Pennsylvania Game News - January 2013 - 41

changes brought about by people, or changes in environmental conditions or ecosystems. Some are naturally occurring, some are not. But all present the same unfortunate consequence: a species in trouble. “Some species listed as endangered or threatened in Pennsylvania are so distinguished because their range barely extends into the state, or their population has a fragile foothold here.” Under the action taken by the Board, the upland sandpiper, a grassland nesting bird long-classified as threatened, has been moved to the endangered species list, because it has declined precipitously over the last two decades and has virtually disappeared from Pennsylvania. The northern harrier, once a rare but regular breeder in the state, has experienced a marked decline here, as well as in northwest and northcentral regions of the country, over the last few decades, prompting the Board to approve adding this species to the state’s list of threatened birds. The northern harrier is listed as either endangered or threatened in most neighboring states. Long-eared owls are extremely rare breeders in Pennsylvania, and difﬁcult to survey. Nesting locations have been confirmed in only seven locations in recent years, despite a concerted survey effort over much of the last decade; most nests are located in the Ridge and Valley and Appalachian Plateau regions. The rarity and scattering of nest records within the state have prompted this proposal to list the long-eared owl as threatened. Finally, in a reorganization of

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Call: 1-855-724-8681 or Visit: www.pgc.state.pa.us

warbler nomenclature in 2011 by the American Ornithologists’ Union, the genus Dendroica was changed to Setophaga, necessitating this administrative change in the scientiﬁc name of the blackpoll warbler, which is on the state’s endangered species list. Also at its meeting, the Board approved three land proposals that will increase the State Game Lands system by 726 acres. The ﬁrst proposal involves a donation of 183 acres in Lafayette Township, McKean County, from Seneca Resources Corporation that adjoins SGL 62, McKean County. The property is mostly forested with mixed hardwoods and is interspersed with natural wetland openings covering about 40 acres throughout the tract. The headwaters of Fuller Brook ﬂow through the tract. Township Road 572 (Riterville Road) bisects the northern portion of the property and will provide access for hunters and trappers. The second is the purchase of 333 acres in Shade Township, Somerset County, from Curtis and Lucille Swallow, for $336,300, which will be paid with funds from third party commitments for compensation of habitat and recreational losses that

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES who require special assistance at Game Commission public functions should contact the telephone number listed with the announcement, the appropriate region ofﬁce or the Harrisburg headquarters. Phone numbers for each region are listed in Game News; the Harrisburg number is 717-787-4250.

JANUARY 2013

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us

Pennsylvania Game News - January 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2013