Annual Report 2007-2008 - 22

these devices. This 4-hour training class is designed to produce safe, knowledgeable and responsible furtakers. During the past year 23 classes were conducted and 801 students were trained and certified. This curriculum is scheduled to become part of a more comprehensive Furtaker Education program in 2009. Another goal of the agency is to increase hunter and trapper recruitment, with a focus on youth, women and minorities. Independent study 2007-08 options for the agency’s hunter education programs allow a more customer friendly approach. Potential hunters and trappers will find it easier to meet training requirements as they pass through the portal of hunter education into a life-long hunting or trapping experience. Independent study options, whether Internet-based or printed workbooks, allow students to learn at their convenience, a real plus in today’s busy world. Further refinements were made to the new Hunter Education Registration and Reporting System (HERRS), an automated Internet-based system designed to post class information on the web and allow students to register for hunter education classes online. HERRS produces a comprehensive listing of all hunter and trapper education class opportunities on the agency’s website and enables students to actually register online for the class of their choice. Customer convenience and operational efficiency are the greatest features of this new online registration service. An extensive amount of work is being invested in developing and producing an online, independent study version of our basic Hunter-Trapper Education curriculum for deaf and hard of hearing students. Utilizing sophisticated computer software, the current online course, Today’s Hunter and Trapper in Pennsylvania was recorded and enhanced with visual learning aids and a picture-in-picture video of a sign language interpreter. This project, designed to make hunter education more accessible to deaf and hard of hearing students, is the first of its kind in the nation. Game News continues to be the primary voice of the Game Commission, and the hunting stories, natural history content and, as always, Field Notes, remain popular with many readers, not just in Pennsylvania, but also throughout the country and to our servicemen and women throughout the world. Game News also features plenty of articles about Game Commission research and management projects, law enforcement accounts by our WCOs, and as much agency news as ever before. Game News is also a popular part of the agency’s website. Every month we feature our cover and provide descriptions of articles, the editorial, some Field Notes, news items, and entire features about law enforcement accounts and other agency programs. And new this year, we’re pleased to announce the posting of the entire issue of Game News and the 2008-09 Hunting & Trapping Digest online, using new technology designed to put print media online. To see what we’re talking about, go to www.penngamenews.com. To view the Digest, click on the text under the cover icon. To view Game News, click on the text under the Game News cover icon and enter your subscriber number. Currently, this electronic version of the magazine is available to subscribers, school libraries and to cooperators enrolled in PGC public access programs. The online version will allow readers to conduct searches, go directly to particular features and, by using a zoom feature, make the type larger and easier to read. Broadband Internet access works best. One writer won a craft award from a professional outdoor communication organizations for their work in Game News. From the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, Harvey “Bumper” Bauer received the “Wild Turkey Award” sponsored by the PA 22 GAME NEWS
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Annual Report 2007-2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Annual Report 2007-2008
