HARRISBURG - As part of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's efforts to highlight its ongoing habitat improvement initiatives, the public is invited to take part in tours of five State Game Lands throughout October. All tours are free.

"State Game Land tours provide the opportunity for those who enjoy nature to come out and talk with our employees - the people who are directly responsible for managing and protecting these lands," said Vern Ross, Game Commission executive director. "With autumn nearly here, these tours will provide a chance to see some of the best scenery the Commonwealth has to offer. These tours afford hunters and trappers and others who appreciate wildlife the opportunity to see how the Game Commission is spending hunting and furtaker license fees to acquire and manage these lands for wildlife."

Ross noted that, because of staff shortages and limited financial resources, the number of State Game Lands opened for tours has been reduced this year. But, in recognizing the benefit of the public tours, the agency has maintained the more popular tours.

"It was a difficult decision to scale back on the number of tours we offer this year," Ross said. "However, given the agency's current financial situation, we had to make tough choices this year."

During fiscal year 2003-2004, the Game Commission exceeded the legislated mandate for habitat spending by more than $1.8 million. Under this provision, the agency was required to spend at least $6,003,910 on habitat improvement. At the end of the fiscal year, the agency had actually spent $7,847,000 - $1,843,090 above the legislated mandate.

Also during 2003-2004, Game Commission Food and Cover Corps, Land Managers and

Foresters planted 3,172 acres of grain and 1,355 acres of grasses and legumes for wildlife, and 358 acres were planted in or converted to warm-season grasses. About 6,748 acres of wildlife food plots were limed and fertilized to improve wildlife food production, 17,329 acres were mowed to maintain high-quality grasses and legumes, and 1,113 acres of field and road borders were cut to provide nesting and escape cover. Wetland restoration work was completed on 23 sites across the state. There were 6,575 trees pruned to improve fruit and seed production, and 562 new nest boxes and 317 waterfowl nest structures were erected.

For the 2003-04 fiscal year, the agency's Howard Nursery in Centre County produced 2,226,350 seedlings for planting on State Game Lands and public access lands. Twenty-eight species of important food and cover trees and shrubs are grown at and distributed from the nursery. The wood shop produced 2,439 bluebird boxes, 5,317 bluebird box kits, 390 wood duck boxes, and hundreds of squirrel, kestrel, barn owl and bat boxes requested by land managers for placement on State Game Lands.

In 1919, the Game Commission was granted authority to purchase lands to be set aside for the protection, propagation and management of game and wildlife, and to provide areas for public hunting and trapping. Since that time, the Game Commission has acquired more than 1.4 million acres in 65 of the state's 67 counties (Philadelphia and Delaware counties being the exceptions).

With few exceptions, State Game Lands were purchased by using revenues from the sale of hunting and furtaker licenses; from revenues generated by timber, coal, oil, gas and mineral operations on State Game Lands; from a federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition known as the Pittman-Robertson Program funds; from the sale of Working Together for Wildlife artwork and patches; and from the sale of the Pennsylvania Waterfowl Management stamp and prints.

Information on the various tours by region is as follows:

NORTHCENTRAL REGION:

Elk County: Sunday, Oct. 9, 1-5 p.m., State Game Land 44. The tour will start at the Game Commission State Game Lands Headquarters on Game Commission Road, which is six-tenths of a mile south of Route 949 at the Toby Creek Bridge. Take Route 949 South from the Elk County Courthouse in Ridgway for about 8 miles and then turn left (south) onto Game Commission Road. During the tour visitors will travel to various locations on SGL 44 with Game Commission personnel to view habitat improvement projects and to see deer and wildlife habitat demonstration areas. Anyone who plans to attend should wear hiking boots and hiking clothes as the group will be walking over rocks and fields and through the woods. Persons attending will use their own vehicles to travel from site to site and only high clearance vehicles can be used on the dirt backwoods roads, although four-wheel-drive is not necessary.

NORTHEAST REGION:

Bradford County: Sunday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. (rain or shine). This will be a 20-mile self-guided driving tour through State Game Lands 12 and 36, and will take about two hours to complete. The route will start at the parking lot on top of Wheelerville Mountain along Route 154 just south of Canton, Bradford County. Roads are passable for most vehicles. Since the tour goes by Sunfish Pond County Park, a picnic lunch may be the order of the day! The local history of the mountain and the Game Commission's refuge system is intriguing. A tour guide packet that is full of information and old Game Commission photographs will be given to each vehicle at the start of the tour.

Luzerne/Wyoming counties: Sunday, Oct. 16, State Game Land 57. Registration will be held from 7:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the headquarters building complex on State Game Land 57, Ricketts Station near Lopez, Forkston Township, Wyoming County. Game Commission personnel will be on hand to explain various points of interest, including wildlife habitat improvement projects. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are strongly recommended for this three-hour, 30-mile, self-guided driving tour. The Game Commission may refuse entry to vehicles that don't have sufficient clearance. All vehicles must exit the route by 3 p.m. Each vehicle will receive a map and brief explanation of wildlife management programs being carried out on this parcel. More than 120 species of trees are found in Pennsylvania, many of which will make this State Game Land a colorful autumn showplace. Directions: At the intersection of Routes 487 and 118, take Route 487 north for 7.5 miles and turn onto a dirt road near the State Game Land sign on the right. Travel on a dirt road one-tenth of a mile to a "Y" intersection and go left for three-tenths of a mile to the headquarters complex.

SOUTHEAST REGION:

Berks/Schuylkill counties: Sunday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., State Game Land 110, which encompasses more than 10,000 acres of historical, scenic and recreational property in a two-county area. The nine-mile trip will begin at the agency's parking lot on Mountain Road, midway between the Shartlesville Exit of Interstate 78 and Route 61; and will exit onto Route 183, north of Strausstown. Game Commission Officers will be on hand to answer questions relating to Game Commission programs and activities.

Dauphin/Lebanon/Schuylkill counties: Sunday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., State Game Land 211, which encompasses more than 44,000 acres in a three-county area. The tour will start at the Ellendale gate in Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, just northeast of Dauphin Borough. The 19-mile trip will be made along an abandoned railroad bed, and will end at Goldmine Road, southwest of Tower City, Schuylkill County. Game Commission personnel will be on hand to explain various points of interest, including wildlife habitat improvement projects.

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 more than 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 annual general state taxpayer dollars.

# # #