Pennsylvania Game Commission board signs off on 23 real estate actions

Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, at their recent quarterly meeting, approved acquisitions that, when completed, will add about 856 acres to state game lands.

That involves the purchase of nine properties. They are:

• Roughly 0.4 acres in West Fallowfield Township, Crawford County, that’s an indenture to State Game Land 214 in Crawford County.
• Roughly 140 acres in Buffington Township, Indiana County, that’s an indenture to State Game Land 79.
• Roughly 124 acres in Cambridge Township, Crawford County, near State Game Land 277.
• Roughly 87 acres in Eldred Township, McKean County, adjoining State Game Land 301.
• Roughly 94.25 acres in Horton Township, Elk County, adjoining State Game Land 44.
• Roughly 262 acres in Greenfield Township, Blair County, adjoining and connecting two tracts of State Game Land 41.
• Roughly 124 acres in Frankstown Township, Blair County, adjoining State Game Land 147.
• Roughly 1.9 acres in Martic Township, Lancaster County, adjoining State Game Land 288.
• Roughly 22.9 acres in Haycock Township, Bucks County adjoining State Game Land 157.

Game Commissioners also approved two land exchanges.

• First, the Game Commission exchanged about 6 acres of State Game Land 336 in Shenango Township, Lawrence County, for roughly 12 acres of the land adjoining State Game Land 336 nearby.
• Second, the Game Commission exchanged about 15 acres of a detached portion of State Game Land 207 in Slocum Township, Luzerne County, for about 28 acres of land in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, adjoining State Game Land 127.

In both cases, the land swaps are considered to be in the best interest of the commission.

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The Game Commission also added a 0.17-acre indenture to State Game Land 267 in Logan Township, Blair County, through a donation.

Funding for some of these acquisitions comes from the Game Commission’s Game Fund. Others are being paid from a restricted account representing funds from third-party commitments for compensation of habitat and recreational losses that occurred on state game lands from previously approved projects.

Hunters and other users of the game lands system should be aware that none of these additions are yet final.

Some are contingent upon third parties receiving funding through grants or other means. However, Board of Commissioners approval of the agreements is but one step in the land-transfer process.

When that process is completed, and the properties are officially game lands, the commission will post signs to that effect, stating that they’re now available for public use.

The same applies to two other land deals approved by Game Commissioners prior to the meeting.

– In one, they acquired roughly 75 acres in Cherrytree Township, Venango County, that are an indenture to State Game Land 96.

– In the other, they accepted a deposit of about $159,000 into the agency’s restricted revenue account – to be used for the future purchase of lands – from CNX Gathering LLC. CNX, in return, got a special-use permit, allowing it to construct, operate, maintain then ultimately remove about 2,500 feet of water line on State Game Land 302 in West Finley Township, Washington County.

It will be placed within an existing right-of-way.

Finally, the Board of Game Commissioners approved a cooperative agreement with Ernst Farms LLC and French Creek Recreational Trails Inc., which will create and maintain a recreational trail along the length of the former Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad that traverses State Game Land 213 in Crawford County. The trail will take in about 1.4 acres of land, total.

In return, Ernst Farms will convey to the commission the title to 27 lots totaling about 3.9 acres in the Lakeview plan.