Dear All,
Save the Pine Bush made a great showing at the Albany County Legislature budget hearing held two days before Thanksgiving. Seven of the eight speakers at the hearing asked for funds to buy Pine Bush. Good for us!
Tomorrow, December 5, the Albany County Legislature will vote on the budget.
Let’s continue our ask to the Albany County Legislature for funds to purchase the remaining privately-held properties in the Pine Bush ecosystem.
Anyone can speak at the public comment period prior to the legislature meeting. Please come!
When: Monday, December 5, 6:30 PM
Where: Albany County Legislative Chambers, Albany County Courthouse, 16 Lodge Street, Albany, New York 12207
For more information on the meeting, see:
https://www.albanycounty.com/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/6254/263
The current situation:
- The fight for Pine Bush preservation has been continuous for the past 45 years. It is long past time to protect the entire ecosystem.
- Almost all of the Pine Bush ecosystem is located in Albany County.
- Approximately 2500 acres of the 6000 acre Pine Bush ecosystem is still privately owned and can be developed at any time.
- Because so much land is privately owned, the Pine Bush ecosystem is being fragmented and destroyed, with many acres lost each year.
What Save the Pine Bush is asking for:
The Albany County Legislature should set aside $1 million each year in a fund to purchase land in the Pine Bush ecosystem.
It is just time. Time to buy the land! Let’s get the rest of the Pine Bush ecosystem preserved!
Thank you so much!
Lynne Jackson
For Save the Pine Bush
Save the Pine Bush Volunteers call on County Legislature to include funding for acquisition of lands in Albany Pine Bush during the County Budget Hearing.
Dear Save the Pine Bush friends,
Let’s ask the Albany County Legislature for funds to purchase the remaining privately-held properties in the Pine Bush ecosystem. The best way to protect the Pine Bush is to buy it and add it to the Preserve.
Please attend the Albany County Legislature Budget Hearing!
When: Tuesday, November 22, 7:15 PM
Where: Albany County Legislative Chambers, Albany County Courthouse, 16 Lodge Street, Albany, New York 12207
Attendance is either in person or on Zoom.
For information on how to speak at the hearing on Zoom, please see:
https://www.albanycounty.com/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/6854/161
The current situation:
- The fight for Pine Bush preservation has been continuous for the past 45 years. It is long past time to protect the entire ecosystem.
- Approximately 2500 acres of the 6000 acre Pine Bush ecosystem is still privately owned and can be developed at any time.
- Because so much land is privately owned, the Pine Bush ecosystem is being fragmented and destroyed, with many acres lost each year.
What Save the Pine Bush is asking for:
The Albany County Legislature should set aside $1 million each year in a fund to purchase land in the Pine Bush ecosystem.
It is just time. Time to buy the land! Let’s get the rest of the Pine Bush ecosystem preserved!
– Lynne Jackson
Ask Albany County to Dedicate Funds to Buy Pine Bush
ALBANY, NY: It is time for Albany County to step up and dedicate funds to purchase land in the Pine Bush. Let’s follow Tom Ellis’ suggestion in the article he wrote in this newsletter, “A Wild Idea,” and lobby the Albany County Legislature to annually allocate $1 million to purchase land in the Pine Bush.
The fight for the Pine Bush has been going on for nearly fifty years. It is long past time to just buy the remaining privately owned land in the Pine Bush ecosystem to preserve it as forever wild.
Almost the entire Pine Bush ecosystem is located in Albany County. But, Albany County has done very little to protect and preserve this beautiful unique ecosystem.
The Albany County Legislature will be finalizing the budget for Albany County very soon. The Albany County Legislature usually holds a budget hearing on the forth Tuesday of the month in November. This year, the forth Tuesday is November 22. The hearings are held at 7:15 PM in the Albany County Legislative chambers in the Albany County Court House, entrance on Lodge Street, Albany.
Yes, you read that correctly — the County legislature holds budget hearings on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving!
Very few members of the public attend these hearings. When Tom has attended in the past, he has often been the only speaker.
Let’s make a big showing, attend the hearing and ask for money to be set aside for Pine Bush preservation.
People do not need to speak long. It is possible that public comments will be limited to three or five minutes.
Please pencil this hearing in on your calendar, and plan to attend. Write a short speech with just a few reasons why you want to protect the entire remaining Pine Bush ecosystem.
Email me at contact@savethepinebush.org to be put on a list to be reminded of the hearing. I will send out an email as soon as I can confirm the date, and, if you send me an email, I will make sure you receive a notice with all the necessary information.
