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…
Harrisburg, Pa. -– As the 2010 trout season opens next month, Pennsylvanians are reminded that fishing is a fantastic way to enjoy the state’s great outdoors and get some exercise with friends and family. It is also important to remember that fresh trout and other fish can be an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. “Fish are high in…
Lock Haven Express Waterville, Pa. — The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating a “fairly significant discharge” of a white, foamy substance that eventually made its way into Pine Creek. The substance is believed to have come from a natural gas drilling site that the DEP has shut down until tests are done to see what, if any, damage…
Harrisburg — A cooperative partnership is helping local organizations across the state protect and conserve Pennsylvania’s coldwater stream habitats —waterways that are critical to the health of the state’s wild trout fisheries. The Coldwater Heritage Partnership—which includes the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds—recently provided more…
Harrisburg — Tohickon Creek will become a white-water boating enthusiast’s playground March 20-21 when the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources releases water from Lake Nockamixon into the Bucks County waterway. As has been the case in many previous years, the annual recreation event will take place the third weekend of March, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and…
Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Game Commission is looking for experienced hunters and trappers who are interested in becoming volunteer instructors for the agency’s basic Hunter-Trapper Education (HTE), Successful Bowhunting and Successful Furtaking courses, as well as future courses under consideration. “Becoming a volunteer instructor for the Game Commission is one way experienced hunters and trappers can help pass along our…
Harrisburg -– With the junior spring gobbler season set for April 24, and the general spring gobbler season opening on May 1, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe is reminding all first-time license buyers to make plans to attend a Hunter-Trapper Education (HTE) course now. To register for a course in your area, visit the Game Commission’s website…
Harrisburg — Jim Daley, of Cranberry Township, Butler County, recently was honored by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners as the 2009 Hunter-Trapper Education Instructor of the year. “Jim Daley typically goes above-and-beyond the call of duty to provide the best possible education program he and his team can,” said Randy Pilarcik, Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) for Butler…
Harrisburg — As development continues take over wildlife habitats, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery has a way for wildlife enthusiasts to help support wildlife housing needs without having to apply for a second mortgage. The agency’s Howard Nursery is selling a variety of wildlife nesting structures for several species of birds – from bluebirds to flickers, from ducks to…
Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Game Commission today announced a series of upcoming professional development opportunities offered as part of the agency’s Project WILD program. Classroom teachers, early childhood teachers, informal educators, homeschooler leaders and Scout and youth group leaders are welcome to participate in these workshops. Project WILD is an award-winning, international, hands-on conservation education program. It focuses on wildlife…
Roger Latham was destined to be an outdoorsman. He turned himself into a legend. Not that he ever would have admitted as much. Latham, for those who never knew him — and he’s been gone 31 years, so an entire generation doesn’t — was as humble as he was great, according to his friends. He grew up in Western Pennsylvania…
Harrisburg — Sportsmen’s organizations with approved propagation facilities can augment local ring-necked pheasant stockings and increase localized recreational hunting opportunities by raising day‑old pheasant chicks supplied free-of-charge by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Applications to participate can be downloaded from the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), by clicking on “Self Help,” then “Forms & Programs” and then selecting “Pheasant Chick & Egg Program.”…
Edgefield, S.C. — Volunteers with the Jerry Zimmerman Memorial Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation are dedicated to preserving North America’s outdoor traditions by providing opportunities for youth to learn outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, shooting and more. NWTF’s Jerry Zimmerman Memorial Chapter from Zionsville, Pa., won the Best Xtreme JAKES Event Award at the 2010 NWTF national convention….
Harrisburg — According to official 2009 bear harvest figures released today by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, hunters took a total of 3,512 bears, which included 116 bears during the archery bear season; 3,052 bears during the statewide three-day season; and 344 bears during the extended seasons open in select areas of the state. This harvest ranks second among Pennsylvania’s annual…
Edgefield, S.C — The Pennsylvania State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation received two L.A. Dixon Memorial Chapter Awards during the NWTF’s 34th annual National Convention and Sport Show, which was sponsored by Midway USA, in Nashville, Tenn. The Pennsylvania State Chapter was recognized by the NWTF for winning third place in the Highest Total Net/Net Dollars Raised and…
Harrisburg — Samples taken from the 43 hunter-killed elk during the state’s 2009 hunting season have all tested negative for chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to Dr. Walt Cottrell, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s wildlife veterinarian. Samples also tested negative for brucellosis and tuberculosis. Cottrell noted that the Game Commission still is awaiting the results of CWD testing for…
Authorities in eastern China have said they will release 20 million algae-eating fish into one of the nation’s most scenic lakes that has been ravaged by pollution. Taihu Lake, which straddles Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, has been severely polluted by sewage as well as industrial and agricultural waste, triggering a blue-green algae plague. Authorities started using fish to try to…
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently announced the release of a fisheries recommendation for management of water released to Delaware River tributaries from New York City water supply reservoirs. The recommendation focuses on the Delaware River and its tributaries, the East Branch, West Branch and Neversink rivers where New York City reservoirs are located. “We worked…
State College, Pa. — Pennsylvania Game Commission officials recently announced that they plan to conduct controlled burns on the Scotia Barrens on State Game Land 176 in Patton Township, Centre County, to improve habitat conditions within this unique ecosystem. Originally outlined in public meetings and meetings with news media in the area in March of 2009, Game Commission officials said that the planned prescribed…
Harrisburg — Landowners seeking to plant trees beneficial to wildlife can order seedlings being offered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery, which is accepting orders until April 27. Order forms and information are available on the agency’s Web site (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on the “General Store” in the menu bar under the homepage banner, then choosing “Howard Nursery,” and…
Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today issued the following statement on the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee’s audit titled “Examination of Current and Future Costs and Revenues from Forest Products, Oil, Gas and Mineral Extraction on Pennsylvania Game Commission Lands.” “I have to say that I was disappointed in the report, and we have major…
Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl Roe on Tuessay responded to the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee’s audit titled “The Deer Management Program of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, A Comprehensive Review and Evaluation.” “We believe it was a thorough review of our program and we appreciate the constructive criticism,” Roe said. “We welcome the conclusion that the overall scientific foundation of the…
Bills in Congress, some state agencies, and some environmental advocates are promoting a program of buying and selling pollution credits as a way to have regulated polluters pay unregulated farmers hundreds of millions of dollars every year to install practices that reduce nutrient runoff from their farms — the main source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. Advocates for this…
According AccuWeather.com, following a cold snap in the Northeast, Lake Erie’s surface is virtually frozen over for the first time in about 14 years. The ice ranges in thickness between paper thin along the northern shore and several inches along the southern shore, where many people are ice skating. GoErie.com reports that the lake hasn’t completely frozen since the winter…
Jeff Mulhollem Game and fish commissioner appointments have been controversial for a century. Today, with deer-management and trout-stocking issues at the forefront of sportsmen debate, that is likely more true than ever. “If Jesus Christ himself were nominating commissioner candidates, there would still be people unhappy with his selections,” says Robb Miller, adviser to Gov. Ed Rendell for hunting, fishing…
Coyotes of about 50 pounds are not unheard of in Pennsylvania, but to hear that three were just taken in the recent Mosquito Creek Coyote Hunt is an eye-opener. In case you missed it, it was established by a study conducted a few years ago in Massachusetts and Ontario that Eastern coyotes are a hybrid resulting from wolves breeding with…
