News
May 26, 2016Albany Pine Bush Announces New National Status in time for Memorial Day Weekend
Earlier this spring, the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area officially designated the Albany Pine Bush as a Heritage Site. The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission celebrated the high honor by unveiling a new National Park Service Passport Cancellation Station in the Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center, just in time for visitors over Memorial Day weekend. The Pine Bush now joins the ranks of prestigious Passport Cancellation Station sites in New York including the Statue of Liberty and FDR’s home in Hyde Park.
The Albany Pine Bush was selected because of its unique combination of outstanding ecological (pitch pine – scrub oak barrens) features and its rich human history which starts with Native Americans who settled in this area almost 10,000 years ago.
The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area was designated by Congress in 1996 and is one of the now forty-nine federally-recognized National Heritage Areas throughout the United States. Through a partnership with the National Park Service, Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area collaborates with residents, government agencies, non-profit groups and private partners to interpret, preserve and celebrate the nationally-significant cultural and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley. In this way, they encourage public stewardship for these resources as well as economic activity at the local and regional level. The Heritage Area is managed by the Hudson River Valley Greenway.
To improve awareness of these resources, they have established a network of designated Heritage Sites, classified by theme and amenities. This network helps to better interpret the individual sites and also helps to better interpret the “big picture” story of the entire region and how those individual sites have worked together to shape our national history.
The National Park Service Passports and new Cancellation Station will be located in the Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center Gift Shop located at 195 New Karner Road in Albany.
