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 … Ward Stone, longtime DEC wildlife pathologist, dies at 84
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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 … Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic Defends the Pine Bush
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 … Earth Day Actions in Albany NY
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 … Report back from Princeton University, “Witnessing Professionals and Climate Change” Workshop, May 12, 2018
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 … The Islands of Radix Center
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 … Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution to be introduced in the face of alarming flying insect declines
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. … NYS Climate Action Council
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 … Albany’s Pollinator-Friendly Resolution is SpreadingAlbany’s Pollinator-Friendly Resolution is Spreading
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 … Pesticide Reductions Won at Albany Common Council
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 … Assemblywoman Pat Fahy and Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk After the Election: Doing the Peoples’ Work
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 … Extinction Rebellion Capital Region
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 … Bringing Back Sustainable Karner Blue Populations
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 … Pyramid Submits the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
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 … Crossgates Expansion
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. … SHARE Opposes the Microgrid Fossil Fuel Plant in Sheridan Hollow
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 … Are the Winds of Change Finally Here?
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 … 16-09 Sept-Oct Newsletter
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 … Save the Pine Bush
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 … Albany Now a Pollinator-Friendly County
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 … Done with the Dunn Dump
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 … Legislation to Protect Pollinators
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 … Brief History of the Draft Coeymans Clean Air Law — Vote expected in February 2019
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 … Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution to be introduced in the face of alarming flying insect declines
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 … The Islands of Radix Center
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 … The Wild Bees of the Pine Bush
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 … 200,000 marched in DC Heat — Report back — Circle Up
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 … Save the Pine Bush
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 … Kim Fraczek Speaks about the Sane Energy Project and Mapping PipelinesKim Fraczek Speaks about the Sane Energy Project and Mapping Pipeliness
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 … Ecosystem Commonalities and the Albany Pine Bush
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, … Judith Enck Meets with Ezra Prentice Residents
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 … Buckmoth Monitoring
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 … Michael McLaughlin, Director of Research for Albany County Executive Dan McCoy Speaks to SPB
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 … 1 Rapp Road, Extension Development
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 … My Cry
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 … Forward the Climate — Protest in Washington, DC
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 … Guess what: Study finds herbicides are bad for amphibians
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 … Run Away Climate:
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 … Pesticide FOILS in process
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 … Fishers in the Pine Bush! May 2011 Pine Bush Dinner with Scott LaPoint
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 … 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
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 … Dr. George Robinson Sheds Light on Landfills, their Possibilities and Problems Post-closure.
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 … Ad Hoc Albany Committee To Uphold Environmental Law.
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 … What’s afoot at the Preserve?!
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 … Ward Stone, Environmental Hero, Speaks
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 … The Great Pesticide Hunt
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 … Save the Pine Bush
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 … Overview of Climate Crisis and NY Renews
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 … What is Bethlehem Ecodefense?
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 … Tree Clear Cut