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Category: Rapp Road Landfill

Ward Stone — NYS Wildlife Pathologist Worked for the People

Ward Stone — NYS Wildlife Pathologist Worked for the People

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Editor’s Note: Ward Stone died on February 8, 2023 at the age of 84. Ward Stone was a friend of Save the Pine Bush and often spoke at SPB vegetarian lasagna dinners. Here are two letters which describe Ward. The first letter was written by long-time friend, Lewis Oliver and sent to many media outlets, but, never published. The second letter from Tom Ellis was published in the Altamont Enterprise. Dear Mr. Seiler: The front-page article about the death of…

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Efforts to Close the Dunn Dump Continue: All Trucks Enroute to the Dump Violate Traffic Laws

Efforts to Close the Dunn Dump Continue: All Trucks Enroute to the Dump Violate Traffic Laws

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by Tom Ellis RENSSELAER, NY: Efforts to close the Waste Connections Dunn construction and demolition debris landfill in Rensselaer continue despite little news coverage of the ongoing public health crisis. The dump is located on a hilltop at the end of Partition Street, borders the Rensselaer public school campus, a cemetery, and in between Rensselaer and East Greenbush neighborhoods. Interstate 90 passes in front of the school campus; thus the campus, athletic fields, students, staff, and visitors are bombarded from…

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Save the Pine Bush Appeals Decision Approving Illegal Landfill in the Pine Bush

Save the Pine Bush Appeals Decision Approving Illegal Landfill in the Pine Bush

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For Immediate Release: June 25, 2001 ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush filed an appeal to the State of New York Appellate Division, Third Department over the Albany County Supreme Court’s ruling to approve the expansion of the Albany Landfill in the Pine Bush. Save the Pine Bush is appealing on the grounds that the permit approval was illegal because the Department of Environmental Conservation’s authority to grant a variance expired on Dec 31, 1995. Lewis B. Oliver, Jr. filed…

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Save the Pine Bush Lost Good Friends – Jim Travers, Save the Pine Bush Volunteer

Save the Pine Bush Lost Good Friends – Jim Travers, Save the Pine Bush Volunteer

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ALBANY, NY: Lynne Jackson was asked to speak at Jim’s memorial service. Here are her edited comments. Jim was a passionate advocate for the environment. With Save the Pine Bush, he worked tirelessly opposing the expansion of the Albany Landfill in the Pine Bush. But, he especially worked to stop the City of Albany from operating a landfill on 361 acres of beautiful woodland in the Town of Coeymans, where he lived. Jim read and researched landfills extensively. He knew…

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Tracy Frirsch’s PFAS Resolution

Tracy Frirsch’s PFAS Resolution

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Tracy Frirsch drafted the following resolution and is calling on organizations and local legislatures to pass it: A Resolution Calling on the NYS Legislature and Department of Environmental Conservation to Ban the Use of Sewage Sludge in Compost and as a Soil Amendment or Fertilizer due to PFAS Contamination. Summary: This resolution calls for New York State to ban the recycling and use of sewage sludge (also known by the PR term “biosolids”1) as a fertilizer or soil amendment, including…

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Save the Pine Bush Presentation – Down to Earth, 4/20/22

Save the Pine Bush Presentation – Down to Earth, 4/20/22

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On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, Tina Lieberman and Bill Reinhardt of the Capital District Community Energy delivered the following presentation, via Zoom to the Save the Pine Bush Virtual Meeting. Links and accessible text are available below. Down To Earth:  Practical Steps You Can Take to Reduce Carbon Emissions & Save Our Climate Tina Lieberman, Vice Chair, Albany Sustainability Advisory Committee Bill Reinhardt, Albany County Legislator, Co-Chair Solarize Albany Founding Chairs, Capital District Community Energy, Inc. Notes: One main takeaway…

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SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2000s

SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2000s

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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…

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SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2010s

SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2010s

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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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SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 1990s

SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 1990s

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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…

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The Damaging Health Effects of the Dunn Dump

The Damaging Health Effects of the Dunn Dump

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by Tom Ellis RENSSELAER, NY: David Carpenter, a renowned local physician who studies the human health impacts of toxic materials, spoke at a December 2nd East Greenbush Town Board (EGTB) forum on the Dunn dump. He was the first presenter on a five-person panel. The Dunn construction and demolition debris dump, owned by Waste Connections, sits atop a hill next to the Rensselaer public school campus and the Holy Sepulcher Cemetery, and in between Rensselaer and East Greenbush neighborhoods. Odors…

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Dunn Landfill Panel Discussion Thursday, December 2, 2021 6:00 PM

Dunn Landfill Panel Discussion Thursday, December 2, 2021 6:00 PM

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When: Thursday, December 2, 6:00 PM Where: The Red Barn, East Greenbush Town Park 101-199 Town Park Road What: Panel discussion about the landfill and the upcoming permit renewal process.  Moderated by Jack Conway, East Greenbush Town Supervisor Panelists include: Tony Luisi, DEC – Acting Region 4 Director Dr. David Carpenter, Public Health Physician  Judith Enck, former EPA Administrator Two local citizens Question & Answer Period follows Hosted by East Greenbush Town Board Attend in person or livestream. Livestream info…

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Proposed School Bus Garage at 100 Broderick

Proposed School Bus Garage at 100 Broderick

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Do you ever walk the Karner Barrens Yellow Trail from the Discovery Center, past the large vernal wetlands and the recently restored area that was a former trailer park? You might soon be joined by the rumble and toxic smoke of school buses, should South Colonie School District build their bus garage next to one of more wild and remote areas on popular Yellow Trail. On Monday, November 1st, the South Colonie School District asked the Colonie Village Board to…

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What Really Happens to the Dunn Dump Complaints?

What Really Happens to the Dunn Dump Complaints?

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by Tom Ellis RENSSELAER, NY: The Rensselaer Environmental Coalition continues its four-year-campaign to immediately close the construction and demolition debris dump in Rensselaer while dealing with an unresponsive state government. Residents of Rensselaer and East Greenbush (R&EG) remain disgusted with how the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) takes odor and other complaints about the dump. DEC set up a system where people dial a DEC-supplied telephone number that is answered by Dunn Waste Connections — the owners of the…

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Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic Defends the Pine Bush

Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic Defends the Pine Bush

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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 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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Research

Research

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Here are some helpful tools to help you research development and land use changes in Albany Pine Bush. Properties on the Planning Board Agendas See our Planning Board Agenda Tracker. Search a Property You can search a property here, however it must be in a very specific format to match the tax record, like this describing the property: 20 New Karner Rd, Town of Guilderland. If you don’t have that level of detail or nothing is returned, you should use…

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Pine Bush Proposed Projects

Pine Bush Proposed Projects

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Zeroing Out Waste Conference

Zeroing Out Waste Conference

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Speakers Include: Neil Seldman, Institute of Local Self Reliance Professor Paul Connett, International Waste Management Researcher Majora Carter, Environmental Justice Leader, Founder Sustainable South Bronx Barbara Warren, Citizens’ Environmental Coalition Why do we have so much garbage? What can we do to prevent it? Looking at the trash question as a resource issue and a problem of industrial design is ushering in bold alternatives to leaking landfills and polluting incinerators in forward-thinking cities and countries around the world. What can…

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Proposed Crossgates Development

Proposed Crossgates Development

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GUILDERLAND, NY: Rapp Road Development, a corporate entity of Pyramid/Crossgates, is proposing to build on about 46 acres of land. Originally, the proposal was to build 222 apartments on 20 acres of land adjacent to the Pine Bush preserve. After the Town Planning Board appointed themselves the lead agency, the project was exapanded to include a proposed Costco and an undefined commercial/residential development on an additional 26 acres of land. The proposal is huge. To put this proposed development in…

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Guilderland and Pyramid look for second suit, filed by Save the Pine Bush, to be dismissed 

Guilderland and Pyramid look for second suit, filed by Save the Pine Bush, to be dismissed 

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Guilderland and Pyramid look for second suit, filed by Save the Pine Bush, to be dismissed  Monday, August 2, 2021 – 19:13 Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff The not-for-profit group Save The Pine Bush, in November 2020, celebrated when Westmere residents won a lawsuit (which was recently overturned) that stopped construction of two Pyramid projects. GUILDERLAND — With one win in hand, the town and Pyramid are looking to run up the score, asking the judge in a second lawsuit…

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Town of Colonie Planning Board

Town of Colonie Planning Board

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Whereas, the applications and permitting to construct and operate an expansion of the City’s existing landfill located on Rapp Road in the City of Albany, together with mitigation related to the expansion, referred to as Eastern Expansion, is before the Common Council for deliberation; and Whereas, since 1990 there have been multiple expansions of the Rapp Road landfill, duly requiring the Common Council to approve certain financings, permitting and other actions attendant to these expansions to support construction and mitigation;…

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Development in Albany Pine Bush – 2010 to 2020

Development in Albany Pine Bush – 2010 to 2020

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Albany County Tax records show that 253 acres of Pine Bush were forever lost to development between 2010 and 2020. Acres in Study Area Acres Developed with a Building * % Acres Preserved ** % Acres Undeveloped or Used for Highways / Landfill *** % 13,005 5,723 44.0% 3,317 25.5% 3,965 30.5% * Acres developed does not include highways or other developments that do not contain buildings. ** Albany Pine Bush Commission managed lands *** County tax parcels that do…

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Just Say No to the Bridge!

Just Say No to the Bridge!

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The Village of Colonie is proposing to build a bridge in the Pine Bush over the Rapp Road/Lincoln Avenue railroad tracks. To allow for high-speed rail, all Òat gradeÓ crossings over railroad tracks are to be eliminated. The Village wants to eliminate the Rapp Road/Lincoln Avenue crossing by building a bridge. Save the Pine Bush knows a much better, much less expensive way: dead-end the road on either side of the railroad track. This would save about $3.5 million taxpayer…

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Waste Management Pulls Out of Seeking to Dump in Albany’s South End Community – Dominick Calsolaro

Waste Management Pulls Out of Seeking to Dump in Albany’s South End Community – Dominick Calsolaro

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By Dominick Calsolaro, June/July 2021 Save the Pine Bush Newsletter ALBANY: In April, Waste Management of New York, Inc, (WM) informed residents of Albany’s South End that it was again asking the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to approve a solid waste permit modification to allow WM to accept municipal solid waste (MSW) at its transfer station located in the Port of Albany. The facility is about 1,000 feet from Ezra Prentice Homes. MSW is putrescible waste, in other words,…

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The Pine Bush & the Pandemic – April 2021 Save the Pine Bush Lecture by Long time Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC) Conservation Director Neil Gifford

The Pine Bush & the Pandemic – April 2021 Save the Pine Bush Lecture by Long time Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC) Conservation Director Neil Gifford

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By Tom Ellis, June/July 2021 Save the Pine Bush Newsletter ON THE INTERNET: Long time Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC) Conservation Director Neil Gifford began his April 17, 2021 SPB meeting comments saying, “Thirty years of managing the world’s best scrub oak pitch pine barrens has taught us a lot.” His topic was “The Pine Bush and the Pandemic: Update on the Preserve.” He offered an update on land protection, management and monitoring. His comments focused on paleoecology. He…

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Rapp Road Costco and Town of Guilderland State Appellate HearingLivestream

Rapp Road Costco and Town of Guilderland State Appellate HearingLivestream

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Dear All, Please note: Tuesday, May 25, 2021 – 1:00pm Rapp Road Costco and Town of Guilderland State Appellate HearingLivestream: http://wowza.nycourts.gov/ad3/ad3.php Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 25, the oral argument for the case of Hart v Town of Guilderland, will be heard.  This is the case involving the proposed Costco, apartments and office building in the Pine Bush along Rapp Road.  New counsel has been retained by Pyramid Cos. with Guilderland Supervisor Peter Barber representing the Town of Guilderland. The Guilderland Coalition for Responsible Growth has more information…

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Colonie Landfill Updates

Colonie Landfill Updates

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by Tom Ellis The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) illegally granted the town of Colonie permits on April 5 to vastly enlarge its landfill located near Route 9 on the bank of the Mohawk River. The Saratoga County towns of Waterford and Halfmoon have filed lawsuits challenging DEC’s ruling. With the new permits, the dump, which sits atop an unlined hazardous waste dump, parts of which are within 100 feet of the river, would be allowed to remain open…

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Truck Traffic in Rensselaer: Update

Truck Traffic in Rensselaer: Update

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by Christine Kielb Tom Ellis and Christine Kielb of Stop Trucks Assaulting Rensselaer (STAR), a group of Rensselaer residents and their allies, are continuing their work fighting the tractor trailer truck traffic passing through city neighborhoods to and from the Dunn Construction and Demolition (C&D) landfill. This landfill operation, larger than the Colonie and Albany landfills combined, is expected to continue for many years, possibly until 2036, unless successfully challenged. The problem began in 2012 when the NYS Department of…

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Sally’s Recycling Corner

Sally’s Recycling Corner

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by Sally Cummings GreenDisk http://www.greendisk.com is the manufacturer of GreenDisk High Quality Recycled Diskettes and is the world’s leading software recycler. GreenDisk’s Corporate Disposal Program addresses the issues of secure disposal of information assets, wasted storage costs, and the legal liability related to software licenses in a cost-effective, environmentally responsible manner. Personal computer users throw away approximately 4 million diskettes every day — nearly 1 billion disks per year. Those disks go straight into landfills, in which they can take…

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Making a Living as a Trash Picker The Landfill in Guatemala City

Making a Living as a Trash Picker The Landfill in Guatemala City

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ALBANY: Mindy Whisenhunt and her daughter Alex spoke at the October Save the Pine Bush vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. They have made two trips to the landfill outside of Guatemala City to volunteer with and organization called Camino Seguro or Safe Passage that helps the children of people who eke out an existence picking recyclables from the Guatemala City landfill. Volunteers such as Mindy and Alex go to Safe Passage for a week at a time….

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Neil Gifford – Good News about the Pine Bush

Neil Gifford – Good News about the Pine Bush

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by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: “I would not be standing here without the work Save the Pine Bush has done to hold people accountable,” said Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC or commission) Director Neil Gifford, as he began his presentation at the May 18 SPB dinner. Neil spoke at length about the Karner Blue Butterfly (KBB). Lynne Jackson introduced him saying APBPC sustains the Pine Bush and Neil has been with the commission for 19 years. Neil said the…

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DEC sets Public Hearing on Landfill in the Pine Bush

DEC sets Public Hearing on Landfill in the Pine Bush

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ALBANY: Mark you calendars, Wednesday, December 3 at 7:00 PM at the Polish Community Center, DEC will conduct a public hearing on the City of Albany’s proposal to expand the landfill into the Pine Bush (see other announcement on page 4). For two decades, DEC and the City have been promising not to expand the landfill any more in the Pine Bush. Clearly, the government has failed the people and gone back on their promises. A bone is being tossed…

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The News comes to the Pine Bush – Dina Cappiello Speaks

The News comes to the Pine Bush – Dina Cappiello Speaks

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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,…

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NYS Climate Action Council

NYS Climate Action Council

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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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Community Compost Initiative A weekly compost pick-up service

Community Compost Initiative A weekly compost pick-up service

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by Tom Ellis Throwing food waste into landfills creates greenhouse gases, which significantly contribute to global warming and takes up space in Albany’s Rapp Road landfill. Since Albany’s landfill was built in protected Pine Bush habitat, this is an especial problem. If you live in the City of Albany, you can reduce greenhouse gases and divert waste from Albany’s overburdened landfill, while at the same time supporting a local non-profit and ecologically regenerative micro-industry, by joining the Radix Center’s Community…

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Dunn Landfill Truck Traffic Update

Dunn Landfill Truck Traffic Update

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by Chris Kielb Rensselaer residents and others are continuing their work fighting the tractor trailer truck traffic passing through residential neighborhoods to and from the Dunn Construction and Demolition landfill. Members of the group Stop Trucks Assaulting Rensselaer (STAR) recently met for a second time with the executive committee of the Hudson-Mohawk chapter of the Sierra Club. A summary of DEC documents obtained by STAR, including the permit, public hearing notes and annual reports, was presented. Also discussed was the…

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Nabokov’s Blues

Nabokov’s Blues

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Nabokov’s Blues Save the Pine Bush Sues City of Albany and Department of Environmental Conservation Over Illegal Landfill in the Pine Bush ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush filed suit against the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the City of Albany over the permit approval for the City of Albany P-4 landfill expansion on Rapp Road. Save the Pine Bush is suing on the grounds that the permit approval was illegal because the authority to grant a…

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Holiday Party

Holiday Party

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DecemberÕs Save the Pine Bush Holiday party was a fun time for all. Lawrence Lessner, magician extrodinaire, gave a superb magic show, pulling silver dollars from pockets, hiding eggs in most unlikely places, and predicting which invisible cards the audience will choose. He persuaded members of the audience to join him on stage and participate in his tricks. He left us all believing that magic really exists! Cavanaugh and Kavanaugh played guitars, banjos, mandolins and other instruments. Playing many tunes…

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September Biogas Talk

September Biogas Talk

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by Gregg Bell   ALBANY: At the September Pine Bush dinner I gave a talk on biogas. For most Americans, biogas is a new idea. While biogas is actually an ancient technology, and while it is used extensively in developing countries and in Europe, there is still limited understanding of it here in the US. Given this situation, I structured my slide show half around low-tech biogas as used in developing nations to illustrate its benefits and its simplicity. The…

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Pesticide Reductions Won at Albany Common Council

Pesticide Reductions Won at Albany Common Council

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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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Proposed Landfill Expansion a Collision of Factors

Proposed Landfill Expansion a Collision of Factors

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ALBANY — Those squiggly compact fluorescent light bulbs are being touted as an easy solution to save energy and fight global warming. But there are drawbacks: The bulbs contain toxic mercury, and so far there is no easy way to recycle them. In the Capital Region, homeowners are being encouraged to keep burned-out CFL bulbs until local hazardous waste recycling days, although state law allows homeowners to throw bulbs into the regular trash. "If a resident calls me now, I…

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Ward Stone Speaks about the Most Important Environmental Problems of Our Time

Ward Stone Speaks about the Most Important Environmental Problems of Our Time

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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Ward Stone, NYS Wildlife Pathologist, ate lasagna with Save the Pine Bush at the First Presbyterian Church this past March and spoke about changes in the environment over the past few years. He noted that in the past 30 years, there is some good news. We have shut-down the source of PCBs. We have banned a lot of pesticides such as dialdrin and chlordane. We have recognized the problems of lead, and taken steps to…

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Thank You to All Who Responded to the Emergency Appeal

Thank You to All Who Responded to the Emergency Appeal

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Thank You to All Who Responded to the Emergency Appeal Thank You to All Who Responded to the Emergency Appeal Thank you! Thank you! to everyone who responded to our September Emergency Appeal. Save the Pine Bush was in quite a bind &emdash; we needed to hire our lawyer to respond to the City’s request for the landfill expansion, and we didn’t have much time and we didn’t have the money. But, you came through for the Pine Bush again!…

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Save the Pine Bush Raises Money

Save the Pine Bush Raises Money

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Save the Pine Bush Raises Money Save the Pine Bush Raises Money If you asked me what my least favorite activity is, I would say "fund-raising". Its no fun. But, we have discovered that our work to preserve the Pine Bush costs money. And because a lot of people believe as we do, we have raised far more money than I ever expected. SPB has no full-time, salaried staff. We are all volunteers, and have been known to put thousands…

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9

9

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Politics and Garbage – That Sweet Smell   Politics and Garbage That Sweet Smell By Daniel Van Riper A Bigger Dump Believe it or not, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings wants to expand the City Dump in the Pine Bush on Rapp Road. He’s given up on the idea of throwing the city’s trash onto a farm down in Coeymans and wants to take another 15 to 20 acres out of the Pine Bush and make a new garbage pile. More…

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Willie Janeway Comes to Visit

Willie Janeway Comes to Visit

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Willie Janeway Comes to Visit Willie Janeway Comes to Visit Albany, NY – At Save the Pine Bush’s November dinner, Willie Janeway, former executive Director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission and current executive director of the Hudson River Greenway, spoke about his observations about the Pine Bush. Protecting the Karner Blues has put the Pine Bush on the map. An no one today would say that they are against protecting the Pine Bush. The question now is: what…

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The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission

The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission

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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…

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Air Pollution in Albany’s South End

Air Pollution in Albany’s South End

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ALBANY, NY: On November 6, I attended a combined NYS DEC and NYS DOH community meeting about a study they did concerning the health of Albany South End residents. About fifty attended at the Albany Housing Authority office on South Pearl Street. The just-completed study looked at hospitalization rates of South End residents compared to (1) the county as a whole and (2) Arbor Hill/West Hill. The information was not very useful to South End and Ezra Prentice Homes (EPH)…

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Bringing Back Sustainable Karner Blue Populations

Bringing Back Sustainable Karner Blue Populations

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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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Waste Reduction and Recycling: Neil Seldman, PhD

Waste Reduction and Recycling: Neil Seldman, PhD

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Waste Reduction and Recycling: Neil Seldman, PhD. Director of Waste to Wealth Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (Washington, DC). Public Presentation and Workshop on Recycling and Waste Management in the Capitol Region Albany Public Library, Washington Avenue Branch: 161 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210 Presentation:  How the Capital District can Transition from Landfills & Incineration to Zero Waste  October 14th 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM History of US waste and recycling, restructuring of recycling, localization of solid waste…

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September Biogas Talk

September Biogas Talk

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by Tim Truscott   On Friday, February 5, Save the Pine Bush hosted a presentation by Peninsula Compost Group’s representative, Ken Sauter. Within the past few months Peninsula opened a new food and yard waste composting facility in Wilmington, Delaware with a capacity of 500 tons per day. The Wilmington Organic Recycling Center (WORC), located at the Port of Wilmington, is described by Peninsula as being the largest state-of-the-art food and yard waste composting facility on the East Coast. WORC…

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