Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists are seeking assistance from residents in a regional monitoring effort to collect bat maternity colony data this summer. This monitoring is especially important due to the mortalities in bat populations throughout the northeastern United States, including Pennsylvania, being caused by White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). “WNS primarily kills during the winter, but the true impact of WNS…
Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced that the agenda for the Board of Game Commissioners upcoming June meeting has been posted on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us). To view a copy of the agenda, select “Commissioners’ Meeting,” under “Quick Clicks” and then click on the text link to the agenda. The Board will meet…
Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Game commissioners will hold their upcoming meeting on June 28-29, in the auditorium of the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters at 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81 here. On Monday, June 28, the board will gather public comments and hear Game Commission staff reports beginning at 8:30 a.m. Doors will open at 7:45 a.m. Registration for…
Harrisburg — Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said today that his agency intends to investigate aggressively the circumstances surrounding a blowout at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well in Lawrence Township, Clearfield County, and take the appropriate enforcement action. At approximately 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, the operators of the well, which is owned by EOG Resources, Inc.,…
Harrisburg — While Pennsylvania’s junior pheasant hunt seems like a long way off, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe noted that now is the time for hunting clubs to make plans to host an organized junior pheasant hunt. “The future of hunting is directly related to the continuing participation of young Pennsylvanians,” Roe noted. “The goal is to…
Harrisburg — Beginning Monday, June 14, Pennsylvania hunting and furtaker licenses for the 2010-11 seasons will go on sale throughout the state, according to Carl G. Roe, agency executive director. Licenses will be available through the Game Commission’s Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS), over-the-counter at all Game Commission region offices and the Harrisburg headquarters, as well as the more than 600…
Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl Roe today announced that York County residents who need to contact one of the agency’s three full-time Wildlife Conservation Officers should direct their inquiries to the Southcentral Region Office, headquartered in Huntingdon, Huntingdon County. Calls for WCO services would include those seeking to report a hunting or trapping violations or violations against wildlife,…
Harrisburg -– In its ongoing mission to protect Pennsylvania’s native biodiversity, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Wild Resource Conservation Program again is accepting applications for grants to protect the state’s non-game animals, native plants and their habitats. This year the program is soliciting grant applications in four areas: identifying species and natural communities at risk from climate change;…
Bellefonte, PA – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is hosting a series of regional public meetings. The purpose is to gather comments from anglers on smallmouth bass management in the Susquehanna River and its major tributaries. All anglers are encouraged to attend. Working in small groups, attendees will be asked a series of questions on smallmouth bass regulations….
Reston, Va. — Atrazine, one of the most commonly used herbicides in the world, has been shown to affect reproduction of fish, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study. “Concentrations of atrazine commonly found in agricultural streams and rivers caused reduced reproduction and spawning, as well as tissue abnormalities in laboratory studies with fish,” said USGS scientist Donald Tillitt,…
State College, Pa. — More than a thousand schools across Pennsylvania this spring received seedlings through the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Seedlings for Schools program. Most of the seedlings, which shipped from the commission’s Howard Nursery in Centre County in time for Arbor Day, were part of the Seedlings for Your Class component of the program aimed primarily at third grade…
Harrisburg — Landowners looking to enroll in the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), which is designed to help landowners manage deer on their properties, have until June 12 to mail an application to the appropriate Game Commission Region Office. Applications will be accepted by U.S. mail only, as postmarks will be required to establish processing priorities. In…
Reading, Pa. — Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today recently that Roy Gordon Lovell, 74, of Glen Rock pled guilty to one count of the unlawful killing of a Canada goose and one count of false or fraudulent statements to an officer on April 28. The charges stemmed from an incident on April 20, in Codorus Township, York County. “Although there is a…
State College, Pa. — Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area – a place synonymous with some of the best waterfowl hunting and waterfowl watching that Pennsylvania has to offer – needs some touch-up. Soon after the 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir was created in northwestern Pennsylvania in 1935, ducks and geese began using the wetlands around it for critical nesting grounds and migration stopover….
Harrisburg — Coupling two of America’s favorite pastimes – baseball and hunting -– Pennsylvania Game Commission and the State College Spikes officials today announced that fans who bring their 2010-11 Pennsylvania hunting or furtaker license to the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Box Office will receive one free outfield bleacher ticket with the purchase of a full-price outfield bleacher ticket….
Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Game Commission announed five land actions the agency has made recently at its recent quarterly meeting here: Board enables greater flexibility to purchase land To enable Pennsylvania Game Commission staff to act expeditiously to acquire lands, waters, oil, gas and minerals rights, the Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to a regulatory change to…
Harrisburg — In an effort to garner appreciation for wildlife, especially the state’s bluebird population, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s webcasting of a live video feed from a bluebird nestbox on the grounds of its Harrisburg Headquarters now is providing a glimpse into an active nest. To view the live feed, visit the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on the “Bluebird Nestbox…
Harrisburg — The agenda for the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners’ meeting, which is slated for April 19-20, was recently posted on the agency’s Web site (www.pgc.state.pa.us, and can be viewed by clicking the “Next Commissioners’ Meeting” box in the center of the homepage and then on the agenda link at the bottom of the page. The board meeting will be…
Harrisburg — Coupling two of America’s favorite pastimes – baseball and hunting – the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Altoona Curve AA Baseball officials recently announced that fans who bring their current Pennsylvania hunting or furtaker license to any Wednesday home game will earn a $1 discount on grandstand tickets. This offer will start with the April 14 game against the Richmond…
Harrisburg — A two-day poaching spree in early December that resulted in at least eight dead deer has been resolved with guilty pleas by two Westmoreland County men. Ryan Simonds, 20, of Derry, and Garrett McConnell, 19, of New Alexandria, pleaded guilty to charges filed at District Judge Mark Bilik’s office in Bradenville, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Each…
Harrisburg — Trishelle Barish, 22, of Weirton, W. Va., recently pled guilty to 10 charges related to a poaching incident in mid-January in Hanover Township, Washington County, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Barish pled guilty to six counts of unlawful use of lights while hunting; one count of resisting or interfering with an officer; one count of damage to property;…
In the past environmentalists, from Lord Stern to Sir Paul McCartney, have urged people to stop eating meat because the methane produced by cattle causes global warming. However a new study found that cattle grazed on the grasslands of China actually reduce another greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide. Authors of the paper, published in Nature, say the research does not mean…
“Bald Eagle To Be Removed From Maryland’s Threatened List (Associated Press, Jan. 21).” It was the news, but not the real story. We’ll always be eagle-centric, attentive to the “charismatic megafauna,” like eagles and elephants, whales and sad-eyed seal pups. But read beyond the tidings of our national symbol’s comeback from endangerment. Maryland also took action on dozens of other…
Harrisburg – The month of April is known for rain showers, but a new Pennsylvania Geological Survey report says that the state’s groundwater actually recharges the most during March. The report, “Summary of Groundwater-Recharge Estimates for Pennsylvania,” was done in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and is available on the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Web site at…
Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will be meeting on Monday and Tuesday, April 19-20, at the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81. The meetings will begin at 8:30 a.m. on both days. On Monday, April 19, the Board will hear public comments on the proposed 2010-11 hunting and…
Harrisburg — With 35 years of service to the Commonwealth’s wildlife and hunters and trappers, Pennsylvania Game Commission Deputy Executive Director Michael W. Schmit will retire April 16, and, according to the agency’s current director, leave enormous shoes to fill. “You cannot replace a ‘Mike Schmit,’” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “His knowledge and experience in the Game…
