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 the Dec. 10 SPB dinner at the Unitarian Church in Albany. Doing some fast talking, he laid out the story of the formation of the…
Love Of Money The Root Of All…? Love Of Money The Root Of All…? By Daniel Van Riper That’s All? Sheesh. The shoddily built retail travesty known as Crossgates Mall is squawking over paying their fair share of taxes to the town of Guilderland. Recently, the mall doubled in size, an operation which cut into the famous Karner Blue Butterfly hill that was set aside as a condition for putting the big money mall there in the first place. The…
Willow Street Again Crossgates Follies The Government Plays Catch-Up By Daniel Van Riper Yerbury Flip-Flops Guilderland Supervisor Jerry Yerbury, who is up for re-election this November, has publically turned against the ravenous Pyramid Corporation and their plan to double the size of Crossgates Maul. Yerbury was quoted in the Daily Gazette as saying on Feb. 3rd, “I am personally opposed to the further expansion of Crossgates and I promise the residents of Guilderland that as long as I am…
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 than 20 years. At the same time, both the Council and the Board of Zoning Appeals routinely turn down applications by small businesses that want…
Willow Street Again Guilderland Holds Steady History In The Making? By Daniel Van Riper The people have spoken, and the politicians are running to catch up to reality. Nobody with even a shred of self-respect wants to see the evil and rapacious Pyramid Corporation expand Crossgates Mall and possibly eventually plant a mega-casino. The effects on the Pine Bush ecosystem and on the regional economy are too horrible to think about. Meanwhile, Pyramid waits for it’s chance, brooding over…
Council Sacrifices Pine Bush – Nitido, Hershberg Win Council Sacrifices Pine Bush Nitido, Hershberg Win By Daniel Van Riper Showing a marked lack of common sense, the Albany Common Council voted 9-6 in favor of rezoning 400 and 495 Rapp Road to build an office park called Drumlin Fields in the shadow of the Albany Dump. If this useless boondoggle gets built, it will have to be heavily subsidised by Albany taxpayers, and will directly cause a property tax…
Willow Street Again Letters The following excellent letter appeared March 21,1999 in the Hearst-owned Times Union under the title, “Improve Downtown and Preserve Pine Bush”: To the Editor: Why is the Albany Common Council approving Pine Bush development (Drumlin Fields office building) when there are plenty of vacant parcels in downtown and on Henry Johnson Boulevard that are screaming for development? I thought the goal of Mayor Jennings was to rebuild and improve downtown and Arbor Hill, making…
Willow Street Again The Devil In Skaneateles Wealthy Developer Deplores Development By Daniel Van Riper There is an unconfirmed report that the Albany Pine Bush Devil has received approval from the planning board of the picturesque town of Skaneateles in western New York to build a ten million square foot shopping plaza, hotel, parking garage and casino. Skaneateles, which up until now has not allowed strip malls and fast food emporiums, is home to Robert Congel, owner and director…
Meat Will Kill You…Just More Good News Meat Will Kill You …Just More Good News By Daniel Van Riper Howard Lyman was a 4th generation rancher and feedlot operator from Montana. Once, he had 7000 head of cattle and 30 employees, wrote million dollar checks, and was named farmer of the year. Today he is the Director of the Eating With Conscience Campaign of the Humane Society of the United States. His job is to "travel around talking to people"…
Albany Pine Bush Devil?!? Must Be April Fools Albany Pine Bush Devil?!? Must Be April Fools By Daniel Van Riper We have been amazed by reports of a bizarre animal thought to have been extinct suddenly surfacing in the Albany Pine Bush during the past month. The so-called Jersey Devil, which was native to the pine barrens of southern New Jersey, has not been seen there since the 1950’s, although it’s tracks had been found up until the late sixties….
They Don’t Ever Quit-But Neither Do We They Don’t Ever Quit But Neither Do We By Daniel Van Riper Not Again, Charlie We’ve been graciously alerted by Alderwoman Carol Wallace that the Albany Common Council Zoning Committee is being treated to a rerun of developer Charlie Touhey’s proposal to build the “Pine East Office Park” at 300 Washington Avenue Extension. While only 13 acres and hardly in the best of shape, it is adjacent to and part of the main…
Earth Day Lasagna-Wasserman Headlines Gathering Of Activists Earth Day Lasagna Wasserman Headlines Gathering Of Activists By Daniel Van Riper Five prominent and hard-working environmental activists addressed the Earth Day special lasagna dinner on April 24th at 1st Presbyterian Church in Albany. Some 80 attendees packed the room and listened intently to each speaker in turn. Here’s the lineup, in order of appearance: Lee Wasserman Everyone was curious to see and hear the very serious challenger for the job of congressional…
an editorial by Melissa Hale-Spencer, reprinted from the Altamont Enterprise, July 18, 2013 First they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me. — Martin…
Crossgates Warning: Stay Away For The Holidays Crossgates Warning: Stay Away For The Holidays By Daniel Van Riper State Police and State Dept. of Transportation officials are warning motorists to stay away from the Crossgates Maul exit ramp until well after Cristmas. Cars on the ramp will back up more than half a mile every day, and traffic on the Northway near the Maul will be congested. Numerous accidents will regularly occur. According to State Police Captain Ronald Tritto,…
The Pine Bush in a Zoo? The Pine Bush in a Zoo? by Daniel W. Van Riper, Oct./Nov. 90 The zoo may not be in the Pine Bush, but the Pine Bush might end up in the zoo. At the September Save the Pine Bush lasagna dinner, Rachel Baum, president of the Capital District Zoological Society, gave a streamlined presentation of her efforts to have a zoo built in the City of Albany, at a cost of $35 million. Although…
Words Over Lasagna – Recent Dinner Speakers Words Over Lasagna Recent Dinner Speakers April/May 1995 By Daniel Van Riper We’ve had some excellent presentations at our monthly lasagna dinners at First Presbyterian Church in Albany over the past five months. All were well attended. Here’s a roundup: November 94 – Dr. George Robinson of the SUNY Albany biology department talked about plant and animal surveys in NY State. "I am interested," he told the crowd, "in preserving biodiversity and keeping…
SPB Awarded Stewardship of Aquifer We couldn’t resist. . . What can I say? My husband, Daniel W. Van Riper, and I were strolling through a fair in Scotia, New York, when we came upon an exhibit from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). They were handing out applications to adopt bodies of water in NYS. On a lark, we picked one up, as Dan thought Save the Pine Bush could apply to adopt the aquifer under the Pine…
Ward Stone Gives ‘Em Hell! Declares Support for Save the Pine Bush Ward Stone Gives ‘Em Hell! Declares Support for Save the Pine Bush by Daniel W. Van Riper, Aug./Sept. 90 At the June 20 Pine Bush dinner, NYS Wildlife Pathologist, Ward Stone, avowed enemy of polluters and brain-dead bureaucrats, offered praise and encouragement to the members of Save the Pine Bush. "We need more groups like Save the Pine Bush," he said. "New York State would be destroyed rapidly…
Glaciers Are Melting-But They’ll Be Back Glaciers Are Melting-But They’ll Be Back by Daniel W. Van Riper, Mar./Apr. 92 Planet Earth has had some nice weather lately, the best in a thousand years. Don’t expect it to last, though. The forecast calls for drier deserts, higher levels of seawater, more intense storms, and more rain over wet areas. In the extended forecast, sheets of ice will cover much of the Northern hemisphere. This bad news came in an excellent presentation…
The Good News, The Bad News And The Ugly Truth The Good News, The Bad News And The Ugly Truth June/July 1995 By Daniel Van Riper Like it or not, Pine Bush preservation has become one of the major defining issues in the Capital District. Perhaps this is because it is a black and white issue. Are we in favor of maintaining and enhancing our quality of life, or should we close our eyes and let corrupt politicians give our…
A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturne A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturned by Daniel W. Van Riper, Mar./Apr. 92 March 5-State Supreme Court Justice George L. Cobb today overturned two zoning approvals by the City of Albany in the Pine Bush at 300 Washington Ave. Ext (Charlie Touhey’s office development in front of Dunes) and 40 Karner Road (the proposed Karner Office Park just south of Pinehurst). This ruling may set a precedent which would bring all development proposals currently…
Pyramid is Back! Hoblock Makes A Deal Pyramid is Back! Hoblock Makes A Deal by Daniel W. Van Riper, July/Aug. 92 Pyramid Corporation, hiding behind an entity called Albany Commons Associates, wants to buy prime Pine Bush from Albany County and build strip malls. The acreage threatened with destruction, located along Washington Ave. Extension, is supposedly part of the 2000 acre Pine Bush Preserve that the State has ordered the city of Albany to set aside. In a sleazy backroom…
Save the Pine Bush Construction Begins Before Court Decides Case Construction Begins Before Court Decides Case by Daniel W. Van Riper, July/Aug. 91 Barry, Bette and LeDuke have begun construction of a 70,000 sq. ft. office building in Albany’s ecologically sensitive Pine Bush while State Supreme Court Justice Daniel H. Prior decides whether or not it is legal to build it. “This is another typical case where the City and the developers are coluding to avoid following the State environmental…
Common Council Sells Out – Albany Bows To Columbia Estates Common Council Sells Out Albany Bows To Columbia Estates June/July 1995 By Daniel Van Riper In a stunning return to the politics of back-room deals, the City of Albany Common Council by a near-unanimous vote gave the stub of Pitch Pine Road East to the rapacious mega-developers Columbia Estates for a mere $75,000. The sale effectively cuts off public access to that portion of the Pine Bush preserve. According to…
All Development Halted – Emergency Appeal Succeeds! All Development Halted Emergency Appeal Succeeds! by Daniel W. Van Riper, Jan./Feb. ’93 In a unanimous decision, the Appellate Division of the NYS Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling earlier this year that overturned zoning changes for the 40 Karner Road and Touhey parcel at 300 Washington Ave. Ext., both located in central parts of the Pine Bush. “Congratulations to us!”, said Lew Oliver, SPB’s attorney, flushed with victory once again. “This…
Rao Disaster Rao Disaster End Of The Legal Road By Daniel Van Riper Continuing a puzzling and illogical shift in politics by the NY State court system towards environmental cases, the State Court of Appeals denied a motion by Save the Pine Bush to reopen the case of SPB vs. the Guilderland planning board over approval of the destruction of 106 acres of Pine Bush by Charles Rao. That’s it. Three years of lawsuits have ended in a zero. Unaccustomed…
Lasagna Makes You Smarter Lasagna Makes You Smarter It’s Nutritious and Fun By Daniel Van Riper The Old Machine Author and political observer Frank Robinson spoke to the November dinner crowd at 1st Presbyterian Church in Albany. He is probably the foremost authority on the old and defunct Albany O’Connell Democratic political machine, an entity which seems quaint and benign when compared to the cold and heartless D’Amato Republican machine from Nassau County that is currently gripping the state with…
Crossgates Shouldn’t Expand – But Who Will Stop Them? Crossgates Shouldn’t Expand But Who Will Stop Them? By Daniel Van Riper Here are some reasons why the Pyramid Corporation’s Crossgates Maul shouldn’t be allowed to double in size again: (1) They don’t pay their taxes. After the last time Crossgates doubled in size, the town of Guilderland raised the assessment on The Maul by about a third. Pyramid has kept the town in court for years and has refused to…
Action Alert! Touhey Gets A Boost Politicians Defy Voters Action Alert! Touhey Gets A Boost Politicians Defy Voters By Daniel Van Riper The Zoning Committee of the Albany Common Council handed stubborn developer Charlie Touhey a key approval of his proposed destruction of Pine Bush at 300 Washington Avenue Extension. By a vote of 3 to 1 the committee approved Touhey’s environmental impact statement (EIS), in effect saying that destroying the Pine Bush will have no impact on the Pine…
Save the Pine Bush Common Council Muzzles Hearing Pine Bush Residents Outraged Common Council Muzzles Hearing Pine Bush Residents Outraged by Daniel W. Van Riper, Mar./Apr. 92 Chanting, “We want to speak! We want to speak!” some twenty or so residents from the Pinehurst and Dunes developments in the Pine Bush expressed outrage at an attempt by the Albany Common Council leadership to prevent them from voicing their concerns over the proposed Woodlands at Pine Ridge office development. Most of…
Surprise! They Can’t Build There – YMCA May Move Surprise! They Can’t Build There YMCA May Move By Daniel Van Riper Finally convinced that Save the Pine Bush means business, Capital District YMCA President John Flynn has announced that he is giving up his two year old demand that State owned Pine Bush Preserve land be sacrificed without due process to build a driveway for the proposed YMCA facility on Winding Brook Drive in Guilderland. This stunning concession to reality…
By Daniel Van Riper Every time the City of Albany Common Council Members approve a “development” in the Pine Bush, it results in a loss of revenue to the City that can only be made up by raising taxes. In other words, this year’s tax hikes are directly caused by the last few years of Pine Bush building approvals. Deceptive and/or ignorant politicians are fond of repeating the phony story that these approvals “expand the tax base” and thus bring…
Jim Travers, a resident of Coeymans, NY, attended the February 15 Save the Pine Bush dinner and heard Jack Lauber speak about Waste-to-Energy. These are Jim Travers’ comments. – Ed Please forward this email to all those on the Save The Pine Bush mail list. Feedback is welcomed. Thanks. Jim Travers I do not think incineration of garbage is healthy for anyone or our environment, whether it is used to create electricity or only to eliminate a portion of the…
by Daniel W. Van Riper, Oct./Nov. 90 Friday, October 5, SPB attorney Lewis B. Oliver filed for aninjunction to stop work on the expansion of the Albany CountyLandfill. Arguing in Albany County Court before Judge John G. Conner,Oliver presented a paper trail that convincingly demonstrated thatthe NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Cityof Albany had entered into an illegal “shady backroom deal” tosubvert the judicial process and avoid complying with NYSenvironmental regulations. Presenting the case for the City,…
Now We’ve Got A Bond Act: Jeff Jones of Environmental Advocates By Daniel Van Riper Jeff Jones, of Environmental Advocates, speaking at the November lasagna dinner at !st Presbyterian Church in Albany, had an interesting story about the origins of the Bond Act, which, of course, is now in effect. Earlier this year, Environmental Advocates (EA), along with several other groups, issued a well documented “report card” on Governor Pataki’s environmental record. As in most areas of his failed administration,…
by Lynne Jackson, Mar./Apr. 92 The Karner Blue has been proposed to be listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If the butterfly is listed as an endangered species with a designated critical habitat, any developments proposed within the habitat would need to have a federal permit in order to be built. Obtaining a federal permit is a much more rigorous and difficult process to go through than the zoning changes or Planning Board approvals-and…
by Daniel W. Van Riper With a public flourish, SPB released the Pine Bush Preservation Plan at the first Albany Common Council meeting of the year by presenting a copy to each alderman. Immediately, interested persons and organizations clamored for copies of the plan, including neighboring municipalities, state agencies, county legislators, neighborhood groups, environmentalists and reporters. Demand for copies remains high, along with requests for SPB members to speak. The Plan calls for $13 million in NYS Environmental Trust Fund…
By Bill Engleman, Jan./Feb. 92 Populations of the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly are dispersed throughout the sand plain in Saratoga County. This sand plain, of which Albany’s Pine Bush is a major part, contains isolated pitch pine/scrub oak communities in Clifton Park, Wilton, Moreau, and other areas. In 1988, the Planning Board of the Town of Clifton Park entertained several applications for subdivision and development in the “Wood Road corridor.,” a mostly pitch pine community. This is roughly 600 acres…