Pennsylvania Mixed Bag: PGC lifts Middle Creek WMA access restrictions

Harrisburg — Visitors to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area again have regular access to the property.

The Game Commission in early February closed public access to several locations at Middle Creek, including the popular wildlife-viewing area Willow Point, due to concerns about highly pathogenic avian influenza, which at the time was being detected in increasing numbers of wildlife species and locations statewide.

The bird flu outbreak is ongoing nationwide, and the Game Commission continues to respond to reports and detect new cases in wild birds across the commonwealth. However, there have been no mass mortality events in Pennsylvania approaching the scale seen in early January, when upward of 5,000 dead snow geese were removed from two sites in the Lehigh Valley.

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Boat Ramp at Monongahela Access Closed

Monongahela, Pa. —  The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission recently announced that the boat ramp at the Monongahela Access, which provides fishing and boating access to the Monongahela River in Washington County, will be closed indefinitely pending repairs.

The remainder of the access, including the parking lot, will remain open to allow for walk-in fishing.

Due to a change in water levels along the Monongahela River due to a recent project conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, the boat ramp is not functional. Repairs are tentatively scheduled for this fall, and  updates will be provided when the construction period approaches.

Gervald Lackawanna County Game Warden

Harrisburg — Logan Gervald recently was commissioned as a Pennsylvania state game warden after 44 weeks of intensive training and assigned as the district game warden for southern Lackawanna County. He was a member of the 36th cadet class of the Game Commission’s Ross Leffler School of Conservation.

Gervald, a native of Sussex County, New Jersey, is a 2020 graduate of Sussex County Technical School and earned an associate degree from Sussex County Community College.

State game wardens are responsible for administering a wide variety of Game Commission programs within an assigned district of about 350 square miles.

Women’s Intro to Wingshooting Offered

Mount Jewett, Pa. — The Ruffed Grouse Society it will offer the Women’s Introduction to Wingshooting Program at the Mount Jewett Sportsmen’s Club on July 19-20 and Aug. 23-24. The course is for women and taught by women.

On both Saturdays, the course starts at noon and ends at 4 p.m., and on both Sundays, the course starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.

Register by contacting bjmf989@gmail.com. Attendance is required for both weekends to graduate from the program.  Lodging is available, if needed, but is limited. A hunt will be offered to the graduates on Sunday, Sept. 7, at a nearby sportsmen’s club.

Butterflies Decline by 22% in US in 20 Years

Binghamton, N.Y.  — If the joy of seeing butterflies seems increasingly rare these days, it isn’t your imagination.

From 2000 to 2020, the number of butterflies fell by 22% across the continental United States. That’s one in five butterflies lost. The findings are from an analysis recently published in the journal Science by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Powell Center Status of Butterflies of the United States Working Group.

Declines were found in just about every region of the continental U.S. and across almost all butterfly species.

Overall, nearly one-third of the 342 butterfly species studied declined by more than half. Twenty-two species fell by more than 90%.

New Assistant Manager for Codorus Park

Harrisburg — The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced the appointment of Dan Clark as the assistant manager for 3,500-acre Codorus State Park in York County, which includes popular Lake Marburg.

Clark began his career at DCNR in 2002 as a custodian at Codorus. He subsequently held positions as a semiskilled laborer, maintenance repairman, wastewater treatment plant operator, maintenance supervisor, and manager trainee leading to his appointment.

A Hanover native, Clark is a graduate of Hanover High School who holds certifications in wastewater and pool operations.

Flight 93 Deer Problem Meeting Held

Stoystown, Pa.  — The Flight 93 National Memorial recently held a public meeting at the park’s memorial learning center to discuss a deer management plan for the property.

Because of its national memorial status, the 1,500 acres managed by the park is a no-hunting zone and overpopulated with deer. Officials say the deer population is creating problems.

The forest is not able to regenerate, Colleen Curry, regional chief of resource management for the National Park Service, told attendees, adding that there are definite browse lines where the deer are eating everything within their reach.

One solution, she said, was to hire sharpshooters to come to the park at night and reduce the population. That proposal drew angry pushback from hunters in attendance.