Governor Promises 600 Acres for the Pine Bush Preserve 
Governor Promises 600 Acres
for the Pine Bush Preserve
Governor George Pataki, in his State of the State Address, January 7, 2000 said, “And right here in the Capital District, we’ve made outstanding progress in protecting the Albany Pine Bush. With your [the Legislature’s] support, the Preserve has grown to 2,400 acres. Over the next two years, we will expand the Preserve to 3,000 acres, bringing greater ecological stability to this unique area . . . “In the past, others have argued that environmental protection and economic growth were mutually exclusive. We have proven them wrong. In this new century, Americans will turn to New York to see the truth: environmental protection is the foundation for the quality of life that makes this a great state to live in, to do business in and to create jobs. Not only can we pursue these goals simultaeously, we must.”
In the budget for 2000-01, submitted to the Legislature, the Governor has included appropriations for land acquisition at 50 different sites all across the state, including the Albany Pine Bush, of $31,500,000 from the Environmental Protection Fund and for land acquisition at 57 sites, including the Albany Pine Bush, of $57,250,000 from the Open Space Account. Willie Janeway, of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, estimates the 600 acres to be added to the Preserve will cost about $8 million. The present goal for the Preserve is 3,950 acres. Governor Pataki visited the Pine Bush last May and caught a glimpse of one of the season’s first Karner Blue butterflies. We are confident there will be further acquisitions of land in Albany’s Pine Bush by the state in the years ahead.
published March/April 2000 Newsletter
Last Updated 3/9/00
