Natural treasures win recognition
National Natural Landmark designation opens up funding sources
I acted upon a National Park Service invitation to celebrate the Albany Pine Bush's designation of a National Natural Landmark. The Park Service dedicated the Bush for its remarkable inland Pleistocene dune field. My dear friend and travel companion on this trip was Bob Barnett of the West Jersey and South Jersey Heritage site:
Here Bob was in “deep” thought, looking for the Jersey Devil below the Shinglekill Falls about an hour south of Albany. Above the falls was the site of a c.1788 iron forge, where charcoal was added to purify the iron thus making it stronger for horseshoes and wagon-wheel parts.
Back to Albany...
Dedication and plaque unveiling at the Discovery Center, once a bank building.
The Center’s entranceway has been carefully restored from scarring by earlier dune removal.
It was also the 100th meeting of the Commission Board.
Opening ceremonies were mercifully short, and we got to spend the rest of the day in field with wonderful staff Albany Pine Bush Commission staff. Speeches were all about the Bush’s remarkable geology, and the incredible biodiversity these relict dunes supported.
First, its parabolic dunes are much larger, best characterized by Bob when he conceded to our hosts that we both experienced dune envy!
View from a crest of a relict parabolic dune arm.
View between dune arms of relict parabolic dunes
Second, Albany dune sands are fine grained and appear highly weathered, which to me seemed in contrast with the coarse, less worn sands that I had seen at other pine barrens environments in the Northeast like the ones listed earlier:
Albany’s sand is fine-grained and dusty yellow-brown, a good grain size for big dune formation.
The Commission staff is doing great work. This post is for my friends of the Pleistocene!
S-M
National Natural Landmark designation opens up funding sources
By Brian Nearing, Published 7:36 pm, Thursday, September 18, 2014
The nation now knows what Capital Region residents have known for years — Albany Pine Bush, with its massive sand dunes and scrub pines — is one of the country's unique natural areas.
On Thursday, the newest National Natural Landmark was formally unveiled with a new plaque at Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center. There are now 597 such sites across the country designated by the U.S. Interior Department, with Pine Bush becoming the 28th such site in New York state...
On Thursday, the newest National Natural Landmark was formally unveiled with a new plaque at Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center. There are now 597 such sites across the country designated by the U.S. Interior Department, with Pine Bush becoming the 28th such site in New York state...
I acted upon a National Park Service invitation to celebrate the Albany Pine Bush's designation of a National Natural Landmark. The Park Service dedicated the Bush for its remarkable inland Pleistocene dune field. My dear friend and travel companion on this trip was Bob Barnett of the West Jersey and South Jersey Heritage site:
Back to Albany...
Dedication and plaque unveiling at the Discovery Center, once a bank building.
The Center’s entranceway has been carefully restored from scarring by earlier dune removal.
It was also the 100th meeting of the Commission Board.
Opening ceremonies were mercifully short, and we got to spend the rest of the day in field with wonderful staff Albany Pine Bush Commission staff. Speeches were all about the Bush’s remarkable geology, and the incredible biodiversity these relict dunes supported.
First, its parabolic dunes are much larger, best characterized by Bob when he conceded to our hosts that we both experienced dune envy!
View from a crest of a relict parabolic dune arm.
View between dune arms of relict parabolic dunes
Second, Albany dune sands are fine grained and appear highly weathered, which to me seemed in contrast with the coarse, less worn sands that I had seen at other pine barrens environments in the Northeast like the ones listed earlier:
Albany’s sand is fine-grained and dusty yellow-brown, a good grain size for big dune formation.
The Commission staff is doing great work. This post is for my friends of the Pleistocene!
S-M
Last edited:
