The sandy dunes and wetlands of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve are globally rare, nationally significant, and locally distinct. Like pine barrens generally, this set of pine barrens is a fire-dependent environment, providing unique habitats to rare and diverse species. The sand dunes formed on top of lacustrine sediments of former glacial Lake Albany. My study mapped the full extent of the local dunes using recent high-resolution (1m) LiDAR data and associated hillshade models. Data was interpreted using ArcGIS. The new mapping reveals that dunes occur more widely than previously thought, exceeding 85 km^2 in area. These dunes are formed from WNW winds, consistently with present-day prevailing winds. There is no evidence of dunes formed from NE winds, like those at Saratoga Sand Plains (roughly 50 km to the north) and the St. Lawrence Lowlands.
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