Save the Pine Bush has a traveling exhibit. We
bring it to fairs, schools, and especially every year to the
Albany Tulipfest, held on Saturaday and Sunday of Mother's Day
weekend in May. If you don't have a chance to visit our exhibit
in person, we have put the pictures and captions in our exhibit
on the web for your enjoyment.
The photographs linked to this page are spectacular,
and, are quite large (between 60K and 140K). Click on the thumbnails
below to see larger versions of the pictures. Please be patient
as they download.
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
of them are rare and restricted to the Pine Bush habitat. Its
most famous occupant, the Karner Blue Butterfly, is on the Federal
and State's endangered species list.
Photograph of classic Pine Bush (97K)
Where is the Pine Bush?
The Pine Bush is located in the Capital District,
between Albany and Schenectady. The boundaries are Fuller Road
on the east, Route 5 (Central Avenue) on the North, Route 146
on the west, and Route 20 (Western Avenue) on the South. The
Pine Bush is located in three municipalities-Albany, Guilderland
and Colonie. The Pine Bush originally encompassed 58,000 acres
and extended from downtown Albany all the way to Rotterdam.
Now, there are only 5,800 acres remaining.
Map showing original and current
extent of the Pine Bush (151K)
What makes the Pine Bush famous?
The Pine Bush has played an important historical
role in the development of Albany and Schenectady and is enshrined
in the literary heritage of the United States. The Song of Hiawatha
by William Wadsworth Longfellow is sung by the Indian brave
from the Vale of Tawasentha located in the Pine Bush. George
Washington wrote of the Pine Bush in his diaries while traveling
in upstate New York during the Revolutionary War. In Moby Dick,
Herman Melville describes the dark beauty of the Pine Bush in
a long account of a stage coach ride from Albany to Schenectady.
Vladimir Nabokov and other writers have written about the mystery
and beauty of the Pine Bush.
Native American artifacts abound in the Pine Bush
at many sites. Over the years, many have been found, including
this stone wood scraper used for hollowing out wood for such
things as dug-out canoes. However, little or no excavation or
reasearch has been done on these sites. This artifact was found
by John Wolcott in Guilderland.
Stone wood scraper (46K)
Why is the Pine Bush in danger?
The Pine Bush is located in the geographic center
of the Capital District and is subject to great development
pressures. Developers are making new proposals every day to
construct houses and office buildings which would destroy the
Pine Bush.
A local developer wants to destroy this 12-acre
parcel in the Pine Bush. So far, Save the Pine Bush has sucessfully
prevented this proposed development since 1988. The fight over
this piece of land is still continuing.
A local developer wants to destroy this piece
of land.
The first picture is classic, but somewhat overgrown
Pine Bush. The next picture is the Pyamid Crossgates Maul, which
not to long ago, looked like the picture on the left.
Before "development"
(78K) and
after "development" (45K)
The Pine Bush Survives
Thanks to local citizen activism, enough Pine
Bush survives for everyone to enjoy.
Pine Bush in the mist (41K)
The Pine Bush must burn to
survive (89K)
The Pine Bush at
sunset
A local developer wants to destroy this piece
of land.