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 … Crossgates Warning: Stay Away For The Holidays
CLIFTON PARK —The Planning Board has agreed to hold a public hearing on the second phase of a controversial Wood Road development project. At the July 10 meeting, the board voted 5-1 to hold the hearing at a date to be determined. The parcel’s owner, DCG Development Company, wants approval for a 16-acre expansion … Public gets say on Wood Road DCG project in Clifton Park
by Tom Ellis ALBANY: Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Conservation Director Neil A. Gifford was the featured speaker at the March 22 SPB dinner. Reszin Adams introduced him. Mr. Gifford said he is a conservation scientist by training. He said the Pine Bush Commission now has 27 staff, is an authority, the preserve contains 3200 acres, including at … Neil Gifford of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Speaks
by Grace Nichols ALBANY: Steven Leibo, Phd, a Sage Colleges Professor of International History and Politics, as well as an International Affairs Commentator on WAMC Northeast Public Radio, came to speak to us about the Climate Change crisis. Dr. Leibo has been a constant presence on the academic and environmental scene in the Capital … Run Away Climate:
SCHENECTADY — The Woodlawn Preserve is getting closer and closer to full protection. After years of negotiations, the City Council finally adopted a management plan for the preserve last week. The plan will help keep the remnants of Pine Bush ecology that remain in the badly deteriorated preserve, and lays out the steps to restore the flora … Schenectady Pine Bush sees Preservation boost
from TheDailyGreen.com Give Up Plastic (and Paper) Bags Cost: $1 Do you opt for paper or plastic when at the grocery store? Neither is a good choice. Twelve million barrels of oil were used to make the 88.5 billion plastic bags consumed in the United States last year. And it takes four times more energy … Sally’s Recycling Corner — New Year Green Resolutions!
by Tom Ellis ALBANY: Derrick Marcucci of Landmark Archeology was the featured speaker at the November 16 SPB dinner at the Westminster Presbyterian Church. He said most of his firm’s Pine Bush work involves development proposals, the number of which have dropped off quite a bit in the past three years. The Pine Bush … Archaeology in the Pine Bush
Albany, NY: Recently, a friend out in Rensselaer County grabbed my arm and said “don’t you dare release your rehabilitated (orphan) rabbits out here—The Fisher will get them!” She went on to describe an animal so mean and vicious that no other mammal would be safe around them. And so, though I haven’t ever met … Fishers in the Pine Bush! May 2011 Pine Bush Dinner with Scott LaPoint
If you weren’t at the June 15 dinner, you missed hearing from six of Dr. Alan Fiero’s outstanding Farnsworth Middle School students about their work in the Pine Bush. Their names are: Christine Myers, Katie Lamar, Matthew Krieg, Salil Chaudhry, Meghan Dillon and Miranda Seguin. The authors of the article below are Matthew Krieg, Christine … he Farnsworth Middle School Pine Bush Project
ALBANY, NY -At the April 20 dinner, speakers from four different organizations addressed a cause that united them: keeping hydrofracking out of New York State. Roger Downs represented the Sierra Club, a membership grass roots organization. He said that he has never seen a movement attract so many people. For example, at a rally last … No Frack-ing Way
by Grace Nichols Dr. George Robinson is a professor in the Biodiversity and Conservation Policy graduate program at the University at Albany. He is very knowledgeable about landfills, as much of his work has involved transforming old landfills into positive open spaces which can meet the needs of local wildlife and local communities. Dr. Robinson’s … Dr. George Robinson Sheds Light on Landfills, their Possibilities and Problems Post-closure.
by Andy Arthur About a month ago, I started working on a project for Save the Pine Bush, working to compile a updated list of parcels in the Albany Pine Bush that would be highly desirable for future conservation by the Pine Bush Commission. I met with long-time Save the Pine Bush volunteer, John Wolcott, … Pine Bush Parcels Project
by Sheree At RPI, there are at least two food “waste” projects. One is a prototype small methane digester. The other is a dumpster composter, which digests its load in 7 days. Unfortunately, hardly anyone seems to want the compost, which they have been giving away free. It would be ideal if a farmer picked … Organic “Waste” Composting: A Random Local Update
ALBANY: The October Save the Pine Bush dinner at the First Presbyterian Church was the setting for the birthday party in honor of Ward Stone. The party was a great success. The hall was packed full. We all agreed that the environmental community couldn’t get along without Ward. Speakers included Elise Griffin, Elise Kunz, Tom … Environmentalists Honor Ward Stone
The Field Guide, a Natural History, Identification & Conservation of a Regional Treasure by David W. MacDougall (published by The Environmental Clearing House, Niskayuna, New York 2007) is a charming paperback full of photographs and drawings and a very easy-to-read, brief text. Chapters include: Natural History, Identification, Biology, Family Blues, Nectar & Host Plant Identification. … Pine Bush Commission Update
The Town of Colonie has held a couple of meetings to review the zoning that has resulted from the Comprehensive Plan process completed in 2005. Below, is a press release sent by Dan Dustin. It is the best explanation of what is happening now, and I am publishing it in its entirety—the editor Colonie Town … Town of Colonie is in the Process of Revoking Protection of the Pine Bush!
It has been said that environmental problems are often the result of bad government. That certainly is true in the case of the Pesticide Ordinance enacted by the City of Albany in 1998. One of the issues at hand at the time the ordinance was written was the use of pesticides in bodies of water … Time for the City of Albany to Enforce the Pesticide Ordinance
By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer , reprinted from the Times Union, First published in print: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 ALBANY — City lawmakers on Monday again rejected a crucial borrowing measure to allow the city to continue the Rapp Road Landfill expansion, dealing another blow to Mayor Jerry Jennings’ administration and once again leaving the … Turnabout defeats Albany landfill vote again
an editorial by Lynne Jackson See: United National Peace Conference And, on Sunday, July 25, join the Rally & March at 1:00 A National Conference to Bring the Troops Home NOW! is being held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, State and Lodge Streets, in Albany, NY from July 23 to July 25. I believe all … United National Antiwar Conference to be Held in Albany
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Grace Nichols spoke about pesticides at the June Save the Pine Bush vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Pesticides include herbicides, insecticides and rodenticides. Grace explained that unlike other types of pollution which are a by-product of making something, pesticides are designed to kill organisms. Pesticides are a whole … The Great Pesticide Hunt
by Tom Ellis, Citizens’ Environmental Coalition Save the Pine Bush and friends won a partial victory in late February when Clough Harbour & Associates (CHA) revised the preliminary draft solid waste management plan it had issued in mid-December on behalf of a “steering committee” appointed by Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings. CHA faced considerable pressure from … Zero Waste or Waste Authority?
ALBANY: The NYS Deparment of Environmental Conservation held the one and only hearing on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed landfill expansion of the City of Albany’s Rapp Road landfill in the Pine Bush on December 3, 2008. The room was nearly packed, with over 300 people attending. Of course, making sure … DEC’s Dump Hearing December 3, 2008
by Lynne Jackson Update: Alas, on January 7, 2008, the Karner Blue came in second in the vote for NYS Butterfly. Here are the election results. ALBANY: Karina Franke spoke at the November Save the Pine Bush vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Karina began by explaining how she became involved in her … Karine Franke Vote for the Karner Blue for New York State Butterfly
by Diane H Peapus UPDATE: Diane Peapus has put up the Nature Cache site. Check it out here. Save the Pine Bush is a shining example of the power of public participation in conservation. We can only imagine how our landscapes would look if a larger portion of the public had the sense of land … Albany Pine Bush Nature Cache: Participation Encourages Public Land Stewardship
The New York State Thruway is proposing massive changes to the thruway from exits 21 to exit 25. The Pine Bush is bisected by the Thruway, and exits 24 and 25 are located in the Pine Bush. Changes in the Thruway could have a major impact on the Pine Bush ecosystem. Save the Pine Bush … Hearings Set for the Albany Corridor Study by the NYS Thruway
The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission has a web-based survey asking people to comment about what they would like in the new Pine Bush Discovery Center to be located in the State Employees Federal Credit Union building on Route 155. The survey asks about what types of exhibits you find most helpful and informative, how … Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Wants Your Opinion
ALBANY, NY: Just when you thought it was safe to go to the mall, Pyramid Crossgates proposes yet another project to destroy Pine Bush and potential Karner Blue habitat. Albany City Hall was the setting for Pyramid to describe to the Albany Common Council Zoning Committee how its proposal to build a residence inn hotel … Crossgates Casts a Dark Shadow Over the Pine Bush
by Sandy Sheridan Birk The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approved the final version of the Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan in August. Part I of the Plan describes the butterfly’s life cycle and ecosystem, as well as the threats to its survival*. Part II delves into the plan of action needed to reach … Guilderlandt
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 … The Pine Bush in a Zoo?
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 … Words Over Lasagna – Recent Dinner Speakers
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 … SPB Awarded Stewardship of Aquifer
Opinion – Saving butterflies Opinion – Saving butterflies The following editorial is reprinted with permission from the Concord New Hampshire Monitor. This editorial appeared on the Opinion page on September 1, 1989. This editorial is about a tiny plot of land near Concord New Hampshire, where a few Karner Blues make their home. It may … Opinion – Saving butterflies
Last Chance to Say No to Besicorp! Last Chance to Say No! No to what could be the biggest and ugliest industrial complex ever built on the banks of the Hudson River: a papermill and cogeneration plant called Besicorp, to be sited in the City of Rensselaer, next to the historic Fort Crailo neighborhood and … Last Chance to Say No to Besicorp!
16 Year Victory for SPB – Nature Conservancy Buys Land 16 Year Victory for SPB Nature Conservancy Buys Land Feb./Mar. 95 Save the Pine Bush had another big victory in December when the State of New York gave the Nature Conservancy money from the 1994 Environmental Protection Fund to buy 87 acres of prime, beautiful, … 7
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 … The Good News, The Bad News And The Ugly Truth
History Mauled Again – City Did Dirty Deal Selling Historic Site History Mauled Again City Did Dirty Deal Selling Historic Site Feb./Mar. 95 by Lynne Jackson I have been reading this book, The Fifth Discipline in which the author, Peter M. Senge, says that it is often the structure of the situation that makes people … 7
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 … 7
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 … All Development Halted – Emergency Appeal Succeeds!
How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes Step #3 Beautiful Pine Bush Destroyed Previous Step in Scheme * * * Next Step in Scheme Vegetarian Lasagna Dinner Pine Bush Hike Current Newsletter About Save the Pine Bush Virtual Photo Exhibit Action Alerts Volunteer Nights Articles … How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes
Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines from the Preserve Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines Press Releases Press Conference on Monday, August 10 at 10:00 AM Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve Land For Immediate Release: August 7, 1998 For Further Information: Please Contact: Lewis Oliver at … 5
How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes …Again and Again and Again It’s an endless cycle. Every office “park” and housing “development” is an extension of the City of Albany’s infrastructure. This means new roads, sewerlines, waterlines, powerlines, new services such as police, fire, ambulance, administrative. … How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes
by: DENNIS YUSKO Staff writer CLIFTON PARK — A 142,000-square-foot facility proposed by DCG Development along Wood Road would further undermine the area’s endangered Karner blue butterfly habitats, town residents and area environmentalists told the Planning Board. DCG wants to build a warehouse or a light industrial space on 37 acres its owns between the … Building called threat to butterflies
ALBANY — The state Department of Environmental Conservation should enforce a 1994 agreement with a landowner to protect endangered Karner blue butterflies in Clifton Park, Capital Region environmentalists said Thursday. In a petition filed with the state agency Monday, the Albany-based Save The Pine Bush and 22 area residents asked DEC general counsel James … Petition: Shield Karner blue habitat
by Claire Hughes, Staff writer Excessive development of rural countryside, which leads to the loss of some animal species there, could be the reason the Capital Region and other areas of New York have seen recent spikes in rates of Lyme disease, according to a study being published this week. A group of researchers, including … Study Links Lyme Disease, Rural Building
by Tom Ellis First-term Albany Common Council member Frank Commisso, Jr., has figured out how Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings operates and is determined to make substantive changes. A member of the common council’s finance committee, he led a revolt over two proposed bonding ordinances – one for $7 million to expand the city’s Rapp Road landfill yet … Jerry Jennings Blinked
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Dr. Gary Kleppel, professor of biology at the University of Albany, outlined the economic and environmental costs of sprawl at Save the Pine Bush’s June veggie lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Albany. Dr. Kleppel opened his presentation by challenging conservation groups with the most important mission, “curbing urban … Sprawl Costs Money
How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes – Step #2 Braindead Common Council Approves Scheme Previous Step in Scheme * * * Next Step in Scheme Vegetarian Lasagna Dinner Pine Bush Hike Current Newsletter About Save the Pine Bush Virtual Photo Exhibit Action Alerts Volunteer … How Destruction Of The Pine Bush Raises Taxes
Compiled by Sally Commings Recycle After you’ve cut back and reused till the cows came home, the next step is one of our favorites here at Earth911: recycling. The act of recycling has become second nature for a lot of us over the years and even if you do it every day, there is … Sally’s Recycling Corner
RENSSELAER, NY: Rensselaer residents took a big step toward closing the Dunn (Waste Connections) construction and demolition (C&D) debris landfill in November when they elected Mike Stammel as mayor of their city. Mr. Stammel, also chairman of the Rensselaer County Legislature, has taken an anti-dump stance and works with locals eager to immediately close the … Dunn Landfill — Stinks Up the School; Parents and Residents Protest
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 … Action Alert! Touhey Gets A Boost Politicians Defy Voters