2020 Pine Bush Perspectives Exhibit WalkAlbany, NY – The 2020 Pine Bush Perspectives juried photo exhibit is currently on display along the outdoor StoryWalk® path behind the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center located at 195 New Karner Road in Albany. “A StoryWalk® is usually a children's book that is deconstructed and the pages are laminated. The pages of the book are then posted along a trail so that people read the story as they are walking along the trail,” explained Jackie Citriniti, Lead Educator and show designer. “We’re using it a little differently this winter”, she continued. “Previous Pine Bush Perspectives exhibits have been inside the Discovery Center, but due to limited hours and capacity we decided to move the exhibit outside and online.”

Each visitor views the Albany Pine Bush Preserve from a unique vantage point worthy of celebrating and sharing. The jurors, Denise Hackert-Stoner and Scott Stoner, selected photographs that represent a diversity of content and vision.  This collection of photographs gives a unique perspective of the globally-rare inland pine barrens. The public is also given the chance to view the exhibit online and vote for their favorite photo at www.AlbanyPineBush.org/photo-exhibit.

The exhibit will be open through March 1, 2021 and is sponsored by the Friends of the Pine Bush Community. Friends’ treasurer Richard Naylor said, “The Friends are pleased to celebrate and recognize all of the photographers who captured so many exceptional perspectives of the Albany Pine Bush. We hope the images exhibited will inspire others to go afield with their camera and experience something new."

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE ALBANY PINE BUSH:

The 3,350+ - acre Albany Pine Bush Preserve (APBP), located in New York’s Capital District, protects one of the best remaining inland pitch-pine scrub oak barrens in the world. This extraordinary fire-dependent ecosystem provides habitat for many plants and animals, which includes more than 20 percent of the New York State-designated wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need, such as the endangered Karner blue butterfly. The APBP is a National Natural Landmark, Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Site, a New York State Unique Area and Bird Conservation Area, and a National Audubon Society Important Bird Area. Characterized by rolling sand dunes and over 20 miles of trails, the APBP offers visitors many recreational opportunities including hiking, bird watching, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, mountain biking, hunting, fishing and canoeing. The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is a public-private partnership created by the NYS Legislature in 1988 to protect and manage the APBP and provide the public with educational and recreational opportunities. The Management Plan for the APBP guides all aspects of  expanding and managing the preserve.  The Commission’s goal is a preserve of 5,380 acres.

As the gateway to the Pine Bush, the Discovery Center at 195 New Karner Road, Albany, is a “green” certified interpretive center where visitors come to understand why the Pine Bush is rare and special. A visit to this unique destination is an exciting exploration where learning comes naturally through interactive exhibits, an outdoor Discovery Trail, and numerous programs on the ecology, natural history, cultural history and management of the Pine Bush. The Discovery Center is open with limited hours and capacity. For more information, visit www.AlbanyPineBush.org or call 518-456-0655.

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