Grace Nichols – Save the Pine Bush

Ward Stone, longtime DEC wildlife pathologist, dies at 84

February 10, 2023 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

By Ted Remsnyder | February 9, 2023 TROY — Ward Stone, who served as the state’s wildlife pathologist for over four decades, died Wednesday morning at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson after a long illness. Stone, who held his post with the Department of Environmental Conservation from 1969 until his retirement in 2010, left behind a long legacy of environmental advocacy in his 41 years on the job. Stone, 84, is survived by six children and his longtime partner Mary…

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SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2010s

February 12, 2022 Grace Nichols 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…

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Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic Defends the Pine Bush

September 28, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Todd Ommen and Robert O’Connor of the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic (PELC) made a joint zoom presentation at the June 16th Save the Pine Bush dinner. Lynne Jackson hosted the event. Mr. Ommen led off. He is the PELC managing attorney and supervises interns. He began practicing environmental law in 2007, joined PELC in 2016, after prior corporate litigation and a stint with the NY Attorney General. He said there was little environmental law in…

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Earth Day Actions in Albany NY

April 30, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols Earth Day Season began with a Teach-In by the Black Caucus of PEF (Public Employees Federation) at the Albany Public Library (on April 16th) about the environmental injustice done to the Sheridan Hollow community in Albany, NY. Sheridan Hollow is named for its location down a ravine that’s across the street from the State Capitol, centered along Sheridan Avenue. It also has a history of being Albany’s energy producer, having begun producing energy by burning coal at…

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Report back from Princeton University, “Witnessing Professionals and Climate Change” Workshop, May 12, 2018

April 29, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols We, at Save the Pine Bush, are very concerned about Climate Change because we are Earthlings, and because we have friends amongst many species under threat; we have been having speakers address climate issues for the last few years. Other institutions are doing likewise. On May 12, I travelled to the land of oil refineries, New Jersey, to listen to a “Witnessing Professionals and Climate Change Workshop.” I feel I am a Witnessing Professional, as I am…

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The Islands of Radix Center

April 24, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Scott Kellogg and Justina Thompson spoke at the September 19th SPB dinner. Scott is the executive director of the Radix Center at 153 Grand Street in the South End of Albany. Justina is a 19-year-old student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute majoring in sustainability studies. Both are highly enthusiastic about their work and are accomplished experts in environmental education. Before they began, Grace Nichols spoke briefly saying insect populations are rapidly declining for multiple reasons. These…

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Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution to be introduced in the face of alarming flying insect declines

April 23, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols Have you noticed in driving through rural New York, that your windshield – which once would have been covered with the remnants of countless insect collisions are now fairly clean? This observation has been made globally and linked to severe declines in insect populations. Insects are a critical part of the ecosystem as a whole, as they are needed for the full pollination of flower plants, agricultural crops and as a food source for birds, amphibians, reptiles,…

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NYS Climate Action Council

April 22, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

Dear Common Councilmembers: Thank you for again hearing our concerns about the need for good ecological and scientific review of the Pine Bush Mitigation/Restoration plan. There are many problems with the plan. Save the Pine Bush has presented many concerns to this body regarding the ecological impacts and financial waste involved in this mitigation plan. First, I want to make sure you have adequate information regarding the pesticides approved in the Integrated Pest Management plan. The list is made up…

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Albany’s Pollinator-Friendly Resolution is SpreadingAlbany’s Pollinator-Friendly Resolution is Spreading

April 22, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

In May, Albany passed a measure to protect pollinators, written by Grace Nichols and championed by Doug Bullock, Lynne Lekakis, Bill Reinhardt and others. This September, Activist Iris Bloom and Ulster County Legislator Kathleen Nolan won a similar measure in Ulster County. Insect conservation has become a cause supported by bipartisan forces to conserve our ecosystems. We hope to see other counties become similarly inspired. From the Daily Freeman, Kingston, NY: KINGSTON, N.Y. — The Ulster County Legislature has declared…

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Pesticide Reductions Won at Albany Common Council

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

By Grace Nichols ALBANY: Save the Pine Bush research revealed that the City of Albany has been in violation of its own Pesticide Ordiance, not only at the Landfill, but also citywide, including public sites such as the Corning Preserve, the Washington Park Lakehouse, the Senior Center, the Visitor’s Center and City Hall. We have consistently been presenting our research as it has developed since last Spring, and in the FEIS plan for the Landfill Expansion, the City agreed…

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Assemblywoman Pat Fahy and Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk After the Election: Doing the Peoples’ Work

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Newly elected Assemblywoman Pat Fahy and state Senator Cecilia Thaczyk were the featured speakers at the January 16 Save the Pine Bush dinner held at the Westminster Presbyterian Church. Carol Waterman made the introductions. Ms. Tkaczyk had not yet been certified the winner but in her comments, she said she was certain she would prevail, which she did two days later. Pat Fahy began saying that while she barely had time to read the new…

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Extinction Rebellion Capital Region

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY, NY: Christian Grigoraskos of the Extinction Rebellion Capital Region spoke at the February 19th SPB dinner on the topic of Climate Change: Heading for Extinction (And What to Do About It). Before he began, Lynne Jackson provided an update on the various proposals Crossgates has pending in the Town of Guilderland. Lynne said the PACE Environmental Litigation Clinic is representing SPB. Attorney Steve Downs added that SPB is the community organization that expanded the legal concept of standing by…

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Bringing Back Sustainable Karner Blue Populations

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols ALBANY: Using the Freedom of Information Act, both Save the Pine Bush and Brian Nearing of the Times Union requested data that has been collected about the number of Karner Blue populations. We were astounded at what we found. The numbers of butterflies counted have plummeted in recent years, dipping below 1000 butterflies. Figures of what population level is sustainable vary; some say 3000 butterflies are sustainable (even though Karner Blues were extirpated from New Hampshire…

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Pyramid Submits the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

GUILDERLAND, NY: On Christmas Eve, Pyramid Crossgates submitted the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for their project, “Rapp Road Residential /Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects.” When first brought before the Town of Guilderland Planning Board in late 2018, the project consisted of building 222-unit apartment complex on Rapp Road. The project has morphed into 312-unit apartment complex on Rapp Road, a CostCo complete with a gas station plus other commercial development. According to the NY State Environmental Quality Review…

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Crossgates Expansion

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

Name of the project: Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects Here is the Draft Environmental Impact Statement website at the Town of Guilderland: https://www.townofguilderland.org/planning-board/pages/environmental-impact-statement-rapp-road-residentialwestern-avenue-mixed-use Save the Pine Bush’s comments on the DEIS Here are Save the Pine Bush’s comments written by Christopher M. Walker, , Legal Intern appearing pursuant to the Practice Order of Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, Inc. Download all the documents in a zipped file. Save the Pine Bush Comment Appendix A Dr. Stager Appendix B Zamurs…

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SHARE Opposes the Microgrid Fossil Fuel Plant in Sheridan Hollow

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: A panel that included Albany County legislator Merton Simpson spoke in opposition to the proposed Sheridan Hollow Microgrid Fossil Fuel Plant at the October 18 Save the Pine Bush dinner. About 45 attended. Also speaking were engineer Keith Schue and environmental health advocate, Rita Ogburn-McCall. Sandy Steubing moderated the discussion. Sandy said the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the state-owned electric utility, had, moments earlier, notified her that it would not participate in a previously…

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Are the Winds of Change Finally Here?

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

By Hugh Johnson ON THE INTERNET: Lynne Jackson invited me to give a ZOOM talk about the status of our climate change at the February 17, 2021, “Save the Pine Bush Meeting.” In this winter of COVID, it was easy to forget we are still in a climate crisis. Look what happened in Texas during mid February. Due to a collapse of the Polar Vortex and very warm temperatures right at the North Pole region, an exceptionally bitter Arctic air…

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16-09 Sept-Oct Newsletter

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

16-09 Sept-Oct Newsletter Sept/Oct 16 No. 132 â¢ 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY 12210 â¢ email pinebush@mac.com â¢ phone 518-462-0891 â¢ web http://www.savethepinebush.org â¢ 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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Save the Pine Bush

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

Summarized by Grace Nichols ALBANY: At the May Save the Pine Bush lasgana dinner at the First Presbyterian Church, NY State Wildlife Pathologist Ward Stone gave a talk summarizing our recent discoveries of pesticide use in the Pine Bush by both the City of Albany at the Rapp Road Landfill and Pine Bush Police and Fire Station and placing it in the context of his 39 years of work with Rezsin Adams, Lew Oliver and other leaders of the Save…

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Albany Now a Pollinator-Friendly County

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols ALBANY, NY: On May 13, 2019, Save the Pine Bush, Environmental Advocates of New York, Radix, beekeepers, farmers, the League of Women Voters, the Working Family Party, the Upper Hudson Greens, and many other activists, joined Grace Nichols and six county legislators who sponsored the bill, to speak out for a policy to address insect declines. County Executive Dan McCoy signed in it law the following week. As we know, butterflies, bees, wasps, moths, dragonflies, damselflies, dung…

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Done with the Dunn Dump

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: David Ellis of Rensselaer Residents Against Toxic Dumping and Lou Sebesta of Stop Trucks Assaulting Rensselaer (STAR) spoke at the May 15th SPB dinner about “Done with Dunn Landfill: Negative Impacts of Dunn C/D Dump Operations” in Rensselaer, and their efforts to close it. Later in the evening, George Keleshian of Zeroenergy Buildings, Inc., finished the presentation he did not have enough time to complete at the April SPB dinner. Before they spoke, Lynne Jackson…

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Legislation to Protect Pollinators

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

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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Brief History of the Draft Coeymans Clean Air Law — Vote expected in February 2019

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Barbara Heinzen COEYMANS, NY: In December, 2017, Mike Ewall, of the Energy Justice Network, alerted Albany County and the Town of Coeymans that Connecticut was considering a proposal to ship municipal trash to the LaFarge/Holcim Cement Plant in Ravena. In response, Albany County and the Town of Coeymans organized a packed press conference two days after Christmas where former EPA Administrator, Judith Enck, spoke against Connecticut’s proposal. On December 31, 2017, Connecticut decided to keep its trash to itself….

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Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution to be introduced in the face of alarming flying insect declines

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols Have you noticed in driving through rural New York, that your windshield – which once would have been covered with the remnants of countless insect collisions are now fairly clean? This observation has been made globally and linked to severe declines in insect populations. Insects are a critical part of the ecosystem as a whole, as they are needed for the full pollination of flower plants, agricultural crops and as a food source for birds, amphibians, reptiles,…

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The Islands of Radix Center

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Scott Kellogg and Justina Thompson spoke at the September 19th SPB dinner. Scott is the executive director of the Radix Center at 153 Grand Street in the South End of Albany. Justina is a 19-year-old student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute majoring in sustainability studies. Both are highly enthusiastic about their work and are accomplished experts in environmental education. Before they began, Grace Nichols spoke briefly saying insect populations are rapidly declining for multiple reasons. These…

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The Wild Bees of the Pine Bush

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols ALBANY, NY: Bees pollinate over 75 % of the world’s plants. The honeybee, A. mellifera is an introduced European honeybee and has been declining since the 1950’s. As of 2007, 29% of beekeepers reported a 75 % loss in their hives due to Colony Collapse Disorder which is thought to be caused by mites, disease, monoculture farms, and pesticides. A lot of concern about bees and pollination tends to focus on honeybees. However, there are over 20,000…

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200,000 marched in DC Heat — Report back — Circle Up

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols WASHINGTON, DC: Darting in and out of the crowd, you could catch the energy and creativity of the groups. Huge puppets from El Puente; Reclaiming Appalachian (huge red flag and lots of marchers), right next to Southern Christian Leadership Conference on Environmental Justice and tons of local groups (don’t dump on our county etc.) from all over the South. They were shouting “NO Justice, NO peace.” and I felt right at home. My people are the ones…

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Save the Pine Bush

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols, July 26, 2009 The survival of the Federally Protected Karner Blue Butterfly in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve is in doubt here in Albany – its numbers have been critically low for at least ten years. This butterfly was first named by Vladimir Nabokov, the famous writer, and became one of the best known insect species on the East Coast. It is a beautiful brilliant blue color when it spreads its wings, while the undersides of…

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Kim Fraczek Speaks about the Sane Energy Project and Mapping PipelinesKim Fraczek Speaks about the Sane Energy Project and Mapping Pipeliness

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis Albany, NY: Kim Fraczek, Co-Director of the Sane Energy Project spoke on “Gas Infrastructure — The Big Picture” at the January 18 SPB dinner. She is very enthusiastic opinionated, and optimistic about blocking construction of many of the proposed natural gas pipelines in New York. She displayed an interactive, online map of all the gas infrastructure of New York created by Mary Finneran, and said it has now extended to include New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The map…

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Ecosystem Commonalities and the Albany Pine Bush

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols Recently visiting the West Coast after nearly two decades away, I was reacquainted with the familiar San Francisco Bay and introduced to the Sierra Nevada habitat. I found amazing correspondences between our ecosystems here and some west coast territory. For example, our beloved Pine Bush ecosystem is highly fire dependent. Forest fires help open the pitch pine seeds, though they will open on a very hot day as well. The fire is also needed to prepare the…

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Judith Enck Meets with Ezra Prentice Residents

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: When we learned that US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional administrator Judith Enck would be speaking in Albany the same evening Save the Pine Bush as the scheduled August dinner, SPB decided to cancel the dinner and hear Ms. Enck speak. On August 17, Ms. Enck, formerly of Albany, participated in a forum with the new NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) commissioner and residents of the Ezra Prentice Homes (EPH) on South Pearl…

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Buckmoth Monitoring

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY: Grace Nichols has been taking volunteers out the Pine Bush to monitor buckmoths. The protocol is very simple and does not bother the moths at all. A volunteer scans for 10 minutes and counts mohts and then take 10 minutes off. It is a lot like bird counts that can be done by anyone. The buckmoths are fuzzy, diurnal, and a striking white/black and red. They also love the autumn and are extremely unusual and rare. The NY…

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Michael McLaughlin, Director of Research for Albany County Executive Dan McCoy Speaks to SPB

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

By Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Michael McLaughlin, the Director of Research for Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, was the SPB dinner speaker on May 21, filling in for McCoy who was attending the convention of the NYS Democratic Party. He said he is involved in many of McCoy’s policies. Mr. McLaughlin said the Polystyrene ban signed by McCoy in December is a flawed law, the county executive is taking steps to strengthen it, McCoy wishes to extend it to all restaurants, the…

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1 Rapp Road, Extension Development

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

By Andy Arthur and Grace Nichols We went to Albany Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) Meeting on Feb. 27, 2013 to comment on the proposed extension of the 1 Rapp Road, which is at the corner of South Frontage Road and Rapp Road. The proposal would add a one floor expansion on to the back of 1 Rapp Road, building in the adjoining area between 1 Rapp Road and 5 Rapp Road. The proposal would also add 12 parking spots,…

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My Cry

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols One Quarter of ALL Mammals are on the verge of extinction; The American Academy of Sciences said it a few years ago — We couldn’t even get a headline None had the time to hang a banner. I used to think we could sue our way to salvation Postage stamps Skin grafts on the surface of the mother. Can you feel it? — the last ragged breaths of a truckload of loons, felled by Botulism E, on…

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Forward the Climate — Protest in Washington, DC

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols WASHINGTON, DC: 50,000 of us marched on Washington DC on Sunday, February 17, 2013, the largest climate demonstration yet, called “Forward on the Climate.” As Reverand Yearwood, who MCed the event said “ 50 years ago was very important, right here, Dr. Martin King marched. We marched for jobs and food. We marched for Equality. ….We all came together as humanity. But guess what? This rally 50 years later is as important or more important because, as…

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Guess what: Study finds herbicides are bad for amphibians

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols For the past several years, Save the Pine Bush has warned the Common Council that buying and spreading more glyphosate (the active ingredient of Roundup) in the Pine Bush, either in the Preserve or on the Restoration is hazardous for the rare spadefoot toads and other amphibians. We’ve asked them to question the herbicide line in the Preserve budget. This spring, the Department of Environmental Conservation Woodland Pool Conservation Program sent around an article describing some further alarming…

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Run Away Climate:

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols ALBANY: Steven Leibo, Phd, a Sage Colleges Professor of International History and Politics, as well as an International Affairs Commentator on WAMC Northeast Public Radio, came to speak to us about the Climate Change crisis. Dr. Leibo has been a constant presence on the academic and environmental scene in the Capital Region for the past several years, in a recognizable fisherman’s cap, speaking, holding seminars and films, and keeping us focused on change. Dr. Leibo gave…

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Pesticide FOILS in process

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols ALBANY: For Save the Pine Bush, I foiled for the pesticide records from the City of Albany beginning in September. So far the City has only provided some rodenticide records for the city proper. Sadly, only one City site has replaced anti-coagulant rodenticides, a danger to hawks and other predators, with mechanical trapping. We have been successful in getting these out of the Pine Bush preserve and landfill itself. In addition, the City Pesticide Management Board, with…

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Fishers in the Pine Bush! May 2011 Pine Bush Dinner with Scott LaPoint

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

Albany, NY: Recently, a friend out in Rensselaer County grabbed my arm and said “don’t you dare release your rehabilitated (orphan) rabbits out here—The Fisher will get them!” She went on to describe an animal so mean and vicious that no other mammal would be safe around them. And so, though I haven’t ever met a fisher, I got an idea of the reputation that precedes them. It turns out that fishers are a member of the weasel family. They…

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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

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols 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…

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Dr. George Robinson Sheds Light on Landfills, their Possibilities and Problems Post-closure.

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols Dr. George Robinson is a professor in the Biodiversity and Conservation Policy graduate program at the University at Albany. He is very knowledgeable about landfills, as much of his work has involved transforming old landfills into positive open spaces which can meet the needs of local wildlife and local communities. Dr. Robinson’s students have traditionally used the Pine Bush as a place to conduct studies; Dr. Robinson maintains a good relationship with the Pine Bush Commission which…

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Ad Hoc Albany Committee To Uphold Environmental Law.

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

Ad Hoc Albany Committee To Uphold Environmental Law. February 7, 2011 To the Common Council and Members of the Press: The City of Albany has violated its own Pesticide Ordinance since its passage in 1998. Two years of FOILS and activism, from 2008-9, focused on protecting our birds of prey from anti-coagulant rodenticides and phasing out the use of insecticides near the Pine Bush. After an obvious herbicide spraying near children in a public park was publicized in the press,…

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What’s afoot at the Preserve?!

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

By Grace Nichols November 2010 was notable in that folks in the community kept contacting us about the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. First it was the neighbors over on Lincoln Ave, wondering why the “forever wild” patch next door was being clearcut, as a new road was being put in connecting Lincoln Ave and Fox Run. Now that the people who had asked for that road for a decade were evicted, the City has put in a good one. Fox…

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Ward Stone, Environmental Hero, Speaks

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Ward Stone, NYS Wildlife Pathologist and environmental hero, spoke at the May Save the Pine Bush vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Ward began by describing how he met Rezsin Adams on the very first Earth Day in April, 1970, at the University at Albany. That day, Ward gave about four of five talks; he was saying that things were really bad, with pollution and habitat destruction, and that it would take a lot…

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The Great Pesticide Hunt

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Grace Nichols spoke about pesticides at the June Save the Pine Bush vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Pesticides include herbicides, insecticides and rodenticides. Grace explained that unlike other types of pollution which are a by-product of making something, pesticides are designed to kill organisms. Pesticides are a whole new category of pollution. Grace began by explain how anticoagulant rodenticides (Brodifacoum) work. The pellets are these very pretty blue-green crystals (children often think these…

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Save the Pine Bush

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Grace Nichols The City of Albany is out-of-compliance with its Pesticide Ordinance. Save the Pine Bush wants the City to follow the law it passed in 1998 to protect residents, plants, and animals from pesticides. Please show your support for the City to follow its own laws on pesticides and sign the attached petition. Save the Pine Bush will bring the petition to the Common Council when they meet to discuss enforcement of the Pesticide Ordinance. Read the…

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Overview of Climate Crisis and NY Renews

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY Mark Schaeffer of 350.org and Conor Bambrick of Environmental Advocates (EA) spoke at the September 21 SPB dinner about the climate crises and the need for a political climate change. Mark led off saying pre-industrial age atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations were 280 part per million (ppm) and today are 400+ ppm, in part the result of years of inaction resulting from decades of disinformation by the fossil fuel industry, including Exxon. He said we…

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What is Bethlehem Ecodefense?

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

We are a group of citizens in the Town of Bethlehem, in Albany County, in the State of New York, concerned with the environmental health of this town, and concerned about three fossil fuel projects being shoved down our throats by large and powerful corporations and their government apologists, namely: CSX railway terminal and the oil trains that encircle our town. The proposed Pilgrim Pipelines, a giant double oil pipeline that is planned to stretch from refineries in New…

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Tree Clear Cut

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

GUILDERLAND, NY: If you haven’t already heard or seen it, March 26 was an horrible day for the trees on the site for the proposed Costco; Respect and adherence to the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) by the Town of Guilderland; and any expectation for a fair process from the Guilderland Planning Board’s review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed developments by the Pyramid (Crossgates) Companies. On Thursday morning, March 26, 2020 at 10:17AM,…

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