Albany Pine Bush
The Albany Pine Bush, referred to locally as the Pine Bush, is one of the largest inland pine barrens in the world. It 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.
| Albany Pine Bush Preserve | |
|---|---|
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area) | |
Pines in the preserve | |
Location of the Albany Pine Bush in the U.S. state of New York Albany Pine Bush (the United States) | |
| Location | Albany, Capital District, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°43′6″N 73°51′52″W |
| Area | 5 sq mi (13 km2) |
| Elevation | 320 ft (98 m) |
| Established | 1988 |
| Named for | Dominance of landscape by pines and shrub oak |
| Operator | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |
| Website | Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission |
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 and last remaining examples of an inland pine barrens ecosystem on Earth." 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. 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.
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. In 2014, Albany Pine Bush was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.