Search Results for: 8 New Karner Rd

Center, NY/Karner, NY Old Development Never Finished in the Pine Bush

Comments 0 Comment

by John Wolcott Join us on a visit to a forgotten locale at the crossing of Old Karner Road with the AMTRAK tracks. This was bypassed when New Karner Road was built and then after a while the crossing was closed. This place was the location of the railroad stop half way between Albany and Schenectady established in 1831 when the first chartered passenger railroad in the Western Hemisphere was constructed here and for it’s first several years ran only…

Read More Read More

Wanted Dead or Alive: Karner Blues — My Pine Bush History Report

Comments 0 Comment

Social Media Today and Then I’m a kid and I know that social media can take societal issues we care about and make them go viral in real time. But in 1977, way before the internet or even personal computers, when my grandfather Rocco Ferran was a resident in Albany New York and active to help secure the Pine Bush for future generations, like me, social media was, well, slower and had far less reach. From my research, social media…

Read More Read More

4298 Albany Street, Town of Colonie

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Albany Pine Bush Commission, RE: 2772 & 2792 Curry Rd. – Eden Renewables proposed Solar Farm

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Curry Road Solar Colonie (Eden Renewables) Proposed on 75-acres of Full Protection Lands

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2000s

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2010s

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 1990s

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Build It And They Will Come: Cousin of Karner Blue Returns To Albany

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

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

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

The Pine Bush & the Pandemic – April 2021 Save the Pine Bush Lecture by Long time Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC) Conservation Director Neil Gifford

Comments 0 Comment

By Tom Ellis, June/July 2021 Save the Pine Bush Newsletter ON THE INTERNET: Long time Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC) Conservation Director Neil Gifford began his April 17, 2021 SPB meeting comments saying, “Thirty years of managing the world’s best scrub oak pitch pine barrens has taught us a lot.” His topic was “The Pine Bush and the Pandemic: Update on the Preserve.” He offered an update on land protection, management and monitoring. His comments focused on paleoecology. He…

Read More Read More

Help make the Karner Blue the New York State Butterfly!

Comments 0 Comment

by Karina Franke October 19, 2007 Dear Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission and Save the Pine Bush, My name is Karina Franke, and I’m a fourth grader at Furnace Woods School. Ms. Howell is my enrichment teacher, and Ms. Podesta is my classroom teacher. I’m writing to you for the Karner Kids from Cortlandt Manor in Westchester County. When my family visited the Discovery Center, I learned all about how your organizations work to protect the Pine Bush. I first…

Read More Read More

Returning to flight Efforts of New England biologists help usher in rebirth of the endangered Karner blue butterfly

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Neil Gifford – Good News about the Pine Bush

Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: “I would not be standing here without the work Save the Pine Bush has done to hold people accountable,” said Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC or commission) Director Neil Gifford, as he began his presentation at the May 18 SPB dinner. Neil spoke at length about the Karner Blue Butterfly (KBB). Lynne Jackson introduced him saying APBPC sustains the Pine Bush and Neil has been with the commission for 19 years. Neil said the…

Read More Read More

Neil Gifford Brings Good News

Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson   ALBANY: Neil Gifford, conservation director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, spoke at the Save the Pine Bush Earth Day dinner on April 22. He brought good news. Neil began by describing “young forest management.” Young forests are dominated by shrubs and saplings, and are often found where old farm fields and pastures used to be, in places regenerating from timber and in pine barrens. Many species of greatest conservation need live in these young…

Read More Read More

Dumping on 10 New Karner Road

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Save the Pine Bush Comments on 10 New Karner Road

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

10 New Karner Road Subdivison

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Regal Cinemas at Crossgates Will Shade the Karner Blues

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Driving Backwards – Transportation Committee Shuns The Future

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Ward Stone and the West Nile Virus

Comments 0 Comment

Ward Stone and the West Nile Virus Ward Stone and the West Nile Virus Albany, NY &emdash; Ward Stone, State Wildlife Pathologist, spoke at the August SPB lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. He began by describing the virus’ one-year journey from Westchester to the Capital District. In July, 1999, crows seemed to be dying in Suffolk and Westchester. Stone had been pathologist for 31 years, and had never seen this disease before. Stone called the Health Department, and…

Read More Read More

Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Proposes a New Plan – Mark October 18 to Attend Hearing

Comments 0 Comment

Maps available: A new graphic Pine Bush trail map is now available. The new map was produced using a Global Positioning System to record trail locations. The brochure includes a mural depicting many of the typical plants and animals, interpretive information and a summary of the Preserve’s public use rules and regulations. The Preserve guide and trail map can be obtained from the Albany Pine Bush office or at trailhead kiosks. (785-1800). Preserve Regulations: BICYCLES may only travel on the…

Read More Read More

Willie Janeway Comes to Visit

Comments 0 Comment

Willie Janeway Comes to Visit Willie Janeway Comes to Visit Albany, NY – At Save the Pine Bush’s November dinner, Willie Janeway, former executive Director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission and current executive director of the Hudson River Greenway, spoke about his observations about the Pine Bush. Protecting the Karner Blues has put the Pine Bush on the map. An no one today would say that they are against protecting the Pine Bush. The question now is: what…

Read More Read More

Notes from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Newsletter

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Write to the Town of Guilderland Planning Board

Comments 0 Comment

Name of the project: Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects Email comments to: Kenneth Kovalchik, Town Planner, Kovalchikk@togny.org The Town of Guilderland Planning Board should reject the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed development by Pyramid (Crossgates) to build massive apartment complexes, office space and expansive retail on Rapp Road, the Mall Road and Western Avenue. This proposed development includes a Costco with 700 car parking lot and a gas station. The Town of Guilderland Planning…

Read More Read More

The Federal Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan

Comments 0 Comment

by Sandy Sheridan What are we going to do about these butterflies? What the US Fish and Wildlife Service thinks should be done has been specifically outlined in the “Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan” (October 2001). This 239-page plan comprehensively describes the Karner Blue, its plight and the plan of action to perpetuate its populations in the 13 recovery units (RU’s) identified. The Pine Bush is one of the 13 RU’s examined. Lycaeides melissa samuelis, the Karner Blue Butterfly, is…

Read More Read More

The Karner Blue vs Crossgates Mall – Secret Meetings and SEQRA Violations

Comments 0 Comment

The Karner Blue vs Crossgates Mall – Secret Meetings and SEQRA Violations The Karner Blue vs Crossgates Mall Secret Meetings and SEQRA Violations by Lynne Jackson Save the Pine Bush is pleased to announce that we joined with our famous Pine Bush resident, the Karner Blue Butterfly, and sued Pyramid Crossgates and the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Guilderland over the theater expansion at the Crossgates Maul. This is the first time we have ever filed a…

Read More Read More

Looking Forward

Comments 0 Comment

by Karina Franke As you know, last year, I started a campaign to get the Karner Blue named State Butterfly. The highlight of the project was being honored at your November 2007 Dinner and speaking to you about my project. That was such a special evening for my family and my teacher, and we’re so happy to be here tonight celebrating your 30th anniversary. Over 33,000 third, fourth, and fifth graders from all over our state participated in the State…

Read More Read More

How fares the Karner Blue?

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Man charged in bird-killing Albany

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Proposes a New Plan – Mark October 18 to Attend Hearing

Comments 0 Comment

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is mandated by law to revise its Management Plan every five years. The last revision to the Management Plan were the Implementation Guidelines, adopted by the Commission in 1996. The Commission will hold a public hearing on its Draft Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve on Thursday, October 18 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Town of Colonie Community Center, 1653 Central Avenue, Colonie. Originally, the…

Read More Read More

A Journey to Nabokov’s Karner, New York – a Conservation Dilemma

Comments 0 Comment

  A recent date to speak about Nabokov’s blues in Albany, New York — the state’s capital — afforded me a chance to visit what is left of old “Karner”, New York. Karner is the little hamlet that, in common parlance, has attached its name to Nabokov’s famous endangered species Lycaeides melissa samuelis, the “Karner Blue”. Karner got the nod for samuelis’s common name because Nabokov chose specimens of samuelis from Karner for his type series (the specimens he used…

Read More Read More

16-09 Sept-Oct Newsletter

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

Comments 0 Comment

Good fact to know: Our Pine Bush is one of just 20 inland pine barrens in the world. Dr.Fiero and his students at Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland are in the news again. Students raised $409.75 from bake sales and bottle drives to benefit the Karner Blues. The next school project is to raise Karner Blues to repopulate the more than 100 acres that have been restored to high quality Karner Blue habitat. What a worthy project! Preserve Pick-up —…

Read More Read More

News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

Comments 0 Comment

Members of the public are invited to provide written comments towards the process of reviewing and/or amending the 2002 Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Comments can address all aspects of the Commission’s work including land protection, habitat or natural resource management, public education and recreation. Comments are due by 4:00pm August 31, 2007 and may be mailed via postal service or email to:, Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, c/o Margaret Stein, 195…

Read More Read More

Albany Pine Bush Nature Cache: Participation Encourages Public Land Stewardship

Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis For more than 10 years, the city of Albany has attempted to site a large regional solid waste landfill in the town of Coeymans. The dump would be located about a mile south of where the Berkshire Spur section of the New York State Thruway connects to I-87. Trash would come from Albany, Cohoes, Berne, Bethleham, Guilderland, Knox, New Scotland, Westerlo, Watervliet, Rensselaer, Altamont, Rensselaerville, Green Island and elsewhere. Among the reasons Coeymans residents oppose the project…

Read More Read More

Ward Stone Speaks about the Most Important Environmental Problems of Our Time

Comments 0 Comment

Over $25,000 in grants support public education and outreach and Federal and private funding allows dramatic increase in habitat restoration. Contractors removed invasive black locust trees from 25 acres and 21 acres were planted with native grasses and wildflowers including wild blue lupine. The project was assisted by the Commission’s new John Deere tractor and Truax seed drill. Over 30 acres of new habitat have been planted in the Preserve over the past three years. Monitoring data indicates that the…

Read More Read More

Crossword Puzzle

Comments 0 Comment

by Sandy Sheridan Birk Try your hand at our first Save the Pine Bush Crossword puzzle! Click here for answer key. Across 1. The Karner Blue Butterfly is currently listed as ____________. 5. Butterfly’s young 8. How many generations of Karner Blue Butterflies are hatched each year in the Pine Bush? 9. These insects often share a mutualistic relationship with the Karner Blue Butterfly. 10. The soil in the Pine Bush is full of _____________. 13. _____________ the Pine Bush!…

Read More Read More

New Plan for the Preserve – – 2002 Management Plan Revealed

Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY: Neil Gifford, Conservation Director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, gave a powerpoint presentation to the attendees of the September vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church on the new 2002 Pine Bush Management Plan. State Law requires the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (the Commission) to review its management plan every five years, and prepare a new one if needed. The Commission released a new management plan in April, 2002. This new plan replaces the Implementation…

Read More Read More

Karner Blue Butterfly

Comments 0 Comment

Karner Blue Butterfly The Karner Blue Butterfly Lycaeides Melissa Samuelis A Karner Blue Butterfly rests on a blueberry leaf, photograph by Doug Morse Back to Karner Blue Butterfly Article Page Vegetarian Lasagna Dinner Pine Bush Hike Current Newsletter About Save the Pine Bush Virtual Photo Exhibit  Action Alerts Volunteer Nights Articles in Date Order Links Articles by Subject  Save the Pine Bush Home Email Save the Pine Bush

Our Favorite Butterfly – The Karner Blue in 2001

Comments 0 Comment

The October lasagna dinner was the setting for Kathy O’Brien, Invertebrate Specialist with the Endangered Species Unit of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, to tell us about the current status of our favorite butterfly. O’Brien began by describing the butterfly. Karners are tiny, about the size of a quarter. The females are brownish, while the males are very blue. Perhaps the most endearing quality of the Karner is that it is not unusual for the Karner to land on…

Read More Read More

Our June 23rd Hike in the Pine Bush

Comments 0 Comment

After my planned Pine Bush hike got rained out in May, it looked as if Mother Nature, combined with the “Hughie” curse, was going to throw me another bone for my June Hike. However, as it turned out, the rain held off just long enough to allow we five hikers to complete our 3.5 mile hike of the Red (Sand Dune Trail, as well as part of the White and Yellow Trails at the Madison Highlands. Most the Pine Bush…

Read More Read More

Receiving our Newsletter via Paper or Email

Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush turned 40 this year. For 40 years, it has protected the Pine Bush and the Karner Blue Butterfly. For 40 years, volunteers have diligently mailed newsletters out. As the technology has changed over the past four decades, so have the options of distributing our powerful newsletter. Assuming you have an email account, we can now easily email it to you as a PDF. The advantage of this would be NO paper, no cutting down trees, less…

Read More Read More

Ward Stone Speaks

Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis   ALBANY, NY: Saying “I am very happy to be here,” Ward Stone launched into a very interesting and wide-ranging lecture at the December 16th SPB dinner.  Using deadpan humor, he said, “I spent a very environmental evening” last night watching the Republican presidential candidates.  Later he said “These Republican candidates are not good for the environment . . . We need to educate the politicians.” Ward Stone, who is 77, was the NYS Wildlife Pathologist from 1969 to 2010.  He was…

Read More Read More

Neil Gifford Brings Good News

Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson   ALBANY: Neil Gifford, conservation director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, spoke at the Save the Pine Bush Earth Day dinner on April 22. He brought good news. Neil began by describing “young forest management.” Young forests are dominated by shrubs and saplings, and are often found where old farm fields and pastures used to be, in places regenerating from timber and in pine barrens. Many species of greatest conservation need live in these young…

Read More Read More

Saratoga County’s Wilton preserve helps Karner blue

Comments 0 Comment

  Wilton: More land at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park in Saratoga County is being restored to sand dunes, scrub trees, prairie grasses and lupines needed to support growing numbers of endangered Karner blue butterflies. This winter, the state Department of Environmental Conservation will clear trees from about 20 acres near Ruggles Road, east of Route 50, to restore it to meadow suitable for growth of wild lupines, the sole food for Karner blue butterfly larvae. About 145 acres of the…

Read More Read More

SPB Tours Historic Power Station in Karner

Comments 0 Comment

by Andy Arthur For the March 2013 SPB Hike, we took a tour of the 1830 Central Avenue in Karner. The Central Avenue Power Station was a 1890s-era rotary converter station that took 11,000 volt three-phase alternating current power from the power grid and converted it to 600-volt direct current for streetcars, by using a series of massive devices that resembled electric motors. Rotary converters were used to convert AC to DC prior to the invention of mercury-arc rectifiers in…

Read More Read More

Habitat Restoration and Mitigation Project: How it Fits in to the Preserve Goals for Restoration” Neil Gifford Gives Save the Pine Bush Dinner Talk in March, 2011

Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols ALBANY, NY – Neil Gifford, Conservation Director at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, has been working in the Pine Bush since the early 1990s. He describes the mission of the Albany Pine Bush Commission, a body representing the many different governmental interests in the Pine Bush land, as “to preserve the pitch pine/scrub oak barrens” as authorized by Environmental Conservation Law Article 46 (1988) in which the legislature declared it is in the public interest to protect…

Read More Read More

Karine Franke Vote for the Karner Blue for New York State Butterfly

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

SPB Awarded Stewardship of Aquifer

Comments 0 Comment

SPB Awarded Stewardship of Aquifer We couldn’t resist. . . What can I say? My husband, Daniel W. Van Riper, and I were strolling through a fair in Scotia, New York, when we came upon an exhibit from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). They were handing out applications to adopt bodies of water in NYS. On a lark, we picked one up, as Dan thought Save the Pine Bush could apply to adopt the aquifer under the Pine…

Read More Read More