ALBANY, NY: The Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department decided against the Karner Blue Butterfly and for more construction in the Pine Bush. Save the Pine Bush had brought suit against the City of Albany Planning Board over its approval of an upscale senior housing facility proposed by the Roman Catholic Dioceses behind the … The Karner Blue Loses Another Battle
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
Want to grow your own native Pine Bush species? The Glacial Lake Albany Native Plant Restoration Project now encourages the planting of native species in places that, before development, were Pine Bush. These native plants grow well in the sandy soil. And, by using native plants, residents can avoid planting non-native species. These non-native, or … 9
ALBANY: The City of Albany has a serious problem: where to throw the garbage. If the City follows the law, and does the right thing, they will not be able to expand the current landfill in the Pine Bush. City officials all seem to want to do the right thing, except when it comes to … What to do with the Garbage
Albany: At the July Save the Pine Bush dinner, the Honorable John McEneny, Democratic Assemblyman for the 104th District, opened his speech by noting the last time he had spoken at a Save the Pine Bush dinner was a happy occasion to honor SPB member John Wolcott with an resolution from the NYS Assembly for … Assemblyman John McEneny Speaks about the Landfill
by Richard Clark We in Albany County don’t know what to do about the disposal of solid waste. Mayor Gerald Jennings would rather not expand the Rapp Road landfill on land dedicated to the Pine Bush Preserve Commission, but he desperately needs the money and the jobs that landfill generates. He argues that time is … A Plan for Planning
by Emily Corcione I recently drove past the SEFCU building off of Route 155, and immediately thought the Pine Bush was under attack by developers once again. Ostensibly, the felled trees and bare sand, which have so often preceded the disappearance of precious pine barrens land, seemed like one more residential or business invasion of … Clear-cutting
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 … Love Of Money The Root Of All…?
GUILDERLAND: The largest roadless area in the Pine Bush is under attack again. The proposed Woodsfield Estates would be built on 106 acres of Pine Bush along the Hungerkill. The developers propose 46 houses to be built on 26 acres of this parcel. The Planning Board of the Town of Guilderland is the Lead Agency … Woodsfield Estate – Proposal is Back!
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
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 … Willow Street Again
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 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
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Neil Gifford, conservation director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, spoke at the Save the Pine Bush Earth Day dinner on April 22. He brought good news. Neil began by describing “young forest management.” Young forests are dominated by shrubs and saplings, and are often found where old farm … Neil Gifford Brings Good News
By Stephen Williams Reporters who devote more than a semicolon and three dashes to environmental coverage find their inboxes full on Earth Day. The delete button and recycling bin are wonderful things, but a few items seem worth passing on. First, the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is creating new Karner … Karner blue to get habitat in Saratoga Spa State Park
ALBANY: In August, the Capital District Transportation Authority announced that bus service has begun between downtown Albany and the Pine Bush. Everyone should get on the bus to visit the Discovery Center. The bus only runs on Saturdays. To take the bus from downtown Albany to the Discovery Center on a Saturday, get on … Hey, Everyone! Time to Get on the Bus!
by Dina Cappiello The Albany Pine Bush Preserve just can’t seem to get a break with the weather. In the last seven years, drought or wet weather has limited managers of the inland pine barrens to burning a total of 288 acres, a fraction of the 200 acres each year they are supposed to set … Too Little Burning Done
By Grace Nichols November 2010 was notable in that folks in the community kept contacting us about the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. First it was the neighbors over on Lincoln Ave, wondering why the “forever wild” patch next door was being clearcut, as a new road was being put in connecting Lincoln Ave and Fox … What’s afoot at the Preserve?!
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 Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: The First Presbyterian Church was the location of the April Save the Pine Bush vegetarian dinner which featured representatives of five environmental groups telling us about the state of the environment. Bobbi Chase, of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CEC), gave us an update about toxics. The state superfund … Earth Day Update
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
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
Spadefoot Toads and Hognose Snakes – Neil Gifford Has Great Pictures Spadefoot Toads and Hognose Snakes Neil Gifford Has Great Pictures by Lynne Jackson At Save the Pine Bush’s October dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Albany, Neil Gifford, Preserve Ecologist of the Albany Pine Bush Management Commission, gave an excellent presentation with … Spadefoot Toads and Hognose Snakes – Neil Gifford Has Great Pictures
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 … A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturne
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
As ticks latch onto kids — not to mention their parents and pets — in big numbers this year, at least one middle school has decided there’s a little too much nature out there. But the bloodsucking creatures haven’t otherwise put too big a damper on spring field trips, despite a marked rise in their … Tiny threat looms large this spring
by DINA CAPPIELLO, Staff writer They are the trees that have survived it all — the bouts of disease, the axes of loggers, the lightning storms that uproot a forest like a gardener’s hand pulls weeds. Most would be older than your great-great-great-great grandfather, if he were still alive. But until this Saturday, there was … COUNTING FORESTS’ SENIOR CITIZENS
Common Council Approves an Office Complex at 365 Washington Avenue Extension Common Council Approves an Office Complex at 365 Washington Avenue Extension Council Member Carol Wallace Makes Eloquent Plea for the Pine Bush Preservation Albany, NY – The Common Council approved a re-zoning for office buildings at 365 Washington Extension by a vote of 10 … Common Council Approves an Office Complex at 365 Washington Avenue Extension
ALBANY – On a warm, moonlit night in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, a group of biologists listened at the foot of a grassy dune for the lilting, three-note song of a once-common nightbird that has now become rare. “We were pretty excited to hear the whippoorwill here again,” said Neil Gifford, conservation director of … Surveys seek to define status of night birds
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Don Rittner was the guest speaker at the June 20 SPB dinner. Don was introduced by John Wolcott who said Don took Albany by storm in 1973 with his archaeological research of the Isaac Truax Tavern on the King’s Highway that George Washington stopped in six times. He said Don … The Way We Were
Public Hearings-Let Your Voice Be Heard! Public Hearings-Let Your Voice Be Heard! Jan./Feb. 91 Tuesday, January 22, 7:30 p.m.-Meeting of the Town Board of Guilderland An area of the Pine Bush has been proposed to be re-zoned to R-40, one house per acre in a clustered development. If this land cannot be purchased for preserve … Public Hearings-Let Your Voice Be Heard!
ALBANY: First proposed in the fall of 2003, this “Residence Inn” proposal for the Albany Pine Bush is back. The developer has written a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The public may now comment on this proposal and the DEIS at the hearing scheduled for Monday, April 18 at 7:00 at Albany City Hall, Eagle … Residence Inn Hotel – Proposal is Back!
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Citizens asserted their right to speak to elected officials at a meeting of the Albany Common Council’s General Services, Health and Environment Committee on December 1. Only one item was on the agenda: to consider the resolution offered by the Honorable Dominick Calsolaro to dedicate the Fox Run Estate Mobile Home … Common Council votes to Suppress Public Comment
by Steve Downs On September 1, 1976, a new law, the State Environmental Quality Review Act, SEQRA, came into effect which required comprehensive environmental planning at the beginning of every environmentally significant project – the problem was that nobody was sure just how the new law worked. Just two years later the first published law … A Tribute To Lew Oliver
ALBANY, NY — Members of Save the Pine Bush, Sierra Club, and residents of Avila, retirement community, support the resolution being introduced by the Honorable Dominick Calsolaro to dedicate the Fox Run Estate Mobile Home Park to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. The City of Albany was required to dedicate this land to the Preserve … Press Conference, Monday, November 21, 2005 6:30 PM
Published on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 – 17:34 in the Altamont Enterprise Lynne Jackson of Save the Pine Bush speaks at a press conference announcing a Nov. 20 court decision to halt Pyramid’s plans to build a Costco and 222 residential units near Crossgates Mall in Guilderland. GUILDERLAND — A week after a judge in Albany … Second lawsuit filed over Guilderland Planning Board’s approval of Pyramid project
By Sally Cummings Sally has researched how many things that are thrown into the trash, that end up in the landfill, can actually be sold and recycled into useful products. Here’s 10 quick tips for reusing coffee grounds, March/April, 2012 Sally’s Recycling Corner –Where Can I Find a Trustworthy E-cycler? July/August, 2011 Sally’s Recycling Corner … Sally’s Recycling Corner
WHEREAS: Rezsin Adams was born on February 13, 1927, and grew up in the Bronx; and WHEREAS: Rezsin is an unassuming hero, a woman of small stature who always has a smile on her face. However, she has been at the heart of Albany’s peace and justice movement for decades and was dubbed the “Grande … Proclamation — Monday, February 13, 2017 to be: “Rezsin Adams Day”
Please RSVP to Mark Platt at 462-4062 or email mplaat1@nycap.rr.com Located just south of Pinehurst Boulevard, 40 Karner Road is a key parcel that links Karner Meadows and Pine Valley portions of the preserve. It also protects the headwaters of the Kiakout Kill and provides a scenic buffer along New Karner Road. 40 Karner Road … 40 Karner Road Clean Up Saturday April 16 at 9 AM
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 … Letter-Writing Made a Difference Your Letters Needed to Help the Karner Blue Butterfly
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 … Butterflies-Not Bulldozers: Keeping the Karner Blue in Clifton Park
What is the Pine Bush? The Pine Bush is the only sizable inland pine barrens sand dunes in the United States, and is recognized world&endash;wide as a unique pine barrens ecosystem. It contains over 300 species of vertebrate animals, over 1,500 species of plants, and over 10,000 species of insects and other invertebrate animals. Many … Virtual Exhibit
2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 2025 🦋 2024 🦋 2023 🦋 2022 🦋 2021 🦋 2020 2025 Newsletters 🦋 News Articles from April/May 2025 Newsletter Is there hope for the Endangered Karner Blue? – April/May 2025 Newsletter Pyramid turns down IDA tax break for Costco – April/May 2025 Newsletter Proposed … SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2020s
Dear All, The proposed apartment complex on Rapp Road in Guilderland is back. Pyramid sold the 19 acre parcel to a local developer. This new developer has proposed some modifications to the project. The new name for the project is Apex at Crossgates. The area where the proposed apartment complex is to be built is … Fighting the Crossgates Expansion
Search Newsletter Archives: What is Full Protection, Partial Protection and who is the Pine Bush? – By Lynne Jackson – June / July 2022 Newsletter A Tribute To Lew Oliver, our wonderful lawyer Is there hope for the Endangered Karner Blue? – April/May 2025 Newsletter The Pine Bush’s Most Famous Resident – The Karner Blue … Newsletters Articles Ordered by Subject
The Politics of Hunting – Ward Stone Mothers a Bear The Politics of Hunting Ward Stone Mothers a Bear by Daniel W. Van Riper Officials in the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation are mainly concerned with promoting the sport of hunting, and give little thought to wildlife management. The only wildlife management policy is … The Politics of Hunting – Ward Stone Mothers a Bear
ALBANY: Worried about the tax base? Concerned that the City will lose money if we don’t get a hotel in the Pine Bush? Don’t worry, the hotel is eligible for a property tax deduction!!! 485b is a state tax incentive program — a program that promotes sprawl. To be eligible, any business “involved in the … Hotel Eligible for Tax Incentive
Scoping Session and Public Comment for Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Wednesday February 21, 2007 at 7:00 pm Location: Polish Community Center 255 Washington Avenue Extension located at the corner of Rapp Road and Washington Avenue Extension in the City of Albany This hearing is the only opportunity for the public to comment in person about … DEC Hearing on Proposed Expansion of the Rapp Road Landfill