Bush. Supervisor Bill Aylward, who has expressed…
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…
Save the Pine Bush Volunteers Spread the Word Save the Pine Bush Volunteers Spread the Word Sometimes, school teachers or students will invite members of Save the Pine Bush to speak. We have had many adventures talking to students. Here is a sample. Ed. SPB Visits Elementary School Elementary school students at the D. H. Robbins Elementary School in St. Johnsville, New York invited Lynne Jackson, SPB Board Member, to speak to them about what it is like to be…
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? 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…
Let Your Voice Be Heard! – Don’t Let Them Take Land from Preserve! Let Your Voice Be Heard! Don’t Let Them Take Land from Preserve! by Lynne Jackson At long last, Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for the proposed YMCA and St. Peter’s Assisted Living facility in Guilderland has been issued. Harder to find than a developer at a Save the Pine Bush dinner, I was fortunate to be able to obtain a copy of part of the DGEIS….
By BRIAN NEARING, Staff Writer ALBANY – The city of Albany is among the state’s dozen worst polluters for its plans to expand the Rapp Road dump into the Pine Bush, according to a statewide environmental group’s annual listing released Tuesday. Citizens’ Environmental Coalition also cited the General Electric Co. for alleged foot-dragging over the cleanup of the Dewey Loeffel dump in Nassau, Rensselaer County; and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, under former Gov. George Pataki, for underfunding maverick…
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…
By BRIAN NEARING Staff Writer 2010 ALBANY — Honeysuckle smells sweet and its red berries make a colorful splash in the fall, but this flowering shrub may be a magnet for deer with ticks that spread Lyme disease. A recent academic study found that areas around dense thickets of honeysuckle are 10 times more likely to contain disease-carrying ticks than similar areas without honeysuckle. The decorative shrub, an Asian native, has spread throughout New York since it was deliberately introduced…
Save the Pine Bush Construction Begins Before Court Decides Case Construction Begins Before Court Decides Case by Daniel W. Van Riper, July/Aug. 91 Barry, Bette and LeDuke have begun construction of a 70,000 sq. ft. office building in Albany’s ecologically sensitive Pine Bush while State Supreme Court Justice Daniel H. Prior decides whether or not it is legal to build it. “This is another typical case where the City and the developers are coluding to avoid following the State environmental…
Common Council Sells Out – Albany Bows To Columbia Estates Common Council Sells Out Albany Bows To Columbia Estates June/July 1995 By Daniel Van Riper In a stunning return to the politics of back-room deals, the City of Albany Common Council by a near-unanimous vote gave the stub of Pitch Pine Road East to the rapacious mega-developers Columbia Estates for a mere $75,000. The sale effectively cuts off public access to that portion of the Pine Bush preserve. According to…
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,…