by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: A virtual book signing for Son of Mountains by Yassin Aref was the topic for the May Save the Pine Bush vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner. Yassin, along with Mohammed Hossain, were subject of an FBI sting operation and were sent to prison for 15 years each. During the five months Yassin was … Son of Mountains – Virtual Book Signing
by Lynne Jackson The first part of this series was printed in the February/March, 2005 newsletter and is a summary of a presentation given by Neil Gifford at the October, 2004 SPB lasagna dinner. The Karner Blue Butterfly Federal Recovery Plan has three priorities. In New York State, scientists are focussing on priority one, which … How fares the Karner Blue?
Washington Protest, January 18, 3003 Washington Protest, January 18, 3003 by Lynne Jackson Four buses and one van left Albany, New York just after midnight on Saturday morning, January 18, to attend the anti-war protest in Washington, D.C. It was bitter cold out, in the single didits, when we left Albany. These are the photographs … 23
by Lynne Jackson After having attended a hundred or more planning board meetings in three different municipalities over the past two decades, I feel that I have enough experience to comment on how welcome members of the public are to comment on planning board actions that impact the quality of their lives. In the towns … Planning Boards – A Comparison
The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is mandated by law to revise its Management Plan every five years. The last revision to the Management Plan were the Implementation Guidelines, adopted by the Commission in 1996. The Commission will hold a public hearing on its Draft Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Albany … Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Proposes a New Plan – Mark October 18 to Attend Hearing
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
by Lynne Jackson On Wednesday, July 24, the Guilderland Planning Board gave preliminary approval to the construction of 70 houses in the largest roadless area of the Pine Bush. Before giving approval, the Board held a hearing. Lynne Jackson of Save the Pine Bush spoke at the hearing, and wrote down her comments in a … Guilderland Approves – – Another Pine Bush Development
16-09 Sept-Oct Newsletter Sept/Oct 16 No. 132 ⢠33 Central Ave., Albany, NY 12210 ⢠email pinebush@mac.com ⢠phone 518-462-0891 ⢠web http://www.savethepinebush.org ⢠Circ. 600 Vegetarian/Vegan Dinner Wednesday, September 21, 2016, 6:00 p.m. Climate Crisis and Practical Solutions Conor Bambrick Air & Energy Director, Environmental Advocates of NY will speak about NY Renews and … 16-09 Sept-Oct Newsletter
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Are you sick and tired of reading about the proposed hotel in the Pine Bush? Are you tired of sprawl in the Pine Bush? Are you disgusted that the largest hotel corporation in the US wants to pave occupied Karner Blue habitat for parking lots and a building? Time to do … Stop the Hotel! Ask the Governor and the Mayor To Do the Right Thing
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!
VILLAGE OF COLONIE: On May 3, Save the Pine Bush members met to discuss the next steps in fighting against the proposed landfill expansion in the Pine Bush and for a rational solid waste police. Village of Colonie Mayor Frank Leak graciously opened the Village of Colonie Family Recreation Center for our meeting. Mayor Leak … Stop the Landfill Expansion — Get Involved!
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?
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
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
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Jack Lauber spoke at the February, 2006 vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Albany about the safety and feasibility of waste-to-energy. Mr. Lauber is an environmental engineer, who used to work at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. He is very proud of the many incinerators he has … Waste-to-Energy One Solution to the Garbage Issue
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
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
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 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
by Lynne Jackson SCHENECTADY, NY: The Schenectady Public Library was the site of an organizational meeting of people interested in permanently preserving the Woodlawn Preserve and Pine Bush in Niskayuna and the Town of Colonie. More than fifteen people attended. A presentation was made about what is happening at the moment with Woodlawn and the … Woodlawn and the Western Pine Bush — Next Steps
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 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 ALBANY, NY: The First Presbyterian Church was the location of the March Save the Pine Bush vegetarian dinner which featured the excellent presentation on biodiversity and Lyme Disease by Kathleen LoGiudice, PhD. Dr. LoGiudice opened her remarks by saying that the battle over Crossgates Mall made a big impression on her in … Does Sprawl Promote Lyme Disease?
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 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
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: The September Save the Pine Bush dinner at the First Presbyterian Church was the setting for a presentation on alien and invasive by Steve Rice, PhD. of Union college. Dr. Rice began by talking about the early efforts to bring fire back into the Pine Bush ecosystem. The thought was … Invasive Species in the Pine Bush
It is estimated that a war in Iraq would cost at least $100 billion. War in Iraq would cause tremendous human suffering, as well as take resources away from programs at home, such as buying land for preservation. A peaceful solution to the problems in Iraq is in everyone’s interest. “Beware the leader who bangs … The Pine Bush and Bombs
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Albany City Commission of the Department of General Services Willard (Bill) Bruce spoke at the May Save the Pine Bush dinner. Mr. Bruce began by showing slides of how landfills are constructed. He emphasized that the Rapp Road landfill is not just a dump, it is a highly-engineered structure and there … Its not a Garbage Problem Its an Economic Problem
SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road by Lynne Jackson Last summer, Judge Thomas Keegan handed down a win for Save the Pine Bush overturning a vote by the Common Council to make the "Loop Road" or Columbia Circle Drive a public road. The problem is, the Common … SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road
We are off! Up Next–> We are off! The five of us gather in my living room at 11:30 at night on Wednesday, January 19. From the left, Lucy, Lynne (me), Sandra, Kathy, and Anne.
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: On Tuesday, September 12, at a meeting of the Common Council General Services Committee, the City of Albany made its third proposal to take protected Pine Bush land and turn it into a landfill. It is important to consider the history of the City’s landfill expansion proposals in the past year. … The Albany Common Council The Debate and the Vote
In the bitter cold, about a dozen people came out to protest the bulldozing of the Avila House site. Though Save the Pine Bush had lost all of its appeals in the courts, we know that we are legally, morally and ethically right. No more construction should be made in the Pine Bush. Avila … Save the Pine Bush
For Immediate Release: December 10, 2002 For Further Information: Contact Lynne Jackson at 434-1954 or 366-7324 ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush volunteers demonstrated today over the destruction of the Pine Bush for the building of Avila House. Avila House is proposed to be built in the rare Pine Bush ecosystem. The Pine Bush is … Save the Pine Bush
COLONIE: The Town of Colonie Operations Center was the setting for a public meeting on a proposal to construct a RV (recreational vehicle) storage and washing facility. This proposal would place asphalt or building on top of more than 10 acres of Pine Bush on this approximately 40 acre site, called 106 Cordell Road. Nearby … Forty Acres of Pine Bush Slated for Destruction in the Town of Colonie
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: The July SPB veggie lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church was a forum for a bevy of politicians. Everyone came out to support Pine Bush preservation, a welcome change from previous elections. Candidates from Albany, most facing primaries in September attended as well as Ken Runion, candidate for Guilderland … 9
Jerry Mueller brings Lasagna to Nicaragua – The Pine Bush as Example for the World Jerry Mueller brings Lasagna to Nicaragua The Pine Bush as Example for the World by Lynne Jackson In 1987, when Save the Pine Bush was only 9 years old, and before any major acquisition of land had occurred because of … 9
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 … Willow Street Again
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” … They Don’t Ever Quit-But Neither Do We
by Grace Nichols ALBANY, NY: On May 13, 2019, Save the Pine Bush, Environmental Advocates of New York, Radix, beekeepers, farmers, the League of Women Voters, the Working Family Party, the Upper Hudson Greens, and many other activists, joined Grace Nichols and six county legislators who sponsored the bill, to speak out for a policy … Albany Now a Pollinator-Friendly County
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: “If we lose reverence for any part of life, we lose reverence for all of life,” said Save the Pine Bush member Lou Ismay at the April 17th SPB dinner at which Lou spoke about his launching the Protect Your Environment (PYE) Club at SUNY Albany fifty years ago. He … Honoring Lou Ismay at the April SPB Dinner
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: David Ellis of Rensselaer Residents Against Toxic Dumping and Lou Sebesta of Stop Trucks Assaulting Rensselaer (STAR) spoke at the May 15th SPB dinner about “Done with Dunn Landfill: Negative Impacts of Dunn C/D Dump Operations” in Rensselaer, and their efforts to close it. Later in the evening, George Keleshian … Done with the Dunn Dump
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Tina Lieberman and Susan Lawrence spoke at the June 20 SPB dinner about the power and potential of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA). Tina is a member of the Energy Subcommittee of the Albany City Sustainability Advisory Committee. Susan is on the Executive Committees of both the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter … The Potential of Community Choice Aggregation
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Lynne Jackson, a volunteer for Save the Pine Bush, gave a brief introduction and described how SPB started. On the night of February 6, 1978, as the “Blizzard of 78” was pounding the Capital District, a couple dozen brave souls nevertheless ventured to the Albany Public Library to speak out … Steve Downs Tells the Legal History of Save the Pine Bush at SPB’s 40th Birthday Party —Part 1
Opinion by Lynne Jackson In 1978, when Save the Pine Bush began suing the City of Albany over proposed developments in the Pine Bush, the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), was not in effect. We could not use SEQRA in court, so, instead our initial lawsuits were over sewers. Fortunately SEQRA took effect soon … Initial Public Comments Delivered in Albany on March 31st at the Public Hearing on SEQRA
by Lynne Jackson Albany, NY: Chris Hawver, Executive Director of the Albany Pine Bush Management Commission, spoke at our February 2017 Save the Pine Bush dinner. Chris began his presentation with a really sweet tribute to Rezsin Adams. Chris said that when he first started with the Albany Pine Bush Preserve commission that he was … There would be no Pine Bush Today without Save the Pine Bush and Rezsin Adams
by Lynne Jackson In an unusal twist of fate, Pine Bush land that is currently publicly held is being considered for development by the City of Schenectady. Called the Woodlawn Wetlands and Dunes Area, it is located in the Pine Bush ecosystem in the City of Schenectady, on the border of Albany County and Niskayuna, … City Owned Land Up for Grabs
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Saying “I am very happy to be here,” Ward Stone launched into a very interesting and wide-ranging lecture at the December 16th SPB dinner. Using deadpan humor, he said, “I spent a very environmental evening” last night watching the Republican presidential candidates. Later he said “These Republican candidates are not good for the … Ward Stone Speaks