Search Results for: John Wolcott

John Wolcott, historian, preservationist, activist, and fierce advocate for the Pine Bush, dies at 90

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

John Wolcott, passionate advocate for Albany Pine Bush, dies

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

John Wolcott Obituary

Comments 0 Comment

COLONIE – John Wolcott, a rebel with a cause, a purveyor of justice and the truth, died August 17, 2023, a month before his 91st birthday. He is now walking the Glory Road with Jesus. John was a genius who had a photographic memory. He was a beautiful calligrapher and made his own Christmas cards each year. He was a self-taught person who knew how to use maps to locate many details. He was an all or nothing person, which…

Read More Read More

Fire Burns House of Save the Pine Bush Founder John Wolcott

Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY: On Sunday, May 23, a fire ripped through John Wolcott (one of SPB’s Founders) and Linda Becker’s Sheridan Avenue home. The fire began in the house next door and leapt to the roof of John and Linda’s house. Fortunately, John and Linda were away on vacation and are safe. Unfortunately, the house was a total loss. And, inside, were many historic documents and maps, collected by John for over six decades. The day after the fire, Albany fire fighters…

Read More Read More

John Wolcott, Honored by the New York State Assembly, Wants to see More Preservation

Comments 0 Comment

Jack McEneny, NYS Assemblyman, was Save the Pine BushÕs special guest at the July dinner. One of his jobs is to sponsor privileged resolutions of the Assembly. He had never read a special resolution before, but tonight, he was going to read one that the Assembly passed on June 20, 2001 to honor John Wolcott. Jack said that he was amazed that this resolution was passed 31 days ago, and that John did not know about it yet! Jack said…

Read More Read More

John Wolcott Versus The Dump – Skewering An Inane Document

Comments 0 Comment

John Wolcott Versus The Dump – Skewering An Inane Document John Wolcott Versus The Dump Skewering An Inane Document By John Wolcott Editor’s Note: Save the Pine Bush board member and dedicated enemy of deception John Wolcott has provided a blow by blow commentary on the "Summary of the 2nd Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Extension of the Albany Interim Landfill". This is the legal paperwork required before the City of Albany can start throwing trash and…

Read More Read More

John Wolcott Day

Comments 0 Comment

Monday, September 22 was declared John Wolcott Day in the City of Albany by Mayor Kathy Sheehan on the occasion of his 82nd birthday. John has contributed greatly to the city through his archeological findings and support of the environment           Published in October/November, 2014 Save the Pine Bush Newsletter

Assemblyman John McEneny Speaks about the Landfill

Comments 0 Comment

Albany: At the July Save the Pine Bush dinner, the Honorable John McEneny, Democratic Assemblyman for the 104th District, opened his speech by noting the last time he had spoken at a Save the Pine Bush dinner was a happy occasion to honor SPB member John Wolcott with an resolution from the NYS Assembly for John’s work on the environment and historic preservation. Mr. McEneny came to speak about a serious issue — taking (or alienation) of park land to…

Read More Read More

After “Development”

After "Development" Aftermath of Fire Fire is good for regeneration of the ecosystem. In a month this area will be green with new growth. Photo by John Wolcott Back to Exhibit Index 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 Page written and maintained by Save the Pine Bush Volunteers

Verified Petition, Januar 17, 2006

STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ALBANY                   SUPREME COURT _________________________________________________ In the Matter of the Application of                                                SAVE THE PINE BUSH, INC., REZSIN ADAMS, SANDRA CAMP, SHARON CASTERLIN, LUCY CLARK, LYNNE JACKSON, MARTHA MASTERS JOHN WOLCOTT, PETER VAN NOSTRAND and RUSSELL ZIEMBA,                                                                               Case No. 1 VERIFIED PETITION                                                             Petitioners,                                                                                                                         Index No.                            for judgment pursuant to Article 78 of the CPLR                                         RJI No.                        -against-                                             …

Read More Read More

After “Development”

After "Development" Aftermath of Fire Note how the ground is exposed in the burn area, while in the unburned area the ground is covered with organic trash. Photo by John Wolcott Back to Exhibit Index 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 Page written and maintained by Save the…

Read More Read More

6

Stanford Mansion, from left side, on hill Stanford Mansion, from left side, on hill This hillside is the highest point of land on the entire route from Albany to Schenectady, according to John Wolcott. The setting is one of the points noted by even a 1900s Trolley Brochure that John Wolcott has for his talking points, that this has been recognized for over 100 years as magnificent in its totality.

Verified Petition, Januar 17, 2006

STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ALBANY                   SUPREME COURT _________________________________________________ In the Matter of the Application of                                                SAVE THE PINE BUSH, INC., REZSIN ADAMS, SANDRA CAMP, SHARON CASTERLIN, LUCY CLARK, LYNNE JACKSON, MARTHA MASTERS JOHN WOLCOTT, PETER VAN NOSTRAND and RUSSELL ZIEMBA,                                                                               Case No. 1 AFFIRMATION                                                             Petitioners,                                                                                                                         Index No.                            for judgment pursuant to Article 78 of the CPLR                                         RJI No.                        -against-                                                                                                                                                         …

Read More Read More

Lynne Visits the Albany Landfill

by Lynne Jackson March 4, 2006 The Honorable Michael O’Brien, chair of the General Services Committee of the Albany Common Council, organized two tours of the Albany Landfill, for both the Common Council members and the public. Of course, I to attend. So, after getting up, and running two miles in Lincoln Park, I put on a whole lot of clothes, got in my car, and drove to Rapp Road. I arrived just before Mayor Jerry Jennings drove up in…

Read More Read More

92

Save the Pine Bush Current Hikes, Walks and Ski Trips Hike Along the East End of Snake Ridge in the Pine Bush Saturday, October 25, 1997 Meet at 10:15 am at the Campus Circle Bus Stop, SUNYA campus, 1400 Washington Ave. Albany. For information, call John Wolcott at 465-8930. Hike leaders will be Burt Shou and Claire Nolan Shou. The public is cordially invited to attend. For more information, please email pinebush@aol.com Return to Save the Pine Bush Home Page…

Read More Read More

Save the Pine Bush Court Cases & Proposed Developments Index

Recent Court Cases State Employees Federal Credit Union Save the Pine Bush Wins – SEFCU To Move Away, Feb/Mar 02 Avila House Senior Housing, located behind Teresian House on Washington Avenue Extension Save the Pine Bush Sues Over Senior Housing in the Pine Bush – Proposed Project to be built behind Teresian House, Dec 01/Jan 02 Save the Pine Bush – Loses Teresian House Case, May/June 02 Charlie Touhey & 300 Washington Avenue Extension Save the Pine Bush Loses a…

Read More Read More

Coyotes in the Moonlight

Coyotes in the Moonlight 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 Jerry. Heard…

Read More Read More

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

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

Bill Aylward and Gene Messercola

Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY: Bill Aylward and Gene Messercola spoke at the January vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Albany. Both Mr. Aylward and Mr. Messercola spoke bout the one important thing Albany County can do for Pine Bush preservation: donate all tax delinquent properties located in the Pine Bush to the Pine Preserve. Tax delinquent properties in the Pine Bush should be turned over to the Preserve instead of being auctioned. Mr. Aylward spoke about the work he did…

Read More Read More

Save the Pine Bush Loses A Very Dear Friend

Comments 0 Comment

It is with great sadness that we observe the passing of our dear friend, Louise Burch. Louise was a stalwart volunteer for Save the Pine Bush for decades. She folded newsletters and drove Rezsin and the newsletters to the post office. But, most important of all, she selflessly washed the dishes at the dinners, so that others could enjoy the food and the listen to the speakers. She did those behind the scenes important necessary tasks that needed to be…

Read More Read More

Peter Lavenia Explains Why Europe is Ahead of the US on Energy and Climate

Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Albany resident and Secretary of the NYS Green Party Peter Lavenia was the featured speaker at the August 14 SPB dinner. He spoke about Renewable Energy: Why the Old Country is New Again and We’re Not.  What Peter did was compare the political climates in Europe and the United States to explain why Europe is moving farther and faster ahead of the US in limiting greenhouse gas emissions and developing safe, renewable energy. Peter, who thinks of…

Read More Read More

The News comes to the Pine Bush – Dina Cappiello Speaks

Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The First Presbyterian Church was the setting for the July Save the Pine Bush vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner. Dina Cappiello, environmental reporter for the Hearst-owned Times Union regaled the diners with passionate tales of what it is like to be one of the 50 full-time environmental reporters in the country. Educated in science and journalism at Columbia University, Cappiello has beencovering the environmental beat at the Times Union for the past three years. By her own admission,…

Read More Read More

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Turns 25

Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission celebrated its 25th anniversary by throwing a wonderful party at the Discovery Center on Route 155 on October 29. A few people from Save the Pine Bush and I attended. Rezsin Adams often tells the story of how in 1988, then Assemblyman Richard Conners invited her to his office to tell her about the passage of ECL Article 46 which created the Commission. At the time, we thought that our…

Read More Read More

Nature preservers For 30 years, Save the Pine Bush has fought for ancient barrens

Comments 0 Comment

Albany — A blizzard howled on the evening of Feb. 6, 1978, when a shrinking remnant from the last Ice Age faced the prospect of the bulldozer. Anyone who cared that land in the Pine Bush — glacially created sand dunes and pitch pines at the city’s western edge — was slated for an office building would have to brave the storm to complain at the sole city hearing on the issue. The storm was so bad that the state…

Read More Read More

Walk in the Pine Bush!

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

NYS Climate Action Council

Comments 0 Comment

by John Wolcott ALBANY, NY: Here is a brief review of the Summary of the State Climate Action Council’s first public meeting on January 25, 2010 at the N.Y. State Museum was held pursuant to Gov. Paterson’s Executive Order 24. This was the first State Climate Action Council Public Outreach Meeting pursuant to Gov. Paterson's Executive Order 24 concerning measures to be taken to combat global warming. It's not too bad and compares well with California's unilateral actions and goes…

Read More Read More

Storm Over the Mountains

Comments 0 Comment

by John Wolcott This will be but the latest of several Overview Hikes SPB has sponsored over the years, to points around the rim of the Albany Inner Lowland Basin. We will view the Pine Bush from various points in and near Thacher Park. The hike is free and the public is cordially invited Most of them have been to High Point, Thacher Park and Pinnacle Mountain. We see no reason to discontinue these events now in spite of State…

Read More Read More

Walk, Hike, and Bike the Pine Bush

Comments 0 Comment

Walk, Hike, and Bike the Pine Bush Walk, Hike, and Bike the Pine Bush The Pine Bush is a beautiful place to walk. The soft, rolling sand dunes are a walker’s dream. You can take a bus to the Pine Bush from downtown Albany. The Pine Bush is the perfect spot for outdoor activities. Save the Pine Bush sponsors walks almost every month of the year. Join us! – Ed. Announcing Albany’s Newest Bicycle Path by Jerry Mueller, Mar./Apr. 91…

Read More Read More

Mayor Jennings’ Bankrupt Pine Bush Policy And Loss of Words Exposed

Comments 0 Comment

Mayor Jennings’ Bankrupt Pine Bush Policy And Loss of Words Exposed   Mayor Jennings’ Bankrupt Pine Bush Policy And Loss of Words Exposed by John Wolcott Should anyone concerned with preserving the environment vote to re-elect Jerry Jennings for the Mayor of Albany at the next mayoral election? I don’t think so. Jerry Jennings was quoted in the Gazette as claiming that he has supported a policy of “containment” in the Pine Bush. I suppose that Mayor Jennings was in…

Read More Read More

SPB meets with Bill Aylward

Comments 0 Comment

SPB meets with Bill Aylward SPB meets with Bill Aylward by Lynne Jackson Representatives of SPB had the pleasure of meeting with Bill Aylward, Town Supervisor of the Town of Guilderland, in March. Chuck Reilly, Jerry Mueller, John Wolcott, and Lynne Jackson made the expedition to Guilderland to meet with Mr Aylward. We were pleased to note that Mr. Aylward had put on the door to his office one of the new Albany Pine Bush Preserve signs. Mr. Aylward met…

Read More Read More

The Emperor’s New Plan

Comments 0 Comment

The Emperor’s New Plan The Emperor’s New Plan by John Wolcott The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission has as much of an acquisition plan as a certain famous emperor once had a new suit of clothes. Land owner and grassroots environmentalists alike are impatient with the Commission’s having published a map showing "Full Protection" parcels without a clear, systematic plan to acquire them. This has turned out to be merely a wish list and an unrealistic one under the circumstances….

Read More Read More

Show Down Over Roundup

Comments 0 Comment

Show Down Over Roundup Show Down Over Roundup by John Wolcott Invading black locust trees are crowding out and over shadowing native Pine Bush plants including the blue lupine which is essential to the survival of the Karner Blue. Black locust trees, along with bulldozer happy developers, are one of the many threats to the survival of the Pine Bush. Black locusts, like developers, are extremely difficult to eradicate from the Pine Bush. Jerry Mueller has been cutting down one…

Read More Read More

Save the Pine Bush Action Alert!

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

New Light on an Old Road – Part II

Comments 0 Comment

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….

Read More Read More

Pushing and Pulling West: Pending Extensions of the Boundaries of the Pine Bush Preserve

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

New Light on an Old Road

Comments 0 Comment

New Light on an Old Road New Light on an Old Road by John Wolcott Save the Pine Bush board member John Wolcott has discovered evidence of a forgotten foot path through the Pine Bush that in the 1600’s and 1700’s ran parallel to the main Albany-Schenectady Road, the Maquas Padt. Here is Part 1 of a two-part article on what John found. "A Map of the Lines Run Pursant to the Direction of the arbitrators, as Claimed by the…

Read More Read More

Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Willow Street Again

Comments 0 Comment

Willow Street Again   Willow Street Again SPB Sues over Sewers Built in the Preserve DEC Caves in to Developer by Lynne Jackson Ten months after filing a ground-breaking suit that forced a developer to remove water lines from the Preserve along Willow Street in Guilderland, Save the Pine Bush has filed a second suit against the same defendants, this time seeking removal of the sewer lines. Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., attorney extraordinaire for SPB said, “We were successful in…

Read More Read More

9

Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve   Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve by Lynne Jackson In a victory for the Pine Bush, the developer of a luxury housing sub-division along the border of Guilderland and Albany has been compelled to remove illegally placed water lines from state-owned Pine Bush Preserve. Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., attorney for Save the Pine Bush, had received notice…

Read More Read More

Developer Takes Preserve to Build Water Lines

Comments 0 Comment

Developer Takes Preserve to Build Water Lines   Developer Takes Preserve to Build Water Lines Save the Pine Bush Sues the Albany Pine Bush Management Commission & Others Save the Pine Bush filed suit on December 15 against the Albany Pine Bush Management Commission, the Town of Guilderland, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the City of Albany for allowing a developer to build water lines in the Pine Bush Preserve, land which has been dedicated to the…

Read More Read More

Gotta Watch’em Like Hawks – Can’t Trust Nobody

Comments 0 Comment

Gotta Watch’em Like Hawks – Can’t Trust Nobody   Gotta Watch’em Like Hawks Can’t Trust Nobody By Daniel W. Van Riper Y Is This Happening One of the selling points for the ongoing YMCA project that is destroying eight acres of Pine Bush off Western Avenue in Guilderland was that it would cost the taxpayers nothing. Suprise! What a crock! Back in May the town board voted three to two to subsidize the developers with $33,000 for “road improvements.” Now,…

Read More Read More

The Thruway Authority Comes Across Royally

Comments 0 Comment

The Thruway Authority Comes Across Royally The Thruway Authority Comes Across Royally by John Wolcott The Thruway Authority has just completed a hikers’ underpass under the new bridge that carries Route 155 over the Thruway. This was done in response to a proposal presented to the Thruway Authority by Save the Pine Bush and the Sierra Club-Hudson Mohawk Group in May 1999. This hikers’ underpass reconnects two unpaved surviving portions of the colonial Kings Road, the road opened for wagons…

Read More Read More

The Uyt Kyck Drumlin In The Schenectady – Albany Pine Bush

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More