Save the Pine Bush Volunteers Spread the Word
Save the Pine Bush Volunteers Spread the Word
Sometimes, school teachers or students will invite members of Save the Pine Bush to speak. We have had many adventures talking to students. Here is a sample. Ed.
SPB Visits Elementary School
Elementary school students at the D. H. Robbins Elementary School in St. Johnsville, New York invited Lynne Jackson, SPB Board Member, to speak to them about what it is like to be a "social activist." Lynne told the third through sixth graders about how SPB was formed and how we sue the city of Albany to stop development of the Pine Bush. Some of the students were so interested, they inquired about how to form a group like Save the Pine Bush and whether any endangered species live in St. Johnsville.
Art teacher Shelia Keen, and student Melissa Rider made the arrangements for Lynne to come to the school. Save the Pine Bush is always glad to provide speakers for school groups. To invite a speaker to your school or group, please email Lynne Jackson.
Pine Bush Goes to School
by Gregg Bell, May/June 92
In recent weeks Save The Pine Bush has made four educational presentations at area schools. Due to a combination of the increased outreach we have been doing and Earth Week, we have received and fulfilled more invitations to make presentations than ever in such a short time. They have been done with the assistance of beautiful slides professionally photographed by Doug Morse for us last year. Generally, the content of these talks has followed an outline of the glacial causes, the fire ecology, and the unique species of the Pine Bush, and the efforts to create and manage a preserve.
Gregg Bell presented three of these recent talks. The first of these was before the Environment Club of Columbia High School in East Greenbush on March 30. That organization has been working on the James Bay issue and has assisted the Hudson Valley Greenway. On April 29 Gregg gave talks to Ms. Gleason’s and Ms. Kearns’ fifth grade classes at Voorheesville Elementary School. These talks were part of an impressive full day of environmental education at the school under the direction of Principal Edward Diegel. Posters and displays made by the children addressing numerous global environmental problems lined the halls; and regular classes were replaced with special outside speakers. Included was a story teller, a representative from a local environmental center, representatives from the State Power Pool, a bird expert with live owls and a falcon, and others.
On April 21, Lynne Jackson gave a talk at Siena College which was sponsored by the environmental club there. Speaking to a small, but enthusiastic crowd, Lynne emphasized that it is possible to make significant changes to improve the environment. In other words, one can fight city hall, and win.
Now that the current group of talks is done, SPB is again ready to send speakers to other schools or civic organizations. If you would like a speaker, please please email Lynne Jackson.
Karner Blue in School
by Daniel W. Van Riper, Jul./Aug. 92
Once again SPB Board member and newsletter editor Lynne Jackson traveled to D.H. Robbins Elementary School in St. Johnsville at the express invitation of student Melissa Rider, this time to see her end of the year presentation and display on the Pine Bush and the Karner Blue Butterfly. Ms. Rider, age 9, takes a special interest in the fate of our blue butterfly, and her impressive display showed much concern about the tendency of developers and politicians to destroy the butterfly’s habitat.
She gave a presentation in the school auditorium to the parents and educators of St. Johnsville, in which she maintained that protection of endangered species and their habitats is essential to our own future and continued well being. Her material was serious and thoughtful, as well as delightful. As long as young people like Ms. Rider support efforts to preserve the Pine Bush, we can rest that our future legacy is assured.
