Albany Pine Bush Trails Today vs. Historical Sand Roads
Many of the current Albany Pine Bush Preserve trails (shown in orange) follow historical sand roads in the Pine Bush as seen on this 1947 topographic map.
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Many of the current Albany Pine Bush Preserve trails (shown in orange) follow historical sand roads in the Pine Bush as seen on this 1947 topographic map.
Counties: Albany to Delaware / Dutchess to Livingston / Madison to Otsego / Putnam to Suffolk / Sullivan to Yates
Browse Topographic Maps: Full State / Historical USGS Topographic Maps
A lonely pitch pine in a field of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve that as little as a decade ago had been stripped down to bare sand.
Taken on Saturday October 19, 2019 at Albany Pine Bush.Walking around the Albany Pine Bush Preserve with the crowds of people and children, the roar of the traffic, and dark gray skies I have to wonder what I’m fighting for with so much wild, open country not all that far away, often with public lands totaling thousands of not tens of thousands of acres of contiguous acres.
But public lands close to home are important. The Pine Bush is a unique ecosystem that is critically endangered. Walk around it, especially late at night once the crowds have left and you will understand why it is special. It’s not the traffic noise or the crowds but the coyote and the deer, the mystical trees swaying above, the fields of lupine and Karner Blue when visited the right time of the year.
Now it’s unlikely in our lifetimes that the Albany Pine Bush Preserve will become the wilderness it once was before the train, streetcar and later the automobile, it sure is nice to preserve and fight for what is remaining. It’s something that I can fight for close to home, something that shows citizens like myself can make a difference in my own community.
While I love the mountains and the small town, like so many of us I must live in the city to make money and survive for now. The Pine Bush is a battle in my own backyard, a fight worth fighting for all those who can’t escape to distant wilderness or need a wild space close to home that protects several important endangered species.
DELMAR, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Touhey Family Preserve opened on Monday, offering an easy 1-mile loop through forest habitat with scenic views of the Phillipin Kill river and the neighboring Phillipin Kill Preserve.
“You don’t have to be a resident of Bethlehem or Delmar or Slingerlands to enjoy this lovely piece of land. We can be a part of a little bit of evening out the scales of environmental justice and enabling people to enjoy this land,” says Charles Touhey. “We are very happy today to dedicate and to consecrate this wonderful piece of land for the benefit of everyone to use.”
I often walk past that property to when I hike out to Five Rivers. I will have to explore it now that the trails are open. Charlie Toughie may be a scumb bag developer who spent many years developing the Pine Bush but at least he's letting people hike on his lands now across from the Delmar Vetrianians office.
One of my favorite times to hike in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve is after the sun has set. Lots of open canopy and enough light pollution it’s rarely dark enough to need a flashlight. Decent views of the stars at night, no roots to trip on. The sand feels nice to walk on and woods is full of sounds.
A few years back, People of Albany United for Safe Energy (PAUSE) was created to fight oil trains in Downtown Albany. The concern was the large number of highly volatile oil tanker trains that were parked in Downtown Albany for transfer to ships and pipelines heading down to refineries in New Jersey and New Brunswick.
In more recent years they’ve gotten into the zero waste advocacy – actually as a contactor for the city of Albany to comply with their state mandated landfill permit that calls for the city to have a recycling coordinator position that promotes recycling education throughout the member communities.
While this city grant may help with their advocacy efforts it does make their group tied to the city for funding. Criticize the city’s recycling efforts and their group may be without a city grant.
Save the Pine Bush has never taken city funding. They are fully not for profit and independent, free to criticize and fight any development in the Pine Bush.
In contrast, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, a state operated and largely state funded corporation, is able to focus on education and managing the land while being subject to all the political concerns such a corporation faces.