by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The City of Albany is taking two contradictory positions on the proposed hotel in the Pine Bush. Council Stonewalls Developer: The Honorable Daniel Herring (Ward 13) held a Common Council Planning and Development committee meeting on October 9 to discuss the SDEIS (Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement) written and submitted by … City Can’t Decide!
The State Legislature has approved a $2 million grant to the Commission from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund for 2007/2008, up from last year’s $1.5 million. The additional $500,000 is earmarked for development at the Discovery Center. Scientific research continues in the Preserve, including population & habitat monitoring of the Karner Blues and the Frosted … Sally’s Recycling Corner
The Pine Bush has been identified by the Sierra Club as one of the fifty-two most exceptional places in the United States that must be preserved. The report says the following: All across America, communities are working to protect our public lands from threats like oil and gas drilling, unchecked development, irresponsible recreation, logging, and … The Pine Bush Makes the Grade Sierra Club Included the Pine Bush in America’s Wild Legacy 52 Places: A Sierra Club Report
By Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The Pine Bush Discovery will have its grand opening on Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and June 17 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. After what seems like an eternity of planning, design and construction, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is pleased to invite the public to the grand opening. … Why Does the Discovery Center Look Like a Bank?
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?
Call your State Senator and Assemblyman today and urge them to pass the Bigger Better Bottle Bill this year! The Senate switchboard is 455-2800 and the NYS Assembly switchboard is 455-4100. We have until June 21st to make it happen this year. Call now to keep more trash our of the landfill!
Ken Runion Visits Save the Pine Bush Ken Runion Visits Save the Pine Bush Albany, NY – Town of Guilderland Supervisor Ken Runion spoke to a large and enthusisatic crowd at the April Save the Pine Bush vegetarian lasagna dinner at First Presbyterian Church in Albany. Saying that “I agree we should do whatever we … 9
ALBANY: Val Washington, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Deputy Commissioner of the divisions of Solid and Hazardous Materials, Environmental Remediation and Mineral Resources, spoke at the July vegetarian/vegan lasanga dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Beginning her speech with kind words about Save the Pine Bush, Val outlined her priorities for solid waste at the … The Goal is to Phase Out Landfills
ALBANY: Acting State Supreme Court Judge Thomas J. McNamara denied a motion filed by the developers of the proposed hotel in the Pine Bush in the case Save the Pine Bush vs. City of Albany to re-argue the case. The Court said “Conspicuous by its absence is any discussion of other animal life on the … Win on Hotel Case Upheld by Supreme Court
Members of the public are invited to provide written comments towards the process of reviewing and/or amending the 2002 Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Comments can address all aspects of the Commission’s work including land protection, habitat or natural resource management, public education and recreation. Comments are … News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission
by Lynne Jackson CLIFTON PARK: On June 26, the Town of Clifton Park approved an extension to the site plan on Wood Road, circumventing the State Environmental Quality Review Act and allowing DCG to build a warehouse complex on an inhabited Karner Blue butterfly site. William Engleman, the intrepid volunteer in the Clifton Park, found … Town of Clifton Park Ignores Pleas for Butterflies
ALBANY: Carol Waterman, volunteer for Save the Pine Bush, decided that SPB needed a visual for the hearings and the public meeting. In a matter of hours, she contacted Wicked Smart Screen-printing in downtown Albany, and using the phone and email, worked with a designer to come up with SPB’s new t-shirt. Wicked Smart Screen … No Dump in the Pine Bush!
By Lynne Jackson Honest Weight Food Co-op will host a local foods picnic, free and open to the public, from 11 am-2 pm in Washington Park at the Lake House in Albany. Speakers and musical performers include David Yarrow, Hakim Steward, Fred Braglia, Bryan Thomas, and many other local community members who are making a … Proposed Landfill Expansion a Collision of Factors
ALBANY: NYS Supreme Court Judge Thomas J. McNamara handed a win to Save the Pine Bush over the proposed Residence Inn hotel development in the Pine Bush adjacent to the Karner Blue Butterfly Hill. Judge McNamara found the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed hotel was deficient because the EIS failed to evaluate the … Save the Pine Bush Wins the Hotel Case
ALBANY: On February 21, at the Polish Community Center on Washington Avenue Extension in the Pine Bush, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation held a “scoping” hearing on the proposed landfill expansion in the Pine Bush. Over 250 people attended; there was standing room only. Scoping hearings are held to determine the what topics should … Massive Opposition to Proposed Landfill Expansion
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
Monarch Butterfly Conservation Crisis Monarch Butterfly Conservation Crisis On September 12, 2000, The New York Times published an urgent warning by noted Monarch butterfly expert Dr. Lincoln P. Brower, and other scientists and conservationists, describing a crisis situation at the Monarch butterfly’s overwintering grounds in central Mexico (The New York Times, Science Times, p. 1). … Monarch Butterfly Conservation Crisis
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
ALBANY: In an astounding series of votes, the Albany Common Council voted to allow two developments in the Pine Bush to go forward: the proposed Residence Inn Hotel and an office complex in front of the Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home. Three Common Council members voted against the proposals and for the Pine Bush: the … Common Council Ignores Pine Bush Preserve Commission
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
ALBANY: The Nature Conservancy (TNC) acquired an option to purchase the Fox Run Estates property in order to faciliate this land being added to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. From a letter TNC has written to Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings and NYS DEC Commissioner Denise Sheehan, it is clear that TNC never intended this land … The Nature Conservancy Objects to Landfill Proposal in the Pine Bush
By Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The proposed landfill expansion in the Albany Pine Bush could be used by the new administration in the State of New York as a catalyst for change in solid waste policy in the state. Over the past year, Save the Pine Bush has had many speakers discussing the solid waste issue. … Proposed Landfill Expansion a Collision of Factors
War On Crossgates – The Community Fights Back War On Crossgates The Community Fights Back By Daniel Van Riper The evil and rapacious Pyramid Corporation, through a combination of trickery and deception, has geared up for an unprecedented Crossgates Maul expansion plan designed to suck the life and livelihood out of the citizens of the … 9
ALBANY: The Planning, Economic Development and Land Use Committee of the Albany Common Council met on October 27 to review the Final Environmental Impact Statement of the proposed Residence Inn hotel in the Pine Bush on Washington Avenue Extension. During the meeting, it became apparent that an essential letter from the US Fish and Wildlife … Environmental Report Omits Essential Letter
Cases of Lyme disease might be reduced by switching the focus from people and vaccinating the animals that carry it, a new study suggests. Writing in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers described an experiment in which they caught white-footed mice in a wooded area of roughly 3,000 acres in Connecticut, vaccinated … Taking Lyme Fight to the Field
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
ALBANY: Shawn Morris, candidate for Common Council President spoke at the July Save the Pine Bush dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Four candidates are running in the Democratic Primary for Common Council President; all were invited to speak, but only Shawn Morris attended the dinner. Shawn began by describing the Common Council President’s roll … Shawn Morris Speaks to Save the Pine Bush
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
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: On Thursday, August 26, the Zoning Committee of the Albany Common Council held a scoping hearing on the proposed 124-Unit Residence Inn in the Pine Bush. This hotel would be built next to the Karner Blue butterfly hill, which is the only large site of Karner Blues south of the Thruway. … Crossgates Wants to Build a Hotel in the Pine Bush
by Chris Kielb and Tom Ellis Rensselaer and East Greenbush residents and their allies (Rensselaer Environmental Coalition, REC) continue to organize to block the proposed Bio HiTech municipal solid waste processing facility on the former BASF industrial site, south of Columbia Turnpike. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) sent now-departed Rensselaer Mayor Moody a … Updates on the trash problems in Rensselaer
To the Editor: At a recent Albany Common Council General Services Committee meeting concerning the expansion of the Rapp Road landfill, three issues of concern were raised: the city hot line phone number established to report complaints about the smell emanating from the landfill; the little monetary reward the city realizes from the methane-to-energy project; … News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission
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 ROB STEIN Washington Post WASHINGTON — People who live in neighborhoods where they must drive to get anywhere are significantly more likely to be obese than those who can easily walk to their destinations, according to the first study to directly demonstrate that long-suspected link. The study of nearly 11,000 people in the Atlanta … Clear-cutting
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 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
Guilderland, NY: A speculator has proposed to sub-divide 7.9 acres of Pine Bush in the full protection area between the New York State Thruway and Lydius Street. The proposal is currently before the Guilderland Planning Board. Last January, Mr. Coles, a real estate appraiser, proposed sub-dividing the property into four lots. There is already one … Speak Out for Pine Bush Preservation
by the Associated Press WILTON — Habitats of the endangered Karner blue butterflies will be preserved under a $321,000 grant announced Wednesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The grant will be used to preserve 75 acres of high-quality Karner blue butterfly habitat in Albany and Saratoga counties, according to the federal agency. The … In Flurry of Motion, Lessons Take Wing
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 Sandy Sheridan Birk Try your hand at our first Save the Pine Bush Crossword puzzle! Click here for answer key. Across 1. The Karner Blue Butterfly is currently listed as ____________. 5. Butterfly’s young 8. How many generations of Karner Blue Butterflies are hatched each year in the Pine Bush? 9. These insects often … Crossword Puzzle
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Save the Pine Bush celebrated its 25th birthday at the February vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. The dinner began by members telling stories about the early years. Save the Pine Bush was born in the middle of a snow storm on February 6, 1978. It snowed that day. … Save the Pine Bush is 25!
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 John Wolcott Have you seen the ads in the newspaper for Avila House? They say, “The reasons for moving to Avila House keep piling up!” Well! The only thing piling up is their hypocrisy. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany is acting disgracefully. It is devastating what had been one of the most beautiful … Avila Keeps Advertising
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
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The Honorable Jack McEneny noted that the last time he had vegetarian lasagna was when he had the pleasure of giving John Wolcott, long-time Pine Bush advocate, an award from the NYS Legislature. He was glad to be back at the May veggie lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church to … The Honorable Jack McEneny Reports on the Legislature
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Dr. George Robinson shared his adventures studying and speculations about the mysterious Patroon Creek, Albany’s only remaining above-ground creek at the November SPB lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. The Patroon Creek begins in Lake Rensselaer, which is in the Pine Bush. The creek is fed by water filtered … The Patroon Creek and the Pine Bush
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
ALBANY: Neil Gifford, Conservation Director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, gave a powerpoint presentation to the attendees of the September vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church on the new 2002 Pine Bush Management Plan. State Law requires the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (the Commission) to review its management plan every … New Plan for the Preserve – – 2002 Management Plan Revealed
by John Wolcott This year is the three hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the chartering of the community of Albany as the village of Beverwyck. With this in mind, let us quote a reference to the Pine Bush from the records of Beverwyck, January 7, 1753: “The Honorable Abraham Staets having requested that the description … Early Reference to the Pine Bush Discovered in the Dutch Records of Beverwyck
ALBANY: In its pursuit of the proposed landfill expansion, the City of Albany is working on the Environmental review process required under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. The initial part of this process is preparation of scoping document to determine what topics should be included in this review. A public meeting was held at … The Dump Expansion is for Who?