GAME COMMISSION PARTNERS CELEBRATE PRESERVATION OF LAND

PGC News Release #66-06 June 2, 2006

HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe called it "an example of how partners, working together, can protect and preserve habitat for wildlife in an ever-increasingly developed area."

Gathered with representatives of the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC), the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the Blue Mountain Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI), the Game Commission recognized the contributions that made possible the purchase of a 35-acre parcel on Second Mountain in Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County.

The parcel now is part of State Game Land 211, which currently consists of 44,342 acres.

"This parcel is comprised of regenerating habitat that will benefit deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, squirrels and other wildlife," Roe said. "This also is a key addition to SGL 211, as the south side of Second Mountain is considered an Important Bird Area for migratory raptors.

"As suburban areas continue to be developed, any land that can be preserved for wildlife and public hunting and trapping is critical. Without our partners, we never would have been able to add this parcel to our State Game Lands system." On June 29, 2004, the Board of Game Commissioners approved $12,000 to purchase the tract from CPC, which paid $30,000 to acquire the property.

The Pennsylvania Chapter of NWTF's contribution of $12,000 to CPC for the purchase of this land was in honor of the late Jerry Zimmerman, who, until his untimely death in an automobile accident in 2005, had served as NWTF's Senior Regional Director.

"Jerry Zimmerman was dedicated to the wild turkey resource," said Don Heckman, Pennsylvania Chapter of NWTF executive officer. "In recognition of his many years of work on behalf of the wild turkey, wild turkey habitat and wild turkey hunting, we decided it would be appropriate to make a contribution in his name to honor that dedication."

A sign prepared by the Game Commission's Howard Nursery dedicating the NWTF's contribution toward the project was unveiled at the event, and will soon be erected on SGL 211.

John Plowman, president of the Blue Mountain Chapter of SCI, presented a check for $1,000, which represents the final payment needed to satisfy CPC's mortgage for the property. Blue Mountain Chapter of SCI previously contributed $1,500 toward the purchase of the property, for a total contribution of $2,500.

Others contributing to CPC's purchase of the land were the Harrisburg Natural History Society, $2,483.60; the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs $500; and Alfred Buck, $500.

"The Central Pennsylvania Conservancy's mission is to conserve natural resources and open space for the benefit of current and future generations through the acquisition and protection of land in the Central Pennsylvania Region," said Carol Witzeman, CPC president. "Our organization is dedicated to preserving Central Pennsylvania's natural beauty. Through our efforts and the support of our members, we have preserved thousands of acres of land for future generations, and we are pleased to have played a role in this project."

Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in the Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and furtaking license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations and sportsmen's clubs.

The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals derived from State Game Lands.