by William Engleman CLIFTON PARK: Representatives of three area environmental organizations and Town residents called on the Clifton Park Town Board to save the Karner Blue butterfly populations in the Town’s northeast corner, during the Town Board’s first regular meeting of the year, held on Monday evening January 3, 2005. Eight speakers, including representatives from … Taking Lyme Fight to the Field
Land Crunch in the Pine Bush Land Crunch in the Pine Bush by John Wolcott We’d Rather Have Been Wrong Save the Pine Bush knew that unresolved difference between development desires and acquisition wish lists were heading toward a major clash in the Pine Bush. Even so the present situation of 85 "hot spots" has … Land Crunch in the Pine Bush
By Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Todd Ommen from the Pace Environmental Ligation Clinic representing Save the Pine Bush, filed an amicus brief in March in the case known as Thomas Hart, Lisa hart, Kevin Mcdonald, Sarah Mcdonald, 1667 Western Avenue, LLC and Red-Kap Sales, Inc., v. Town of Guilderland, Planning Board and Zoning Board of … Save the Pine Bush Files an Amicus Brief in the Pyramid Lawsuit
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Resa Dimino, Special Assistant in the DEC Commissioner’s Policy Office spoke about Solid Waste Management Planning at the July SPB dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Resa Dimino is leading the effort to develop a new State Solid Waste Management Plan in New York State. Her talk focused on the planning … The Solution to the Garbage Problem
ALBANY: The State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU) building and surrounding land, located in the center of the Pine Bush on Route 155, was traded for state-owned land at the Harrimon State Office Campus. In the late 1980s, Save the Pine Bush sued over the zoning approval given to SEFCU and won. Judge Robert Williams … 9
Save the Pine Bush Sues Albany Common Council Over Illegal Office Complex The Portland Plan – A Better Way To Grow By Daniel Van Riper Back in 1979, the City of Portland, Oregon and some nearby municipalities drew a line around their developed areas. They mandated that all new construction must take place inside … Save the Pine Bush Sues Albany Common Council Over Illegal Office Complex
Creek’s Bend Cohousing – Another Perspective Creek’s Bend Cohousing – Another Perspective by Russell Ziemba At November’s dinner, members of the Creek’s Bend Cohousing group spoke about cohousing in general and about their specific development proposal. Rezsin Adams outlined what transpired that night in the last dinner announcement. I would like to look at Creek’s … Creek’s Bend Cohousing – Another Perspective
Montreal Eco-tourism Montreal Eco-tourism by Gregg Bell Editor’s Note: Gregg Bell is a founder of Save the Pine Bush, who is now on the Planning Board of Ithaca, NY. In addition to all of the great cultural, eating, shopping, architectural and general joie de vivre reasons to visit Montréal, there is another – the environment. … Montreal Eco-tourism
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, … Man charged in bird-killing Albany
The Pine Bush is news. Here is a selection of recent articles that have been published in the papers about the Pine Bush Tiny threat looms large this spring, printed in the Times Union on Saturday, June 7, 2003 Pine Bush bridge work to defer to rare butterfly, printed in the Daily Gazette on Tuesday, … Save the Pine Bush News Articles
ALBANY, NY: On March 22, the Supreme Court — Appellate Division, Third Department turned down Save the Pine BushÕs appeal of Supreme Court Judge Joseph TeresiÕs decision against Save the Pine BushÕs lawsuit over 300 Washington Avenue Extension. The land in question is owned by Charles Touhey, and is located on Washington Avenue Extension in … After 12-Year Battle, the Pine Bush Losses
At the March dinner, SPB welcomed Aaron Mair of the Arbor Hill Environmental Justice Corp., to speak about environmental justice. We learn something every day. We learn how dynamically we are all linked, our species, all human beings are linked to each other. We are also learning about unfortunate tradeoffs as well. Like sprawl. Sprawl … 9
by Lynne Jackson Save the Pine Bush is planning a book & music sale fundraiser this year and we need your help! We need your unwanted books, record albums, tapes, and CD’s that are in good condition. Over the next few months you can bring your books and music to Save the Pine Bush dinners, … Books for Butterflies
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 … A Journey to Nabokov’s Karner, New York – a Conservation Dilemma
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 … Governor Promises 600 Acres for the Pine Bush Preserve
The 1914 Pine Bush Preserve – What became of it? The 1914 Pine Bush Preserve What became of it? by John Wolcott In 1914, Albany almost benefitted immensely from the City Beautiful movement. This was part of the Progressive movement, then afoot around the country with its strong public spirit, open, honest better government and … The 1914 Pine Bush Preserve – What became of it?
Action Alert! Please call/write to Oppose these Developments Action Alert! Please call/write to Oppose these Developments Guilderland, Feeney and Ford: Town of Guilderland Planning Board officials are considering concept approval for this development that will destroy 103 acres of Pine Bush by allowing 30 plush, expensive houses to be built on land owned by Feeney … Action Alert! Please call/write to Oppose these Developments
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 John Wolcott The next piece in the puzzle of “Where is Trader’s Hill?” is an amazing very old parchment map in the Albany City Engineer’s collection. It is the only map known to show Margriets Bergh, and was drawn in January 1773 by Jeremiah Van Rensselaer from a survey done by himself in 1772. … Save the Pine Bush
The Army Corps of Engineers extended the comment period on their review of the wetlands that will be destroyed if the proposed landfill in the Pine Bush is constructed. Bert wrote an excellent letter outlining many of the problems of expanding the landfill. The deadline for comments was March 5 and the letter was sent … Save the Pine Bush
On February 15, oral argument was held in the appeal by Save the Pine Bush and 11 people who sued the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board in September 2006 after the board gave approval to seven industrial warehouses and hundreds of parking spaces adjacent to and in Karner blue butterfly habitat. The plaintiffs were … Save the Pine Bush Goes to the Appellate Division Over Butterflies in Clifton Park
By BRIAN NEARING, Staff Writer ALBANY – The city of Albany is among the state’s dozen worst polluters for its plans to expand the Rapp Road dump into the Pine Bush, according to a statewide environmental group’s annual listing released Tuesday. Citizens’ Environmental Coalition also cited the General Electric Co. for alleged foot-dragging over the … The Dump Expansion is for Who?
SCHENECTADY: On behalf of Save the Pine Bush and 11 individual petitioners, Peter Henner, Esq, filed an Article 78 against the Planning Board of the Town of Clifton Park. On August 8, the Town of Clifton Park approved a “flex-space” industrial warehouse complex on top of Karner Blue habitat. Save the Pine Bush has filed suit … Save the Pine Bush Sues the Town of Clifton Park over Development Approval
Clifton Park, NY: Tuesday, April 25, the Planning Board of the Town of Clifton Park held a public hearing regarding a proposal to build a “7 Flex-Space Light Industrial Buildings” on Wood Road in Clifton Park. A Karner Blue butterfly site is located on the North (also sometimes referred to as the “East”) side of … Environmental Study Requires Restoration of Karner Blue Habitat in Clifton Park
CLIFTON PARK: A petition for a Declaratory Ruling under the State Administrative Procedure Act was submitted in January to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation by the environmental preservation group, Save the Pine Bush together with 22 Capital Region residents asking the DEC to rule on a 1994 habitat protection agreement meant to save the … Petition Filed With State Dec Seeks Ruling On 1994 Protection Agreement For Karner Blue In Clifton Park
by William Engleman In 2005, Save the Pine Bush spoke out on land use affecting populations and habitats of the endangered Karner blue butterfly in the Town of Clifton Park. In early January ‘05, less than a month after a building moratorium was enacted in the Town’s light industrial zone, speakers from Save the Pine … Massive Empire Zone in Clifton Park’s Wood Road Corridor Set for Review
by William Engleman SCHENECTADY: Save the Pine Bush is considering an appeal of a recent State Supreme Court ruling dismissing a lawsuit brought against the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board and DCG Development Co. Save the Pine Bush and 11 citizen-petitioners sued the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board over site plan approvals for … Save the Pine Bush Barred from Court
by John Wolcott Click on map to see larger image Now: you can see it at a glance. The top topo map displayed here, is of the Karner Dune Field, the Type Locality of the Karner Blue Butterfy, in the Pine Bush, as it was way before Rte. 155 appeared. A unified field, fully connected … Blues Connection
It’s no mystery why, every few years, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings keeps wanting to expand the capacity of the Rapp Road landfill. The city continues to reap a bonanza there—more than $13 million a year— by selling space to neighboring towns and private haulers. But the specter of layoffs and a large tax hike if … Don’t allow expansion of Albany landfill
Touhey’s Obsession And Other News Touhey’s Obsession And Other News By Daniel Van Riper 300 Washington Ave. Extension! Again! Charlie Touhey is having legislation introduced into the City of Albany Common Council, probably to be sponsored by 15th Ward Alderman Nick Collucio, to rezone that piece of land next to the Dunes development. Charlie seems … Touhey’s Obsession And Other News
by John Wolcott . Looking southwest from Guilderland, Colonie, Albany, and Mt. Rafinesque, overlooking Lansingburgh, a long dark and clearly outlined, straight line of mountains are seen on the intermediate horizon. Beyond this on the further horizon, are seen, if at all, a hazy, greyish blue, outline of distinct separate humps of mountains. It is … Buy High Point
by John Wolcott Guilderland just enacted six-month moratorium on development in the western part of town. The Town of Colonie is considering a moratorium in certain segments of town. As both Guilderland and Colonie contain Pine Bush, one would have expected the Pine Bush to have been included in the moratoriums as both town supervisors … Moratoriums
by Emily Corcione ALBANY: “Being green isn’t good enough anymore.” That was the message of Mr. James Howard Kunstler, who spoke at the Save the Pine Bush dinner on February 18, 2004. His speech focused on how we can best honor the public realm in America. The public realm, which functions as “the physical manifestation … Being Green Isn’t Good Enough Anymore – James Hoard Kunstler Speaks
by Lynne Jackson SCHENECTADY: Volunteers for Save the Pine Bush (SPB) were invited by the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to participate in a charette regarding eliminating the at-grade crossings at Morris and Cordell Roads in Colonie. The stated goal of the charette was to come up with ideas to allow safe passage … Charette a Charade
ALBANY, NY: The August Save the Pine Bush vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner was the setting for Mike Venuti, the new director of the Pine Bush Discovery Center, to describe what the Pine Bush Discovery Center will be and the progress on the Discovery Center. Mr. Venuti began by briefly describing his background. He has worked with … Discovery Center
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Dr. George Robinson gave an excellent succinct speech about landfill reclamation at the January Save the Pine Bush dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Dr. Robinson, an associate professor of biology at the University of Albany, started by talking about the history of landfills. He mentioned many historic buildings, such as … Integrating the Landfill into the Pine Bush or What do you do with a Landfill?
by Lynne Jackson OK, Crossgates has been in the news a lot recently. Actually, they made it into the international news. Save the Pine Bush has received emails from out raged people as far away as Sydney Australia, and California. People are mad. To recap: On Monday evening, March 3, Stephen Downs and his son … Crossgates is a Bad Neighbor
by Lynne Jackson In 1969, the City of Schenectady passed an ordinance preserving the Woodlawn area, stating that this land should never be sold and kept for public purposes: “WHEREAS, there is now a great shortage of vacant land in the City of Schenectady available for municipal purposes; and “WHEREAS, there is a growing need … City Owned Land Up for Grabs
The Schenectady City Council has called for a public hearing on rescinding the 1969 ordinance which established the Woodlawn Preserve on Monday, July 14 at 7:30 at Schenectady City Hall, Jay Street, Schenectady. Members of the public are allowed three minutes each to speak at the public hearing. Speakers are carefully timed by the Council, … Sprawl Costs Money
The October Save the Pine Bush veggie/vegan lasagna dinner was the location of the presentation Mary Ann Johnson of Scenic Hudson made about sprawl. She began by describing how Scenic Hudson formed by citizens who opposed the destruction of Storm King Mountain (along the Hudson River) for an electric plant. It took 17 years, and … Scenic Hudson Visits SPB Mary Ann Johnson Speaks About Sprawl
The new York State Open Space Conservation Plan lists the Pine Bush as its number one priority in Region 4. The Plan states, “Albany Pine Bush: This area of Albany County supports a rare and endangered pine barrens ecosystem. The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission adopted a clear, comprehensive set of recommendations in 1996 to … Open Space Plan Released – – The Pine Bush is Top Priority in Region 4
A program of controlled burning in the ecologically precarious Pine Bush went off without a hitch this fall, and managers of the preserve are aiming to do more. "We hope they will get bigger," said Stephanie Gebauer, director of the Albany Pine Bush Research and Management. A total of 44 acres of the 1700 acre … Save the Pine Bush
"Man has disrupted the natural order in the Pine Bush with roads, developments and suppression of fires," said Stephanie Gebauer at the December Save the Pine Bush dinner. Ms. Gebauer, the first director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Research and Management of the Eastern New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, went on to … Save the Pine Bush
All that sand was left by a glacial lake. The Pine Bush ecosystem sitting on that sand, however, may have been created by Native Americans practicing fire management techniques. At least, that’s what some people believe. One of those people is Dr. Harvey Alexander, professor at the College of St. Rose, who spoke at … Save the Pine Bush
ALBANY: The City of Albany has a serious problem: where to throw the garbage. If the City follows the law, and does the right thing, they will not be able to expand the current landfill in the Pine Bush. City officials all seem to want to do the right thing, except when it comes to … What to do with the Garbage
The Pine Bush is located in the Capital District, between Albany and Schenectady. The boundaries are Fuller Road on the east, Route 5 (Central Avenue) on the North, Route 146 on the west, and Route 20 (Western Avenue) on the South. The Pine Bush is located in three municipalities-Albany, Guilderland and Colonie. The Pine Bush … Save the Pine Bush
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: In an astonishing article in the Hearst-owned Times Union, veteran investigative reporter Brian Nearing revealed the City of Albany’s dirty little secret: nearly 70% of the garbage dumped in the landfill is dumped by Allied Waste at a bargain basement price of $38 a ton; 46% lower than the $70 charged … What Part of the Pine Bush Does the City Want for Allied Waste?
By MATT PACENZA, Staff Writer ALBANY – The city received permission Thursday to begin digging test wells in the Pine Bush – a first step toward a possible and controversial expansion of the Rapp Road dump into the nature preserve. Nearly simultaneously, however, the city’s plan was dealt a blow when state Assemblyman John “Jack” … City of Albany Attempts to Sneak Legislation Past the Public Removing Land from the Pine Bush Preserve
City Strangles Downtown Growth City Strangles Downtown Growth Yet Council Encourages Suburban Sprawl By Daniel Van Riper As far as Save the Pine Bush can determine, the City of Albany Common Council has not denied a single application by any large corporate entity that has wanted to erect buildings in the Pine Bush for more … City Strangles Downtown Growth
Below is a copy of the Final Scoping document for the proposed hotel adjacent to the Karner Blue Butterfly site. For more information about the project, please see the following: Crossgates Wants to Build a Hotel in the Pine Bush, Will they never go away? (Sept/Oct 04) Save the Pine Bush Sues Crossgates Maul and … You Can Help Save the Pine Bush in The Town of Colonie