Albany Pine Bush

The Albany Pine Bush, referred to locally as the Pine Bush, is one of the largest of the 20 inland pine barrens in the world, and is centrally located in New York’s Capital District within Albany and Schenectady counties, between the cities of Albany and Schenectady. The Albany Pine Bush was formed thousands of years ago, following the drainage of Glacial Lake Albany.

The Albany Pine Bush is the sole remaining undeveloped portion of a pine barrens that once covered over 40 square miles (100 km2), and is “one of the best remaining examples of an inland pine barrens ecosystem in the world.” Today it includes all parcels of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve (a state nature preserve spanning 3,200 acres (1,300 ha)), the properties that connect these protected parcels, and some of the surrounding areas that abut the preserve. The 135-acre (55 ha) Woodlawn Preserve and surrounding areas in Schenectady County are the western sections of the Pine Bush and are separated from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve in Albany County.

The Pine Bush has been a historical, cultural, and environmental asset to the Capital District and Hudson Valley regions of New York. Pioneers moving west passed through the pine barrens, which later became the site of the first passenger railroad in the United States. The Pine Bush is also home to the Karner Blue butterfly, an endangered species first identified by Vladimir Nabokov in 1944 using a type specimen from the Pine Bush.

Stop Overdevelopment of Rapp Road by Pyramid

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Fundraiser by Save The Pine Bush : Stop Overdevelopment of Rapp Road by Pyramid

We need your help to Save The Pine Bush, Protect the Rapp Road Historic District, and the nearby Neighborhoods of Guilderland and Albany from intense development by the Pyramid Companies that own Crossgates Mall.

The Town of Guilderland has changed zoning laws which allow the Pyramid Companies (the owners of Crossgates Mall) to intensely develop on Rapp Road and the Mall Ring Road.

Pyramid has already built one large hotel and is now seeking approval to build in total 360 apartments, 278,900 sq ft of commercial space, and 50,000 sq ft of office space on Rapp Road and the Mall Ring Road.

The first phase of this new development is to build two 5-story apartment buildings and three 2-story townhouse buildings with a total of 222 units and 405 parking spaces on nearly 20 acres of land on Rapp Road which is currently designated as partially protected for the Albany Pine Bush.

There is also another proposal to build a Costco Wholesale big box store with 700 parking spaces and a gas station on another approximately 17 acre parcel south of the apartment complex on Rapp Road between Western Avenue and the Mall Ring Road.

The 20 acres of land to be developed for apartments is directly adjacent to a fully protected wildlife corridor and development of it could further endanger habitat of the federally protected Karner Blue Butterfly and 79 Species of Greatest Conservation Need that have been observed in the Albany Pine Bush. (In the video we say 45 species, but since creating the video we have learned that 79 species have been observed. We currently do not know how many of these species can be found on the properties to be developed.)

I just donated $100. Why? The Rapp Road parcel is key to the butterfly corridor and ensuring a healthy Pine Bush ecosystem. Building the apartment complex would infringe on the butterfly corridor putting the whole Pine Bush ecosystem at risk. Funding will help Save the Pine Bush hire experts to make the case against developing this key portion of the Pine Bush.