Pennsylvania Game News - January 2011 - 12

2009-10

Pennsylvania’s endangered and threatened birds and mammals posted on the agency website. Annual reports are also available online, as are articles on the Pennsylvania eBird website and opportunities for the public to participate in bird population surveys via online reporting. Our biologists regularly present information on Pennsylvania’s research and management of wildlife species of concern at professional conferences and symposiums on conservation issues and co-author papers published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals.

Manage and protect a network of public and private lands and waters to provide habitat for wildlife.
The agency’s public access programs continue to provide hunting opportunities on private lands. This year, 13,932 cooperators allowed hunting access to 2,794,356 acres of private land. Hunting was also available on 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands. To provide access to Game Lands, 4,068 miles of roads are maintained. To keep these roads open, 6,233 culvert pipes, 73 bridges and 764 miles of the road surface were maintained. These access corridors also facilitate habitat management. This fiscal year 2,498 acres of Game Lands were acquired, and our Food & Cover Corps crews cleared, inspected and marked 1,168 miles of boundary lines. Highlighting recently implemented wildlife habitat techniques, 9,000 signs were placed on Game Lands to explain food plots, prescribed fire treatments, deer fence exclosures, forest management areas and the creation of open areas. Local government bodies annually receive $1.20 per acre from the Game Fund for payment in-lieu-of taxes, as required by law. During the year, $1,733,989 was sent to counties, school districts and townships where State Game Lands are located. Six demonstration areas were established on State Game Lands for the Appalachian Mountains Woodcock Initiative. These areas provide on-the-ground examples of best management practices for American woodcock, a species of greatest conservation need in the agency’s Wildlife Action Plan. Shooting ranges on Game Lands provide a place for hunters to gain proficiency with their sporting arms. Food & Cover staff conducted 1,890 range visits and provided major safety upgrades on two ranges. The Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management was involved in nine public informational briefs to varied levels of local government and conservation based organizations, and three highly publicized training/implementation events throughout the commonwealth involving the use of controlled fire as a wildlife habitat management tool. Invasive species that negatively impact wildlife were detected and treated with herbicides on 2,686 acres of Game Lands. Through the Real Estate Division’s Right-ofWay License program, license agreements were made that will protect 135 acres from invasive plant species, which directly benefited existing wildlife habitat resources. Since the creation of the PGC Wind Energy Voluntary Cooperative Agreement, 29 wind development companies have become cooperators, thus agreeing to avoid, minimize and potentially mitigate adverse impacts the development of wind energy on private lands may have on wildlife. Thirty-eight projects were reviewed for potential
12 GAME NEWS
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2011
