Don Rittner

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Don Rittner is an American historian, archeologist, anthropologist, environmental activist, educator, author and film maker living in the Capital District, Schenectady County, New York. He is the former Schenectady County Historian, responsible for providing guidance and support to municipal historians and serving as a conduit between the State Historian in Albany and the local historians in their counties. He is also the former Schenectady City Historian and was the Albany City Archeologist (1973–79). He is the author of more than 50+ books on history, natural history, computers, and other subjects, and has been collected by libraries worldwide.

Contents

Biography

He attended the University of Albany where as a student he continued the earlier work of William B. Efner, a predecessor as County Historian. In 1973 he became the archeologist for the city of Albany. He excavated old Colonial tavern sites and roads, and located the old King's Highway, erecting markers to commemorate the historic route. [1] [2]

During the 1970s, he led the fight to save the Albany Pine Barrens, [3] known as the Pine Bush. He founded the Pine Bush Historic Preservation Project [4] and was responsible for the city of Albany acquiring its first nature preserve, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. During 1983–89 he served as the preserve's manager. During this time he designed a 40-mile hiking trail around the city of Albany called the Albany Greenbelt. [5] He was responsible for the historic roads and trail system in the preserve to become part of the National Trails System in 1985. In 2008, Rittner wrote a management plan for Schenectady's Woodlawn Pine Bush section in an effort to add more endangered pine barrens for protection. [6]

He has published more than 50 books in history, science, and technology. His book "EcoLinking - Everyone' Guide to Online Environmental Information (Peachpit Press, 1992)" was the first book to show how to use the brand new Internet for a social cause - saving the environment. [7] In 2017, he completely rewrote EcoLinking into a hands on activist manual. [8]

From 1999 to 2005, he wrote a history column for seven years for the Troy Record called "Heritage on the Hudson". Rittner also manages the Capital District Preservation Task Force listserve that provides daily newspaper coverage in history, planning, and preservation to more than 80 leading preservation and environmental groups. He writes a history & culture blog on the Albany Times Union website. [9]

In 2014, Rittner was the producer for the award winning documentary "The Neighborhood That Disappeared," and "Echoes from the Neighborhood That Disappeared." Both appeared on PBS's WMHT. In 2018, he wrote, produced and directed the award winning feature film "Karen or Bust.". He currently is producer/director/cohost of "History on the Road," a TV history adventure series. He is also the executive director of the Warren County Historical Society in upstate New York.

Books (partial list)

Natural history

Human history

Encyclopedias

Children books

Computers

Scientific Journals

Magazines

Films and Documentaries

Television

Related Research Articles

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Albany County is a county in the state of New York, United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is to the east. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 314,848. The county seat and largest city is Albany, which is also the state capital of New York. As originally established by the English government in the colonial era, Albany County had an indefinite amount of land, but has had an area of 530 square miles (1,400 km2) since March 3, 1888. The county is named for the Duke of York and of Albany, who became James II of England.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schenectady, New York</span> City in New York, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 2</span> State highway in Albany and Rensselaer counties in New York, US

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The Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad was a railway company that operated in the states of New York and Vermont in the 19th century. At its peak it controlled a 150-mile (240 km) network. The Delaware and Hudson Railway leased the company in 1871 and formally merged it in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany Pine Bush</span> Pine barren in Albany, New York

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area codes 518 and 838</span> Telephone area codes for Upstate New York, U.S.

Area codes 518 and 838 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan for eastern Upstate New York in the United States. 518 is one of the 86 original North American area codes created in 1947. Area code 838 was added to the 518 numbering plan area in 2017. The two area codes serve 24 counties and 1,200 ZIP Code areas in a numbering plan area (NPA) that extends from the eastern Mohawk Valley to the Vermont border, and from the Canada–US border to south of Albany. The bulk of the population is in the Capital District, the vicinity of the cities Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. Other cities in the NPA are Glens Falls, Plattsburgh, and Saratoga Springs. It includes the Upper Hudson Valley counties, Greene and Columbia counties, and some northern parts of Dutchess County.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streets of Albany, New York</span> Streets of Albany, New York

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North Albany is a neighborhood in the city of Albany, New York. North Albany was settled in the mid-17th century by the Patroon of Rensselaerswyck and his tenants and later became a hamlet in the town of Watervliet. Due to the Erie Canal being constructed in 1825, North Albany saw immense growth, with the Albany Lumber District and an influx of Irish immigrants lending the area the name of Limerick. Home to many historic warehouses and row houses, North Albany continues to be an important industrial neighborhood. Recent efforts have begun to gentrify the neighborhood by adapting heavy industry/warehouse use to artistic and entertainment venues, such as a German beer garden, an amusement park, live music venues, and arts and crafts marketplaces.

The following is a bibliography of New York. New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Northeastern United States. New York is commonly known as the "Empire State" and sometimes the "Excelsior State". It is the nation's third most populous state at over 19 million people. The capital of the state is Albany and its most populous city is New York City. New York is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City.

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References

  1. County roadway is part of auto history - Officials move to designate local stretch of one of the nation's earliest transcontinental highways. Times Union, The (Albany, NY) - December 27, 2005
  2. Neglected historical markers to get much-needed repairs, paint. Daily Gazette, The (Schenectady, NY) - August 16, 2007/
  3. THE KARNER BLUE MUSE.Times Union, The (Albany, NY) - April 18, 1999
  4. Chasing Nabokov's Elusive and Endangered True Love, New York Times, July 14, 2000
  5. https://blog.timesunion.com/rittner/the-albany-greenbelt-revisited/4876/ Archived 2019-08-14 at the Wayback Machine The Albany Greenbelt Revisited
  6. Plans would add to Pine Bush Daily Gazette, The (Schenectady, NY) - June 21, 2008
  7. Lewis, Peter H. (1992-05-12). "PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Learning to Save Trees". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  8. https://www.troyrecord.com/lifestyle/troy-author-hopes-to-start-revolution-with-new-book/article_c83ac5a8-cd3f-5b55-895a-d3fdbf86a25a.html [ dead link ]
  9. "Times Union blog". Archived from the original on 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  10. Cruising the computer jungle: It's not just for geeks anymore, book review, The Spectator, Hamilton, Ontario, April 6, 1995[ dead link ]