With a 2-foot wingspan and a habit of feeding in the air near the ground, common nighthawks are easy to spot. Dozens to hundreds of the birds are seen each evening before sunset during migration as they feed over the preserve. A New York State designated Species of Greatest Conservation Need, the common nighthawk is neither common (outside of migration) nor a hawk, and is experiencing declines throughout many parts of its breeding range including New York. We invite you to join us in the Discovery Center parking lot to count common nighthawks flying over the APBP as they continue on their over 6,000-mile southward migration.

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Consider purchasing a reusable bag to use on your trips to the grocery store. Plastic bags that are discarded just fill up landfills and can take up to 1,000 years to completely break down.

We have a nice selection of reuseable bags in the Discovery Center Gift Shop!

Giving your child a square meal to take to school with them is important, literally! Packing their lunch in a reusable lunchbox instead of a brown paper bag will save many trees each year. If you use plastic baggies to separate their snacks you can switch over to reusable plastic containers to be even more sustainable.

Start a compost heap with your family. It’s fun and easy. Just start the pile by gathering grass clippings and dry leaves from your lawn. Then you can add scraps from the kitchen that you would normally just throw away, like banana peels. In 6 – 12 months you’ll have the perfect fertilizer to either start, or add to an existing organic garden or flower bed.

Shop eco-friendly! Try to avoid buying cleaners that contain harsh chemicals that can harm the environment. When possible, look for products that are made of, or come in packaging made from recycled materials. Purchasing in an environmentally responsible manner will urge producers to offer even more products that help save resources and the environment.

Enjoy the outdoors! Spending time with nature is more resource friendly than going to the movies or mall. The exercise you’ll get from hiking a trail is an added bonus, too.  Your interest in nature is what keeps places like the Albany Pine Bush open and preserved.

VISIT

Don’t be a paper pusher. Keep it digital. Avoid printing out things that can just as easily be accessed on the computer.

Dreading the drive through rush hour? Bring a co-worker with you and endure it together! Carpooling saves on gas consumption, and one less car on the road means less harmful emissions in the air. 

It’s possible to be environmentally friendly and still get your jolt of caffeine in the morning. Buying coffee grown with a Fair Trade certification helps ensure that coffee farmers in developing countries are paid fairly for their work and hopefully won't have to resort to unscrupulous growing practices detrimental to the environment. You can also look into purchasing reusable coffee filters.

Don’t be afraid to be a borrower. Make use of your public library to get the books and movies you want. This will save on paper and ink use, plus save space in your home.

Today, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve includes 3,350 acres of protected land, managed by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. This achievement was made possible by contributions from many individuals, municipalities and agencies, including the City of Albany, the NYSOPRHP, the Towns of Colonie and Guilderland, the NYSDEC and The Nature Conservancy.

Not all land is of equal value to the preserve, and only land that falls within the boundaries of the Albany Pine Bush Study Area has the potential to be protected as part of the preserve. Within that study area, we prioritize land that has continually supported native pine barrens species. You can find more information about how we select land for preservation, the tools we use to protect and manage it, and our land protection goals in the Protection chapter of the Management Plan.

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve is a collection of land fragments. By protecting land and restoring plant communities, we connect smaller fragments to create larger ones. Larger areas of protected habitat give wildlife more space to move and live, and may result in more sustainable wildlife populations. You can help in this effort by making a donation to the Land Protection Campaign or possibly by donating your own land.

New York State has determined that open space is worth protecting and has made the Albany Pine Bush a priority. The New York State Open Space Conservation Plan identifies the Albany Pine Bush Preserve as a place of significance. The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission works with partners, neighbors, and legislators to protect land in a configuration that will allow for a sustainable interior pitch pine-scrub oak barrens.

At this level you will receive:

• Monthly Friends of the Pine Bush Community Newsletter
• 10% off in the Discovery Center Gift Shop
• and a Pine Bush bumper sticker.

Because of the benefits that you will receive, this fee is not tax deductible.

JOIN AT THIS LEVEL

At this level you will receive:

• Monthly Friends of the Pine Bush Community Newsletter
• 10% off in the Discovery Center Gift Shop
• Pine Bush bumper sticker
• and a Pine Bush patch.

Because of the benefits that you will receive, this fee is not tax deductible.

JOIN AT THIS LEVEL