Albany Pine Bush

For other uses, see Pine Bush (disambiguation).
Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Pines in the preserve
Map showing the location of Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Map showing the location of Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Location of the Albany Pine Bush
in the U.S. state of New York
Map showing the location of Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Map showing the location of Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Albany Pine Bush (the United States)
LocationAlbany, Capital District, New York, United States
Coordinates42°43′6″N 73°51′52″W / 42.71833°N 73.86444°W / 42.71833; -73.86444
Area5 sq mi (13 km2)
Elevation320 ft (98 m)
Established1988[1]
Named forDominance of landscape by
pines and shrub oak
OperatorNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation
WebsiteAlbany Pine Bush Preserve Commission

The Albany Pine Bush, referred to locally as the Pine Bush, is one of the largest inland pine barrens in the world.[2] It is centrally located in New York's Capital District within Albany and Schenectady counties, between the cities of Albany and Schenectady.[2][3] The Albany Pine Bush was formed thousands of years ago, following the drainage of Glacial Lake Albany.[4][5]

The Albany Pine Bush is the sole remaining undeveloped portion of a pine barrens that once covered over 40 square miles (100 km2), [6] and is "one of the best and last remaining examples of an inland pine barrens ecosystem on Earth."[7] By 2008 it included 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.[6][8] The 135-acre (55 ha) Woodlawn Preserve and surrounding areas in Schenectady County are the western sections of the Pine Bush, separated geographically by other properties from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve in Albany County.[9]

Historically regarded by European settlers as desolate and dangerous to cross, the Pine Bush has come to be seen as a historical, cultural, and environmental asset to the Capital District and Hudson Valley regions of New York. It is home to the Karner blue butterfly, an endangered species first identified by author Vladimir Nabokov in 1944 using a type specimen from the Pine Bush.[10] In 2014, Albany Pine Bush was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.[11]

  1. ^ "Albany Pine Bush BCA Management Guidance Summary". NYSDEC. Archived from the original on 2010-12-28. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  2. ^ a b "The Albany Pine Bush - Learn". Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. Archived from the original on 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  3. ^ "2017 Management Plan Update for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve" (PDF). Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. 2010-03-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  4. ^ Burger 2006, pp. 29–30
  5. ^ "Origins of the Albany Pine Bush". Albany, NY: Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  6. ^ a b "Significant Habitats and Habitat Complexes of the New York Bight Watershed: Albany Pine Bush, Complex #30". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Southern New England – New York Bight Coastal Ecosystems Program. US Fish and Wildlife Service Conservation Library. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  7. ^ "The Albany Pine Bush - Learn". Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. Archived from the original on 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  8. ^ "Governor Announces Milestone in Protection of Albany Pine Bush Preserve". NYSDEC. March 2005. Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  9. ^ Nearing, Brian (2010-03-29). "A Bigger Pine Bush Called Better". Times Union. Hearst Corporation. Archived from the original on 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  10. ^ Burger 2006, pp. 58–59
  11. ^ "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-15. Year designated: 2014