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 … Town of Colonie Planning Board
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 … Development in Albany Pine Bush – 2010 to 2020
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 … Just Say No to the Bridge!
Monday, February 15, 2021 – 19:52 – Altamont Enterprise GUILDERLAND — The judge overseeing the town of Guilderland and Pyramid Management Group’s appeal to reverse a lower court’s decision that stopped construction of the company’s Rapp Road and Western Avenue projects has agreed to a request for “an expedited briefing schedule on this appeal.” The … Appeals court in Guilderland-Pyramid lawsuit allows case to cut the line – Altamont Enterprise
CONCORD, N.H. – Two biologists crawled through a field thick with blueberry, black chokeberry, and scrub oak, searching for butterfly eggs the size of pinheads. Suddenly, one of them, Steve Fuller, thrust a hand into the air. “Found one!” he shouted. As his colleague, Heidi Holman, ran to his side, Fuller opened his hand to … Returning to flight Efforts of New England biologists help usher in rebirth of the endangered Karner blue butterfly
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 … Truck Traffic in Rensselaer: Update
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 … Neil Gifford – Good News about the Pine Bush
by Stephen Williams, The Daily Gazette It’s one of the great animal kingdom migrations of the last century — the arrival and flourishing of the coyote in the eastern United States. The thick-furred canine and its high-pitched, ethereal yips and howls have become commonplace across the Capital Region over the last 30 years. Even suburbanites … Researcher: Coyote is Part Wolf
CONCORD, N.H. – Two biologists crawled through a field thick with blueberry, black chokeberry, and scrub oak, searching for butterfly eggs the size of pinheads. Suddenly, one of them, Steve Fuller, thrust a hand into the air. “Found one!” he shouted. As his colleague, Heidi Holman, ran to his side, Fuller opened his hand to … Returning to flight
by Grace Nichols Have you noticed in driving through rural New York, that your windshield – which once would have been covered with the remnants of countless insect collisions are now fairly clean? This observation has been made globally and linked to severe declines in insect populations. Insects are a critical part of the ecosystem … Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution to be introduced in the face of alarming flying insect declines
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. … NYS Climate Action Council
Below are excerpts from an article about Peter Buttner from the Altamont Enterprise: Peter J.R. Buttner was a man who, by his own reckoning, worked to build a brighter future no matter how dark the present. He did this in his personal life and in his professional life as director of Environmental Management for … Save the Pine Bush loses a friend Peter J.R. Buttner
PETER HENNER ATTORNEY AND COUNSELOR AT LAW P.O. BOX 326 CLARKSVILLE, NEW YORK 12041-0326 (518) 768-8232 Fax: (518) 768-8235 WEB SITE: peterhenner.com * CERTIFIED MAIL – RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED NOTICE OF INTENT TO SUE October 20, 2003 Mr. Mark Wagner, General Manager Pyramid Crossgates Company 120 Washington Avenue Albany, New York 12203 Dear Mr. Wagner: … Notice of Intent to Sue
Albany — A blizzard howled on the evening of Feb. 6, 1978, when a shrinking remnant from the last Ice Age faced the prospect of the bulldozer. Anyone who cared that land in the Pine Bush — glacially created sand dunes and pitch pines at the city’s western edge — was slated for an office … Nature preservers For 30 years, Save the Pine Bush has fought for ancient barrens
Open Space Public Hearing Wednesday, November 14. 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. — Workshop 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. — Public Hearing 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. — Public Hearing Public Assembly Room (129A & B) NYSDEC Central Office 625 Broadway Albany, NY ALBANY: A draft update of New York’s Open Space Conservation Plan for … Draft Open Space Conservation Plan Available for Public Review
ALBANY: The NYS Appellate Division dismissed Save the Pine Bush case’s case suing the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board over a proposed development on Wood Road that is occupied Karner Blue. The Court said Save the Pine Bush does not have standing or the right to bring the case to court. Save the Pine … Save the Pine Bush Loses in Clifton Park
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 … Nabokov’s Blues
Letters to Save the Pine Bush Letters to Save the Pine Bush Here is a sampling of letters written to Save the Pine Bush and some responses written by Lynne Jackson: From: rngeorge@gw.dec.state.ny.us (Richard Georgeson) To: pinebush@aol.com To Lynne Jackson: Lynne – In your history of Save the Pine Bush section of your … Letters to Save the Pine Bush
Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor To the editor: With all due respect, the article in the recent Save the Pine Bush newsletter titled "Bethlehem Pickled," was inaccurate in several important respects. As the reporter who has been writing on this issue from the get-go (for The Spotlight), I have to disagree with … Letters to the Editor
Divided Highways Divided Highways by Rezsin Adams The Interstate and Defense Highway System – – the "divided highways" – – was initiated by President Eisenhower in the early 1950’s to connect cities in the U.S. (in the case of enemy bombing, rail lines are more vulnerable than highways). Eisenhower wanted a highway system like the … Divided Highways
Driving Backwards – Transportation Committee Shuns The Future Driving Backwards Transportation Committee Shuns The Future By Daniel Van Riper Don’t expect to take a take a train to Saratoga anytime soon. Regional traffic planners appear to have little political will to provide taxpayers and citizens of the Capital District with alternatives to driving cars, such … Driving Backwards – Transportation Committee Shuns The Future
Location Is Everything – Kunstler Offers Solutions Location Is Everything Kunstler Offers Solutions By Daniel Van Riper We are living in "the national automobile slum. That is the human ecology of the United States." Thus spoke novelist and reformer of architecture James Howard Kunstler, who returned to speak at the May 13, 1998 Save the … Location Is Everything – Kunstler Offers Solutions
by John Wolcott This will be but the latest of several Overview Hikes SPB has sponsored over the years, to points around the rim of the Albany Inner Lowland Basin. We will view the Pine Bush from various points in and near Thacher Park. The hike is free and the public is cordially invited Most … Storm Over the Mountains
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 … Proposed Landfill Expansion a Collision of Factors
Zero Cut – End the Logging on our National Forests Zero Cut – End the Logging on our National Forests By Jesse Strock The National Forests encompass over 200 million acres of public lands across the country. These lands, which were set aside for the public, are not simply used for recreation and tourism, but … Zero Cut – End the Logging on our National Forests
ALBANY: Dr. Roland Kays, Mammalogist with the New York State Museum, explained to a large, appreciative Save the Pine Bush audience, why carnivores are important to ecosystems. Carnivores have a Òtop downÓ effect on ecosystems. For example, wolves eat moose, who eat plants. A change in the number of wolves will affect a change in … Carnivores in the Pine
DEC reintroduces box turtles in Albany Pine Bush Experiment Born Free DEC reintroduces box turtles in Albany Pine Bush Experiment Reprinted from the Daily Gazette, June 24, 1997, By Paitrick Kurp, Gazette Reporter COLONIE – Deep in the Albany Pine Bush – some 500 yards, that is, from the New York State Thruway – among … DEC reintroduces box turtles in Albany Pine Bush Experiment
Michael Breslin Speaks Michael Breslin Speaks by Ehren Evans Albany County Executive Breslin spoke at August’s lasagna dinner. It was an exciting opportunity for members of Save the Pine Bush to learn more about county government and the county executive. Mr. Breslin said his stint as county executive is the best job he ever … Michael Breslin Speaks
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 … 9
The Two Month Debate – Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip The Two Month Debate Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip By Daniel Van Riper Part 1: The Challenger State Assemblyman and Albany mayoral candidate Jack McEneny found himself being interviewed by the editors of the local media outlet for the Hearst Corporation, the Times … The Two Month Debate – Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip
Remember The Elections? Be Thankful We Still Have Them Remember The Elections? Be Thankful We Still Have Them By Daniel Van Riper It’s been 3 months since the November elections, time enough to assess the damage . . . and look forward to more! Here’s a quick roundup, and boy is it partisan: Bond Act … Remember The Elections? Be Thankful We Still Have Them
The Emperor’s New Plan The Emperor’s New Plan by John Wolcott The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission has as much of an acquisition plan as a certain famous emperor once had a new suit of clothes. Land owner and grassroots environmentalists alike are impatient with the Commission’s having published a map showing "Full Protection" parcels … The Emperor’s New Plan
Save the Pine Bush Action Alert! Coyotes in the Moonlight Response to the Commission’s Final Implementation Guidelines by Lynne Jackson "It was a cold night in January, snow on the ground, full moon, not a creature moving a muscle," began Jerry Mueller, at the January Lasagna Dinner. He had to get out of the house … Save the Pine Bush Action Alert!
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 … Air Pollution in Albany’s South End
Proposed Hotel in the Pine Bush Hotel Update: Oral Arguements in the NY Court of Appeals Tuesday, September 15 at 2:00 The Court of Appeals is next door to Albany City Hall. This is an extremely significant case, and could, if we win change who has standing in SEQRA cases. Click here to … Save the Pine Bush
ALBANY, NY — Mayor Jennings’ new landfill proposal is just as bad as his last proposal, only his new proposal may mean the end of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Mayor Jennings proposes to take 10 acres from the forever wild Albany Pine Bush Preserve and turn it into the landfill. “Land dedicated to the … Waste-to-Energy One Solution to the Garbage Issue
John Wolcott Versus The Dump – Skewering An Inane Document John Wolcott Versus The Dump Skewering An Inane Document By John Wolcott Editor’s Note: Save the Pine Bush board member and dedicated enemy of deception John Wolcott has provided a blow by blow commentary on the "Summary of the 2nd Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement … John Wolcott Versus The Dump – Skewering An Inane Document
Name of the project: Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects Email comments to: Kenneth Kovalchik, Town Planner, Kovalchikk@togny.org The Town of Guilderland Planning Board should reject the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed development by Pyramid (Crossgates) to build massive apartment complexes, office space and expansive retail on Rapp Road, the … Write to the Town of Guilderland Planning Board
I am writing in opposition to the draft environmental impact statement filed by Rapp Road Development Corporation, a pseudonym for Pyramid LLC, the owner of Crossgates Mall, which was filed to develop 47 acres of pine bush into a variety of projects such as a gas station built in sand over an aquifer. The level … Buffer is Essential to Protect Pine Bush
Murdered By Pyramid: It Could Happen Here Murdered By Pyramid It Could Happen Here By Daniel Van Riper Public officials and neighborhood activists are holding the notorious Pyramid Corporation responsible for the traffic death of a young mother outside Buffalo, NY. Pyramid operates the Walden Galleria Mall in the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, and is … Murdered By Pyramid: It Could Happen Here
Save the Pine Bush Sues the Town of Colonie Late-Breaking News: Save the Pine Bush Sues the Town of Colonie by Lynne Jackson Yesterday, October 7, Save the Pine Bush sued the Town of Colonie over its acceptance of the Lisha-Kill – Kings Road Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS). This GEIS would have a devastating … Save the Pine Bush Sues the Town of Colonie
Town of Colonie Will It or Won’t It Destroy Its Pine Bush? Town of Colonie Will It or Won’t It Destroy Its Pine Bush? by Lynne Jackson The Town of Colonie approved its Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) for the Lisha Kill – Kings Road Area on June 8 and June 16. This FGEIS … Town of Colonie Will It or Won’t It Destroy Its Pine Bush?
Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn by Lynne Jackson Since last spring, Save the Pine Bush volunteers have been attending hearings, reading long EIS’s (Environmental Impact Statements), and speaking out against the proposed Golden Bear Family Golf Indoor and Outdoor Driving Range. This … Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn
Let Your Voice Be Heard! – Don’t Let Them Take Land from Preserve! Let Your Voice Be Heard! Don’t Let Them Take Land from Preserve! by Lynne Jackson At long last, Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for the proposed YMCA and St. Peter’s Assisted Living facility in Guilderland has been issued. Harder to find … Let Your Voice Be Heard! – Don’t Let Them Take Land from Preserve!
Save the Pine Bush Sues Albany Common Council Over Illegal Office Complex Save the Pine Bush Sues Albany Common Council Over Illegal Office Complex by Lynne Jackson Save the Pine Bush filed suit on July 12 in New York State Supreme Court over the City of Albany Common Council’s approval of the Drumlin Fields … Save the Pine Bush Sues Albany Common Council Over Illegal Office Complex
Oppose Drumlin Fields Office Complex Oppose Drumlin Fields Office Complex Five Minutes to Help Save the Pine Bush No matter where you live, please, call an Alderman about Drumlin Fields by Lynne Jackson Drumlin Fields is a proposed office complex to be built on both sides of Rapp Road in the Pine Bush. Bordered … Oppose Drumlin Fields Office Complex
Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve by Lynne Jackson In a victory for the Pine Bush, the developer of a luxury housing sub-division along the border of Guilderland and Albany has been … 9
Judge Cobb Grants Injunction Judge Cobb Grants Injunction State Defends Pine Bush ALBANY, NY &emdash; Justice George L. Cobb granted a preliminary injunction January 23 on construction of a six-unit housing subdivision in the Pine Bush in State Supreme Court today. He also granted a request for 60 additional days for the State to respond. … Judge Cobb Grants Injunction
Gotta Watch’em Like Hawks – Can’t Trust Nobody Gotta Watch’em Like Hawks Can’t Trust Nobody By Daniel W. Van Riper Y Is This Happening One of the selling points for the ongoing YMCA project that is destroying eight acres of Pine Bush off Western Avenue in Guilderland was that it would cost the taxpayers … Gotta Watch’em Like Hawks – Can’t Trust Nobody
Thanks to anthrax, our new national hobgoblin, the federal Centers for Disease Control have been in the news a lot these days. Yet a report released by the CDC late in 2001 on a very different public health menaceÑurban sprawlÑhas gone largely unnoticed. According to the striking findings of the report, ÒCreating a Healthy Environment: … Unhealthy Choice