Conservation and the Environment

The M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives created the Environmental History Documentation Project with the support of the New York State Archives' Documentary History Project in an effort to add to the historical record of environmental activism in New York State. The Environmental History Documentation Project's objectives include: identifying groups and individuals active in environmental affairs in New York State; surveying groups and individuals who hold records that document any aspect of the history and activity of the environmental movement in New York State; and assisting groups and individuals in making arrangements to deposit these records in an appropriate archival repository, so that these records are made available and accessible. This growing collection of archival materials is housed in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, which is located in the University Libraries' Science Library. Opened in 1999, the archival repository includes climate-controlled storage for more than 25,000 cubic feet of records.

For reference queries contact Grenander Department Reference staff or (518) 437–3931

ALBANY COUNTY CIVIC CENTER
Collection, 1976, 1984–1986, 1988, .75 cubic ft. (APAP-004)
Reports and other records pertaining to the environmental impact of the construction of the Albany County Civic Center (the Knickerbocker Arena, now the Pepsi Arena), a multi–purpose sports, entertainment, and convention center that opened in downtown Albany, New York in 1989.

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTER
Records, 1959–1984, 5 ft. (UA–450)
Includes annual reports, 1970–83; programs of the center, 1970–84; and publications, 1961–84. A SUNY research center, the Atmospheric Science Research Center was established in 1960 and located on the University at Albany campus. Its mission was to foster basic and applied research related to atmospheric phenomena and their environmental consequences. The Center has concentrated on study cloud physics, atmospheric electricity, solar and alternate sources of energy, air pollution, aerobiology, and Antarctic meteorology.

ATLANTIC STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION
Records, 1974–2009, 120 cubic ft. (APAP-311)
Founded in 1982 with headquarters in Syracuse, New York, the Atlantic States Legal Foundation provides affordable legal, technical, and organizational assistance to individuals, community groups, and non-governmental organizations seeking to remediate threats to the natural environment. In the 1990s, the organization was the leading non-governmental organization for both utilizing the citizen suit provision of the Clean Water Act as a means of forcing polluters to cease desecration of America’s waterways and forcing industries to disclose the extent and volume of toxic materials stored at individual facilities. The collection consists of correspondence, subject and case files, court case files, compliance monitoring reports and data, environmental notice bulletins, studies and research reports, and building plans.

AUDUBON NEW YORK
Records, 1995-2002, .4 cubic ft. (APAP–147)
Audubon New York is the state program of the National Audubon Society and formerly National Audubon Society of New York State. In 2002, a small amount of Publications, flyers, and other published material was given to the Department of Special Collections and Archives, but no agreement has been made with the organization and the Department is not currently the official repository of the organization's records.

BETHLEHEM WORK ON WASTE
Records, 1989–1996, 1.99 cubic ft. (APAP–148)
Bethlehem Work on Waste was a grassroots organization active from 1989–1995. Citizens came together to fight Browning Ferris Industries' (BFI) attempts to open an incinerator in the community. The group also helped to defeat the Energy Answers Corporation plant. Other issues included the Formaldehyde Project, recycling, and BFI in Green Island. Actions included educational forums, demonstration projects, and promoting ideas for alternatives. At one time had a mailing list of just under 2,000 people. Records include: BFI Bethlehem proposal information and news clippings, Answers landfill proposal (Bethlehem and Coeymans), information on solid waste and solid waste laws, correspondence, Energy Answers public relations and news clippings, meeting notes, information on paint recycling, "scoping" folder of DEC documents, and the school informational packet the group developed. There are also two small notebooks of meeting notes, VHS tapes of town meetings and news clips, and a printout with bibliographies, correspondence, and other documents.

BLANDY, TOM
Papers, 1990-1999, 2 cubic ft. (APAP–133)
Tom Blandy has been involved with a number of local and regional environmental groups including the Rensselaer County Greens, Save the Pine Bush, and Concerned Citizens for the Environment (CCE). During the late 1990's, CCE was primarily concerned with the Green Island Solid Waste Incinerator proposed by the American Ref-Fuel Company. The opposition campaign culminated in the court case Concerned Citizens for the Environment vs. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation & American Ref-Fuel Company. These papers document the political and legal opposition of the group Concerned Citizens for the Environment against the proposed Green Island Solid Waste Incinerator. They consist of court records, correspondence, documentary evidence, publications, news clippings, and other materials directly or indirectly relating to this opposition.

CAMPUS ACTION
Records, 1992–2006, 2.29 cubic ft. and 68 mb of electronic records (APAP–164)
Campus Action was formed in April 1992 as a multicultural, multi-issue organization with a mission to promote activism and support activist organizations on university campuses in New York’s Capital Region. It maintained eight chapters representing individual campuses as well as a central office at the Social Justice Center in Albany. The records of Campus Action contain materials collected and generated by the organization including both paper documents and electronic records. These materials include minutes, correspondence, publications, grant applications, webpages, fliers, leaflets and other handouts. The collection holds material from the Campus Action central office and does not contain material specific to the individual chapters of Campus Action. Campus Action created a number of publications for campus distribution. These include the newsletter Campus Action News, two study guides, and directories of local activist organizations and internships. These are all represented in the collection, along with materials from the biannual conferences held to help organize activism, primarily as paper documents with some additional later material in electronic form. The case of Ali Yaghi, an Albany resident and owner of a pizza shop who was arrested just days after 9/11, is also documented in the collection.

CASATELLI, JEANNE
Papers, 1966-2002, 2.6 cubic ft. (APAP-150)
Jeanne Casatelli is a native of East Greenbush, New York, who has fought sprawl in her hometown for more than twenty years. She is a founding member of East Greenbush's Community Action Network (CAN). The papers document Casatelli's interest in issue-based grassroots organizations in the late 1990s and early 2000s through her involvement in Community Action Network. CAN opposed the widening of U.S. Route 9 and 20 in East Greenbush through a vigorous campaign of public education and political action. The papers provide near-complete documentation of this campaign, including letters, e-mail, press releases, position papers, contact lists, and notes. Information on another organization of which Casatelli was a member, Citizens for Riverfront Action (CRA), is limited to CRA's involvement in coordinating Scenic Hudson's Great River Sweep in the community of Rensselaer.

CITIZENS' ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION
Records, 1973-2005, 44.25 cubic ft. and 6 videotapes (APAP-197)
The Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) consists of 110 community and environmental groups and over 14,000 individuals in New York. CEC is active in local, state, and national environmental issues. CEC’s primary purposes are to fight pollution in New York State, build a healthier environment, and to encourage, educate, and organize local citizens with similar goals. It supports democratic, grassroots activities, helps build coalitions, and "promote[s] corporate accountability and non-violent social justice values." The collection documents CEC’s efforts to support grassroots environmental activities. In some cases, the records demonstrate CEC’s efforts to advance an existing grassroots movement. In other examples, CEC’s records show it joining state, national, and international networks to become active in a larger environmental cause or project. CEC’s records also show extensive outreach activities - efforts to foster cooperation or stimulate new environmental activism among concerned citizens. The collection also contains records from various New York State offices and departments, the New York Environmental Institute, EPL Institute Inc., Superfund Monitoring Project, Toxics In Your Community Coalition, Healthy Schools Network, and the Office of Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, former New York State Assistant Majority Leader.

CITY CLUB OF ALBANY
Records, 1945, 1947–1950, 1957–1961, .2 cubic ft. (APAP–082)
The collection documents the City Club of Albany and contains organizational records from 1957–1959 mainly concerned with issues of the Citizen's Platform. The collection is composed chiefly of files retained by Harriet D. Adams as vice president of the club when it was particularly interested in urban planning. The Citizen's Platform of 1957 consisted of the City Club's position on issues such as city planning, housing, health, education, child welfare, recreation, safety and law enforcement, local government finances, and "a cleaner Albany." Organizational records also include the City Club's mission, membership, monthly reports, a budget report, reports from the Nominating Committee and the Civic Affairs Committee, newsletters, and correspondence of the Civic Affairs Committee.

COMPARATIVE DEVELOPMENT STUDIES CENTER
Records, 1968–79, 20 ft. (UA–680.1)
Correspondence, 1972–83; material on the internship program, 1973–77; survey questionnaires; proposal on solid waste disposal facilities; course syllabi; audio tapes; and material on public affairs programs. Includes background data on three major areas of study: (1) the Legislative Improvement Project, "Legislative Development," 1968–78, with correspondence, conference papers, studies, and bibliographies on legislative development in the United States and developing countries, and audio tapes and computer tapes from 1968–71 on abortion, voting age, and other key issues; (2) "Validity of Our States in Our Federal System," 1972, measuring the relative efficiency of federal and state governmental structures; and (3) "Collective Bargaining Study," 1978, with graphs pertaining to collective bargaining, its causes and effects.  A unit of the Graduate School of Public Affairs, the Comparative Development Studies Center was established in 1970 to engage in research and program activities relating to the concept of development in Western as well as emerging nations by focusing research in the fields of Public Administration, Political Science, and Political Economy.

CONCERNED CITIZENS AGAINST CROSSGATES
Records, 1979–1984, 5.25 cubic ft. (APAP–057)
Correspondence of CCAC leaders with local and state officials and politicians, briefs, counter briefs, and exhibits submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 1979–80, prior to DEC granting approval for the construction of the Crossgates Regional Shopping Mall in the Albany Pine Bush, Guilderland, New York; submissions to DEC, 1980–33; legal papers relating to the suits of CCAC vs. Robert Flacke (Commissioner of DEC), 1980–82, vs. the Town of Guilderland Zoning Board of Appeals, 1980–83, and vs. the Town of Guilderland concerning the water merger vote, 1980–83; and impact studies on the economy and environment relating to air quality, wildlife, society and traffic. The records also include records of meetings, reports, press releases, newspaper clippings, and other records of a citizens' group founded to prevent the construction of the shopping mall.

COPLON, DAVID
Papers, 1979–1984, 5 cubic ft. (APAP–288)
Includes material from the Schenectady chapter of Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE); local chapter of ant-Vietnam war; Church and Laity United, Schenectady; and groups for Middle East peace, 1970s.

CROSSGATES REGIONAL SHOPPING MALL COLLECTION
Records, 1979–1984, 6 cubic ft. (APAP–067)
Reports, legal briefs, transcriptions of hearings, environmental impact statements, photographs, clippings, and other materials pertaining to the application of the Pyramid Crossgates Company to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Transportation to build the Crossgates Regional Shopping Mall in the Albany Pine Bush, Guilderland, N.Y.

DAVIS, JACKSON
Papers, 1952-1997, 9.83 cubic ft. (APAP-141)
The papers of Jackson Davis document his environmental activism and work with environmental organizations. The collection consists of publications, minutes, notes, news clippings, and memoranda from local and regional environmental groups Davis has worked with, as well as a collection of subject files created by Davis relating to a wide variety of environmental topics. Also included are a collection of Davis' bibliographical projects and a number of environmental health publications collected by Davis' father, Dr. H. Jackson Davis, Sr. who served as health commissioner in Rensselaer County Jackson Davis worked for a number of organizations doing bibliographical research. Much of the material in the collection was created through the collection of sources and compiling of bibliographies. Part of Davis' research process was the listing of subject headings. The Bibliography series contains research on certain environmental topics that have no direct relation to the organizations that Davis worked for.

DONOVAN, HOPE
Papers, 1970-2003, 3 cubic ft., 1 film reel (APAP–168)
The papers of Hope Donovan include a variety of materials collected by Donovan during her work as an environmental activist and prominent member of the League of Women Voters of New York State. The vast majority of the materials are concerned with environmental issues in New York State. The most prominent single subject is water resources, particularly watersheds and groundwater. Other prominent subjects are the Adirondack Park, development issues, and the Smart Growth Conferences. Materials of note include a folder on New York State's Bottle Bill, in which Donovan played a crucial role, and materials related to Guilderland (where Donovan resided), including town history, planning, and land use.

DORAN, ROBERT
Papers, 1970s-2004, 19 cubic ft. (APAP–187)
This collection includes material created and collected by Robert Doran. The material covers a broad range of social justice topics, environmental issues, as well as Doran's own writing. Doran was a member of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, which is documented in the collection along with peace issues and political action.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES OF NEW YORK
Records, 1970–2000, 90.81 cubic ft. (APAP–104)
Environmental Advocates is a nonprofit, nonpartisan alliance of individuals and organizations working to protect New York's environment. The organization's activities include advocacy, coalition building, citizen education and policy development. Membership includes thousands of individual members and over 130 organizational members. It was established as the Environmental Planning Lobby (EPL) in Rye, New York in 1969 under the leadership of David Sive. The bulk of the records document the legislative activities of the organization from the 1980s through the late 1990s. The records consist of correspondence, notes, meeting minutes, reports, memorandums, publications, news clippings, promotional material, as well as the administrative files of Lee Wasserman, Val Washington, and Loretta Simon. The strength of the collection lies in the Legislative Issues series, which documents in detail the organization's position on issues, including acid rain, New York's Bottle Bill, energy, hazardous waste, pesticides, solid waste, and water, among others.

ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARINGHOUSE, INC. (ECOS)
Records, 1971–2004, 3.66 cubic ft. (APAP–180)
This collection documents the organization, thinking, activities and programs of the Environmental Clearinghouse, Inc. over a period of more than three decades. The earliest items date from 1971, but continuous records begin in 1972 and run up to 2004 with the largest portion of the records dating from the 1970s and 1980s. Topics that are documented in this collection include: advocating for riverside walkways and bikeways, environmentally-friendly art, biking, Camp Mohawk, canals, courses and lectures, river cruises, Earth Day/Week, Earth Month, ECOS exhibits, nature explorations, Grassroots Environmental Fair 1976, Gulf Oil Conservation Awards, hiking, household hazardous waste, ECOS library and resources, museum trips, picnics in the park, recycling, river clean-up, the Riverfront Committee, the Organization for Action for the Riverfront (O.A.R.), whose educational and informational services were Coordinated by ECOS (both groups shared members and functioned as Subcommittees of the Schenectady County Advisory Council), skiing, the 1990 ECOS symposium, and Thatcher State Park trips and nature walks.

ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS COMMISSION
Records, 1971–1980, .33 cubic ft. (UA–ua696.002)
The Environmental Decisions Commission of the State University of New York at Albany (as the University at Albany, SUNY was then known) was established in 1971 by President Louis T. Benezet. The commission was charged with developing a policy base for decisions on matters relating to the environmental health and aesthetic quality of the university as well as the campus’ impact on the surrounding community. In the nearly ten years of its existence, the commission dealt with issues such as dredging and stocking the campus pond, traffic control, parking, the use of road salt and pesticides, recycling of paper, composting, and energy conservation.This collection contains the administrative files of the Environmental Decisions Commission including correspondence, meeting minutes, agendas, and reports.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM
Records, 1969–1976, 1.33 cubic ft. (UA–ua696.003)
The Environmental Studies Program of the State University of New York at Albany (as the University at Albany, SUNY was then known) was established in 1970 under President Louis T. Benezet. The students, faculty, and administrative committees of the Environmental Studies Program generated the materials in this collection during its five years of existence. Numerous members of the program, most notably Lou Ismay, Eugene McLaren and Rosemary Nichols, collected these materials. The records consist of memoranda, correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, and class materials. Also included are materials generated by offshoots and side projects of the program, like the Capital District Solid Waste Environmental Education Program (CD SWEEP) and the student newsletter, Environmental Issues. The largest of these projects is the Albany People’s Pipewatch.

HEALTHY SCHOOLS NETWORK, INC.
Records, 1994-2004, .2 cubic ft. (APAP–149)
Founded in 1995, Healthy Schools Network is a national environmental health organization that does research, information, education, coalition-building, and advocacy to ensure that every child has a healthy learning environment that is clean and in good repair. According to its Website (2007), Healthy Schools Network has documented and publicized school environmental problems; shaped and won new education, health, and environmental policies; fostered dozens of local and state policy groups; won systemic federal and state reforms; and helped thousands of parents and schools make classrooms and buildings healthier through its EPA award-winning Healthy Schools/Healthy Kids Clearinghouse (Information and Referral Services). Publications, flyers, books, and other published material has been given to the Department of Special Collections and Archives since 2002, but no agreement has been made with the organization and the Department is not currently the official repository of the organization's records. Records related to Healthy Schools Network are available in other collections held by the Department such as Citizens' Environmental Coalition (APAP-197).

ISMAY, LOUIS
Papers, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1968-1977, 29.14 cubic ft. (UA-902.064)
The papers of Lou Ismay document the history of the Environmental Forum at the University at Albany, SUNY, (State University of New York at Albany as it was then known) from 1969-1977, as well as the Environmental Studies Program. The collection contains information on the Environmental Forum, the Protect Your Environment Club, administrative files, student writings, subject files, correspondence, and publications. The student writings are from Ismay’s Environmental Forum classes from 1969-1977. This series is restricted from use, along with parts of the Environmental Forum and correspondence series. This course was held under different numbers during its existence, including A&S 201 and Env.250a and b. The strength of the collection lies not in the educational departments that are represented by the collection, but by the overall impression one can gather about the rise of environmental awareness among students at the university. Access to certain student material is restricted. Consult a staff member for details.

KNOLLS ACTION PROJECT
Records, 1978–1994, 24.25 cubic ft. (APAP–105)
The Knolls Action Project based in Albany, New York grew out of the Blue Karner Affinity Group that was formed by local activists to participate in anti-nuclear protests at the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire in 1978. The group decided to focus on the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL), a General Electric facility that conducted research and training on nuclear propulsion systems for the United States Navy. The KAPL site located in Niskayuna, N.Y. designed propulsion systems for the nuclear navy, including the Trident submarine system. The West Milton, N.Y. KAPL facility (or Kesselring site) was where naval crews trained to operate the Trident and other nuclear submarines. These records document the activities and interests of KAP from 1978 to 1994. Some of the information pre-dates the founding of the organization, but was obtained by members of KAP for research or informational purposes. The collection is comprehensive, and contains meeting minutes, newsletters, leaflets, clippings, reports, books and publications, audiovisuals, and peace-related memorabilia.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF ALBANY COUNTY
Records, 1938–2001, 31.47 cubic ft. (APAP–128)
The records of the League of Women Voters of Albany County (LWVAC), include material produced by the LWVAC as well as material that was produced by the League of Women Voters of New York State and the League of Women Voters of the United States. The most comprehensive series in the collection is the Administrative Files. There are meeting minutes, annual reports, and Board of Directors lists from 1940–2001. A large portion of the LWVAC collection relates to the two main purposes of the organization: voter service and "study and action." Records relating to voter service include pamphlets with information about candidates and citizen voting rights published by the LWVAC and material used to increase voter participation. Records related to "study and action" include material used by the LWVAC to inform citizens about public policy issues locally, statewide, and nationally. A strength of the LWVAC collection is the amount of material related to various public policy issues and how they affected the local community.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF RENSSELAER COUNTY
Records, 1914, 1925, 1939–2000, 11.2 cubic ft. (APAP–103)
The Rensselaer County League of Women Voters was founded by thrity-eight women in October 1939. The first president of the County League was Beulah Bailey Thull (1891–1975), one of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt's speechwriters at the time. The collection holds information about the history and activities of the LWVRC from 1939 through 2000. The collection includes board and general meeting minutes and agendas, treasurers' reports, the results of various studies conducted by the organization, photographs, videos of workshops and debates and audio tapes of oral histories of former members' participation in the League. The local studies conducted by the League covered such topics as city planning, land use, and other environmental issues in Rensselaer County.

LYON FAMILY
Record Book, 1872–1886, 1 vol. (MSS–088)
Includes register of deeds granted by the executors of L. R. Lyon, 1870–1884; register of bark peeled by H. J. Botchford and Company and C. J. Lyon and Company, 1871–1883; register of Lyon Estate lands, 1873; register of lumber shipments, 1883–1886; and personnel records, 1874–1875. The Lyon family wood lots were located near Port Lynden, Lewis County, New York.

NATTELL, THOMAS
Papers, 1956-2002, 12.1 cubic ft. (APAP-191)
The Thomas Nattell papers document the life of a mental health worker and political activist active during the 1980s and 1990s in Albany, New York. He created and participated in organizations like the Albany Peace and Energy Council (APEC) and the Three Guys From Albany poetry troupe. He also acted as promoter and event coordinator for movie showings, poetry open mics and an annual 24-hour poetry reading alongside a coinciding international postcard art event. Nattell used poetry and other arts to advance world peace, anti-nuclear power and proliferation, and environmental issues. This collection contains videos of events, photographs, scrapbooks full of art and poetry mailed from around the world to Nattell, subject files with research on topics related to his professional work as well as his activism, poetry, correspondence, and clippings.

NEW YORK COALITION FOR ALTERNATIVES TO PESTICIDES
Records, 1908–2002, Bulk Dates, 1988-1995, 23.89 cubic ft. (APAP–151)
In 1989, Tracy Frisch, an etymologist who had suffered from pesticide poisoning, formed a non-profit citizens' organization committed to reducing hazardous chemical pesticides use through education and advocacy called the New York Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NYCAP). The early issues that NYCAP championed included: safe pest control for schools, hospitals, and public places; reducing work exposure to chemicals; farm worker protection; prevention of groundwater pollution; environmentally sound farming; and strict regulation of pesticides. NYCAP also sought to provide leadership on these issues to other organizations such as parent teacher associations, labor unions, and general environmental groups. This collection documents the activities of NYCAP from its creation in 1989 through 2002. It contains administrative files such as committee and meeting minutes, fundraising campaigns, by-laws, correspondence, annual telemarketing campaigns, grant proposals and funding, invoices, prepaid sales receipts, and technical assistance logs. Mailing and membership lists for NYCAP and some related organizations are also included, along with: state and national legislation; government reports and publications; conference planning, programs, and attendance; information requests, news clippings and journal articles on pesticide-related topics; pesticide fact sheets; brochures and pamphlets; pesticide labels; and copies of newsletters, magazines, journals, and other publications of related groups received through a newsletter exchange.

NEW YORK STATE WETLANDS FORUM, INC.
Records, 1993–2002, .17 cubic ft. (APAP–146)
The New York State Wetlands Forum was begun in 1993 and incorporated in 1994. The Forum organizes an annual conference to bring people interested in wetlands together in a non-confrontational setting. Issues discussed include sustainable development, land use, environmental mediation, and wetland conservation. Records include: correspondence, meeting minutes, meeting topics, mailing lists, and newsletters.

NORTH COUNTRY JAMES BAY GROUP (APAP-327)
Records, 1966–1998, 1.0 cubic ft. (APAP–327)
The North Country James Bay Group Records document efforts of this upstate New York environmental organization to stop Hydro-Que´bec’s Great Whale (Grande Baleine) River/James Bay II development efforts in the early 1990s. This collection, donated by group member Margaret Weitzmann and Lucia Dailey, includes press releases, manuscripts and writings, fliers for rallies and events, conference materials, U.S. and Canadian newspaper clippings, statements made at public hearings, correspondence and subject files.

OTSEGO COUNTY CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION (APAP-158)
Records, 1967-2001, 6.4 cubic ft. (APAP-158)
The Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA) was organized in 1968 and has dedicated itself to the protection, appreciation, and enhancement of natural resources in and around Otsego County. The group is concerned about numerous issues including the preservation of the Otsego Lake watershed, solid waste management, land-use planning, and water quality. The OCCA has been actively involved in education, advocacy, and preservation through the production of materials for teachers and the public including trail and nature maps, assisting in the implementation of Otsego Lake's management plan, and providing financial resources to farmers to help clean up threats to water quality. The OCCA has also confronted issues stretching outside of the county's borders, most prominently in solid waste issue battles with the Montgomery Otsego Schoharie Solid Waste Authority (MOSA). OCCA's records include meeting minutes, financial documents, correspondence, newsletters, educational brochures, and project files. The OCCA's records document the growth and influence of a community service and advocacy organization.

PAPISH, NANCY
Papers, 1963-1998, 5.2 cubic ft. (APAP-144)
The papers of Nancy Papish document her involvement with Clearwater, North River Friends of Clearwater (NRFC), and the campaign to stop Hydro-Quebec's development plan for James Bay. These papers document the environmental activism of Nancy Papish from the 1970s through the 1990s. Included are meeting minutes, notes, mailings, press releases, news clippings, magazine articles, programs, and publications. The Clearwater files contain near-complete runs of newsletters produced by both NRFC and the parent Clearwater organization. Evidence of NRFC's outreach activities is found in a slide show titled "This Is Clearwater" and numerous poster displays. Documentation of Clearwater's organization and administration, such as meeting minutes, internal reports, and committee files, are almost entirely absent. There is little information about the membership of Clearwater. The James Bay files contain materials from several organizations.

PFEIFFER, FRED
Papers, 1980-2002, 3 cubic ft. (APAP-139)
Papers of an Albany labor organizer and activist with regional, international, and environmental interests. Collection is unprocessed.

PRESERVATION LEAGUE OF NEW YORK STATE
Records, 1985-2001, 1 cubic ft. (APAP–134)
The Preservation League of New York State was incorporated in March 1974. The organization encourages the preservation of historic buildings, districts, and landscapes in New York State. It was responsible for saving the outbuildings of Camp Sagamore, an Adirondack Great Camp built in 1895, through a popular referendum. It also worked for the New York State Historic Preservation Act, fought off a bill to exempt historic religious properties from law, and lobbied the National Park Service for suitable development of buildings on the south side of Ellis Island. Records from the mid-1980s through 2001 include: subject files, reports, annual reports, lobbying files, newsletters (1975 to present), legal papers, and news clippings.

P.R.O.T.E.C.T.
Records, 1980–2007, 30 cubic ft. (APAP–299)
P.R.O.T.E.C.T. (Prudent Residents Opposed to Electric Cable Transmission) initially formed in 1982 to oppose construction of a high voltage power line originating from Marcy, New York in Oneida County and running down to the New York City area. A volunteer organization, P.R.O.T.E.C.T. was organized into chapters, one for each county affected by the power line construction, and led by chairperson Doris Delaney of Orange County who donated the collection. The records document P.R.O.T.E.C.T.’s efforts to mobilize and educate concerned citizens, and its legal actions against the Public Service Commission of the State of New York and the Power Authority of the State of New York. The papers include correspondence, newsletters, news articles, scientific papers and reports, press releases, hearing transcripts, and other legal files. For the next two decades P.R.O.T.E.C.T. remained an active advocacy organization and the subject files and background materials in the collection demonstrate its broader interests in the environmental movement. Files include materials related human exposure to electromagnetic fields, efforts to halt Hydro-Quebec’s building of dams in the James Bay region of Quebec the construction’s potential impact on the environment and the native people of the area, and forestry.

RENSSELAER COUNTY GREENS
Records, 1998-2004, 6.96 cubic ft., 11 cubic ft., and MB Electronic Records (APAP-192)
The records of the Rensselaer County Greens includes information about its efforts to protect the Rensselaer County community from the destruction of environment and historical landmarks. The records consist of applications, permits, court material, environmental statistics and research, news clippings, visual information, rulings, and audiovisuals. The best documented initiative in the records is Rensselaer County Greens' conflict with Besicorp and the factory the company planned to build in Rensselaer. The organization also opposed the construction of a microchip semiconductor plant proposed in North Greenbush, NY; was involved in the debate over an Interstate 90 connector planned in East Greenbush, NY; and the preservation of historic landmarks including saving the Freihofer Building in Lansingburgh, NY.

RIENOW, LEONA TRAIN
Papers, 1856–1988, 2.78 cubic ft. (MSS-025)
This collection documents Leona Train Rienow’s professional career as a writer. The papers contain a significant number of drafts of Leona Train Rienow’s manuscripts, papers concerning her research for her books and articles, and correspondence files. Much of the correspondence concerns publishers and editors of various magazines and publishing houses. Strengths of this collection include the many drafts of manuscripts that document the changes that Leona Train Rienow made to her works over a span of several years.

RIENOW, ROBERT
Papers, 1875–1984, 15.06 cubic ft. (UA–902.009)
Correspondence with publishers and environmental groups including the Constitutional Council for Forest Preserves, 1970–71; Defenders of Wildlife, 1970–76; Albany Environmental Council, 1965–76; draft manuscripts and typescripts, 1956–79, of texts, scholarly and popular articles and books relating to local, state, national, and international government and to environmental issues such as the anti-nuclear movement, forest preservation, wildlife preservation, the Adirondack Mountains, lecture notes taken as a student and given to his classes, 1930–70, scripts for his television series "Man Against His Environment", 1970–71, drafts of speeches on environmental concerns, tape cassettes on environmental issues created as staff lecturer for the Center for Cassette Studies, clippings files on government and environmental issues, photographs of Rienow and his wife. Robert Rienow was educated at Carthage College (B.A., 1930), and Columbia University (M.A., 1934; Ph.D., 1937), served as Instructor, 1936–41, Assistant Professor, 1941–47, and Professor, 1947–80, of Social Science at the State University of New York at Albany, now the University at Albany. Through out his career Rienow maintained an active interest in environmental issues and a belief in the need to popularize issues of public concern.

RUBIN, HAROLD
Papers, 1964–1990, 6 cubic ft. (APAP–032)
Subject files largely consisting of retained records of local organizations dedicated to preserving Albany, New York historic neighborhoods and architecture as well as the Pine Bush. Includes minutes of meetings, correspondence, legal documents, press releases, news clippings, and other records of the Capital Hill Architectural Review Commission, Center Square Neighborhood Association, Coalition for Effective Code Enforcement, Council of Albany Neighborhood Associations, Neighborhood Resource Center, and other local groups. The files were retained by Rubin as chair of several of the associations and as an Albany urban preservationist.

SARATOGA SPRINGS OPEN SPACE PROJECT
Records, 1970-2003, 10.68 cubic ft. (APAP-155)
The Saratoga Springs Open Space Project worked for the preservation of open space in Saratoga Springs. It supported the creation of nature trails, scenic walkways, and biking paths as well as vigorously opposed sprawl and loss of open space by organizing opposition to unsustainable development. In addition, the organization coordinated several programs aimed at aiding the development of Saratoga Springs and maintained a special interest in the development of the downtown area. The collection includes administrative files, grant files, material related to programs and issues, documentation of trails, and subject files.

SAVE THE PINE BUSH
Records, 1977–2001, 8.87 cubic ft. (APAP–125)
This collection documents the activities of Save the Pine Bush, Inc., a non profit organization concerned with protecting the rare inland pine barrens sand dunes of the Capital District, known as the Albany Pine Bush. The Pine Bush is the largest ecosystem of its kind and home to the Karner Blue Butterfly, which was placed on the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1992. Included in the collection are the records of three organizations concerned with environmental issues in the 1970s; The University of Albany's Protect Your Environment (PYE) student organization (1973–1975), People for the Pine Bush (1973–1975), and Citizen's For the Environment (CPE), based in Schenectady, New York (1974–1979). Also included are meeting minutes, agendas, grant proposals, fliers, and other materials from the years 1978–1980. The remainder and bulk of collection consists of litigation papers, Draft Environmental Impact Statements (DEIS), Final Environmental Impact Statements (FEIS), correspondence, Save the Pine Bush newsletters and activities announcements, maps, and Freedom of Information Act requested materials concerning various proposed development sites from the years 1978–2001.

SCHAEFER, VINCENT, physicist, environmentalist
Papers, 1891–1979, 100 ft. (UA-902.010)
Papers relating to Schaefer's career at the General Electric Laboratories in Schenectady, New York; the Munitalb Foundation, Inc.; and at the University at Albany, State University of New York and its Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, including correspondence, diary, laboratory records, films, offprints, reports on environmental projects, and other materials, 1922–1979. Correspondents include Rachel Carson, Arthur Parker, P. Van Epps, and Irving Langmuir. Schaefer was a pioneer in the field of atmospheric science and a prominent New York environmentalist concerned with the Adirondack Mountains and other regional issues.

SCHOHARIE LAND TRUST
Records, 1980-2001, 3 cubic ft. (APAP-160)
The Schoharie Land Trust Records contain meeting minutes, agendas, correspondence, financial statements, by-laws, policies, reports, and membership records. The bulk of these records date from 1990 to 2001, and there are a few articles and publications dating back to the 1980's. The records contain a strong collection of minutes from the original Steering Committee and the later Board of Directors and Acquisition Committee. Its efforts to preserve specific properties are documented in the Property Files series with maps, checklists, photographs, correspondence, and official deeds and easements. The best documented are the Paulson and the Schoharie Creek properties.

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY, CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF
Records, 1967–1971, 2 ft. (UA–440.013)
Includes memoranda, budgets, and other materials. In its planning stage called the Center for Science and Human Affairs, the Center for the Study of Science and Society was established in 1968. The goal of the center was to "open communications between scientists, technologists, economists, sociologists and political scientists particularly in their formative age" in order to study how society can control its evolution by using the "data, structure and processes and findings of science" with particular emphasis placed on the on the study of "human ecology" or "cultural evolution" (Final Budget Request, 1968–69). The center accomplished this goal by sponsoring conferences, seminars, and symposia including 1969 conferences "The Scientific Revolution--Its Impact on Man and Society" and "Weather Modification." The center was directed by Eugene I. Rabinowitch from 1968 until its dissolution in 1971.

SIERRA CLUB, ATLANTIC CHAPTER
Records, 1964-1999, 29 cubic ft. (APAP–130)
The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter (SCAC) was organized on Long Island as a state affiliate of the national Sierra Club. The records provide documentation of state legislation and the group's lobbying activities from the Albany office. Topics that are extensively documented in the collection include: the Storm King Mountain controversy, the Westway highway, low-level radioactive waste, land use in the Adirondack Park, New York State compliance with the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act of 1996, the electric industry in New York State, environmental attitudes of New York State politicians, the recycling of beverage containers, the use of sludge in agriculture, Long Island drinking water contamination by pesticides, the James Bay controversy, and wildlife and habitat preservation. The collection also contains records from the national Sierra Club organization, and documents from other environmental organizations

SOCIAL JUSTICE CENTER
Records, 1981-2001, 4.3 cubic feet, 19 VHS tapes, approximately 600 KB of electronic records (APAP–177)
The Social Justice Center (SJC) was formed in 1981 by an alliance of non-profit activist organizations in order to provide a central location, office space, and basic services for activist groups in Albany, New York. Projects of the Center include the Dismantling Racism project, which sponsors workshops to address the roots of racial prejudice, the PCB/Environmental Health project, which works to educate the community about potential toxins, and the Infoshop, a lending library that stocks progressive periodicals and books. The records of the Social Justice Center include financial records, meeting minutes, publications, fliers, grant proposals, photographs, and correspondence. There are also materials generated by the operation of the store Peace Offerings. The history, goals, and operations of the organization are well represented in the Administrative Files series. Histories of the center can be found in the 1991 board retreat material. The Peace Offering series primarily contains promotional materials such as signs and displays. There is little material in this collection from the member groups of the SJC. There is a small amount of administrative materials from the Centro de Progresso group and a folder of materials from the creation of the Institute for Farmworker Justice.

SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF WATER RESOURCES
Records, 1918-1999, 12.46 cubic ft. (APAP–061)
The bulk of the records of the Society for the Preservation of Water Resources consist of files on the major projects the society undertook, such as the Wilmorite project, the Bonded Concrete project, and the water supply applications of the city of Schenectady and the town of Rotterdam (1982-1985). As most of these projects concerned legal questions, the files consist primarily of legal papers not produced by SPWR, but many include notes by SPWR. The records for each of these projects form a complete record of the legal proceedings for each project including testimony by expert witnesses for SPWR. However, little information about the SPWR's strategies can be gleaned from this material. For instance, the records provide little evidence that the society was interested in the Broadway Mall project (1960, 1980-1981) because they thought the site for the Broadway Mall might be a possible alternate site for Wilmorite's Rotterdam Square Mall.

SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE OF THE CAPITAL DISTRICT
Records, 1980–2000, 10.0 ft. (APAP–042)
Contains minutes and administrative files, 1983–99; subject files, 1980–90; Solidarity Notes, the committee's newsletter, 1984–97; and photographs. During the 1983 Greyhound strike by the Amalgamated Transit Union, a coalition of labor unions was formed under the name the Greyhound Strikers Solidarity Committee of the Capital District.  At the end of this strike, the committee, believing that solidarity within the labor movement was essential to its survival, decided to continue as the Solidarity Committee of the Capital District.  Since that time, the committee has worked to support hundreds of strikes and labor activities, most of them in Eastern New York, but including many across the country and in Latin America. The collection also includes material related to the campaign to stop Hydro-Quebec's development plan for James Bay in northern Quebec

STAFFORD, RONALD B.
Papers, 1965–2005, 225 cubic ft. (APAP–217)
Elected to the New York State Senate in 1965 to represent the 45th District, Ronald B. Stafford represented the North Country for a 37-year Senate career which included membership on several committees. He ended his career as chairman of the powerful Finance Committee. Stafford, a Republican, was the first chairman of the Senate’s Higher Education Committee. During his Senate career, he chaired the Senate Finance Committee, Higher Education Committee, Codes Committee, and the Judiciary Committee. In 1974, as Chairman of the Senate’s Higher Education Committee he helped shape and create the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), a landmark program that opened access to college for New Yorkers who would otherwise have been unable to afford opportunities in higher education . He was a protector of the environment through his involvement in Adirondack Park affairs. Stafford was instrumental in bringing the 1980 Olympic Winter Games to Lake Placid, and in 1974 was appointed chairman of the New York State 1980 Olympic Winter Games Commission. He remained a leading figure in the Senate and in NYS politics throughout his career and until his death in 2005. The papers consist of correspondence, letters, memorandum, meeting minutes, press releases, legislative memorandum, newsletters, writings, photographs, clippings reprints, and other archival resources.

STATE UNIVERSITY CONSTRUCTION FUND
Records, 1961–1979, .88 cubic ft. (APAP–097)
The State University Construction Fund was established by the Governor and the Legislature of New York as a public benefit corporation within the State University to plan, design, construct and provide financing for facilities required by the State University of New York to meet academic program and enrollment needs. As a result of the creation of the fund and in response to an urgent need to make higher education opportunities available to additional thousands of New Yorkers, the largest university building program in history was launched in New York State. The collection contains campus plans for the State University of New York (SUNY) System construction in the 1960s and 1970s. Progress reports and charts in each report include the dates that architects, sketches and locations for construction were approved. The charts also provide the dates construction began for each campus in the SUNY System. The collection includes annual reports from 1964 through 1979. These provide the budget for construction and the yearly progress for each facility. The annual report for the year 1972 celebrates the first ten years of the State University Construction Fund and includes helpful retrospective information. A review of the capital program for all state universities from 1975 to 1976 and 1976 to 1977 is included in the collection and reviews of the Albany campus are available from 1971 through 1975.

STUDER, NORMAN
Papers, 1817–1988, 22 cubic ft., 9 films, and 200 audiotapes (APAP–116)
Papers of Norman Studer, educator, folklorist, and writer. The papers primarily document Studer's activities as an educator at the Little Red School House/Elisabeth Irwin High School, an educator and administrator at the Downtown Community School, founder and Director of Camp Woodland, and his various writing projects. The papers reflect Studer's two principal life-long interests: progressive education and folklore. The collection is particularly strong in its representation of Catskill folklore and folk music, including manuscript material, photographs, reel-to-reel audio recordings, and 16mm movies documenting interviews with indigenous Catskill informants, folk festivals, and life at Camp Woodland. The inclusive dates of the collection are 1817–1988, with the bulk of the material dating 1952–1978.

VAN PATTEN, GRANT
Records, 1962, .17 cubic ft. and 1 film (APAP–167)
Grant Van Patten worked in television production beginning in the mid-twentieth century in New York's Capital Region, including affiliate WRGB in Schenectady. Van Patten produced the documentary The South Mall in Albany: Hoax or Hope? for WRGB in 1962. The collection includes Van Patten's documentary The South Mall in Albany: Hoax or Hope? and material related to its production. The film is a production original composed of sound film, silent footage, and blank short pieces. During the blank sections there were shots taken by live studio cameras most often of the news reporter on the studio set. An access copy of the production is available for viewing in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives Marcia Brown Research Room. It is best to have a copy of the script in hand when viewing the documentary.

VONNEGUT, BERNARD, (1928 –1997), professor of atmospheric science
Papers, 19.3 ft., (UA–902.068)
The papers document Dr. Bernard Vonnegut's professional career as an atmospheric scientist beginning in the mid-1940s at M.I.T., the General Electric Research Laboratories, 1945-1952, Arthur D. Little Corporation, 1952-1967, and the State University of New York at Albany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center and Department of Atmospheric Sciences from 1967 through his death in 1997. The collection document Dr. Vonnegut's research interests, including icing and atmospheric electricity, cloud physics, thunderstorms, and tornado formation. The papers also contain extensive information about his major scientific discoveries and experiments, such as Project Cirrus, a program that sought ways to artificially influence precipitation, the NASA/NOSL project where he studied weather phenomena from space, and his experiments and research in New Mexico. Additionally, the papers contain a small amount of personal records. The collection consist of scientific projects, research, and data, inventions and patent forms, manuscripts, reports, correspondence, publicity materials, course materials, news clippings, photographs, and audio and video. The majority of materials date from Dr. Vonnegut’s tenure at GE, Arthur D. Little, and State University of New York at Albany.

WAMC/NORTHEAST PUBLIC RADIO
Records, 1981-2000, 6,795 audio recordings (APAP–138)
WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states and is a member of National Public Radio and an affiliate of Public Radio International. The station's programs cover a number of issues including education, politics and government, the environment, health and medical issues, women's issues, and others. Some of the programs in the collection include: 51 Percent, The Best of Our Knowledge, Capitol Connection, Dancing on the Air, The Environment Show, The Health Show, The Law Show, Legislative Gazette, Media Project, Vox Pop, and other regular and special broadcasts.

WHITTLESEY, EUNICE BAIRD
Papers, 1924–2001, 1.88 cubic ft. (APAP–145)
The bulk of this collection consists of documents created by the New York Republican State Committee. There are numerous programs from the state and national dinners and conventions Whittlesey attended. It also contains the letters Whittlesey received from members of the state and the national parties, handbooks used by members of the state and national parties, New York Republican State Committee's and National Republican Committee's press releases and news clippings, and documents created by the Presidential Electors of 1984. The correspondence covers the years 1962–1996. The Projects Series includes material from her work with ABATES, the Ambassadors to Bring about Action Through Environmental Study. ABATES was a volunteer group that approached the topic of environmental awareness by gathering groups of informed citizens to study environmental problems throughout Upstate New York. It was hoped that this dialog between private citizens and legislators would promote a better environment by providing information about improving and sustaining the quality of New York's land and water resources.

WILLISON, MALCOLM
Papers, 1958–1997, 14.9 cubic ft. (APAP–055)
This collection details the social activism of Malcolm Willison in New York State's Capital Region. As an active board member of several local groups, his papers contain minutes, financial statements and budgets, programming ideas, brochures, planning notes, articles and reports, and clippings that detail the evolution of the various organizations contained in the collection. Organizational newsletters and event flyers, course and conference information planned by Willison in his capacity on executive boards, and vast amounts of correspondence about any number of events and issues are also part of the scope of the collection.

WOODCOCK, ALFRED H. (1905– ), scientist
Papers, 1930–1995, 7.25 cubic ft. (UA–902.028)
The material in this collection documents the correspondence and scientific research of Alfred H. Woodcock. Correspondence files date from 1930-1995 and consist of correspondence from the scientists that Woodcock worked and collaborated with, along with carbons of his original correspondence, as well as journal articles. Woodcock's major collaborators were atmospheric scientist Duncan Blanchard, U.S. Navy scientist James Hughes, chemist James Lodge, and atmospheric researcher Sean Twomey. The scientific research files date from 1937–1986 and consist of original data collected by Woodcock as well as journal articles, record books, and photographs. Information about the scientists Woodcock collaborated with can be found in the correspondence files. Information about the scientific projects that Woodcock researched can be found in the scientific research files.

URBAN DOCUMENTATION PROJECT
Records, 1984–2009, 30 cubic ft. (APAP–323)
The Urban Documentation Project Records contain the research of New York City-based investigative journalist Matthew Reiss. Reiss, who has published in major dailies like The New York Times and The Village Voice, examined the waste industry, the environment, and related interests in New York State and across the country, including financial, political, and industrial motivations and actions. Reiss also lectures on journalism at the City University of New York and Rutgers University. The collection features reporter notebooks; interviews, including ones on VHS and audio cassette tapes; drafts; research materials, including studies and data; newspaper clippings; correspondence; legal files; and a significant number of subject files.