PA Sportsmen Already Paying The Price

By Bob Frye, Tribune-Review

You walk into your doctor's office with a bullet hole in one leg, stab wounds in your chest, severe burns on your feet and, what the heck, let's throw in a doozy of a hangnail, too.

Clearly, you need care.

And your doctor's response?

He asks if you've been taking your vitamins. He wonders if you've considered getting more exercise. He suggests you fundraise to buy bandages and promises you baby aspirin, maybe, later, if you can convince the neighbors you need them.

That's how Pennsylvania lawmakers treated sportsmen last week.

The executive directors of the Pennsylvania Game and Fish and Boat commissions delivered their annual reports to the members of the House of Representatives game and fisheries committee. As expected, both spent a significant portion of their time asking for money.

Hunting and furtaking license prices haven't changed since 1999; fishing licenses not since 2005.

Increasingly, that's leading to consequences.

The Game Commission has already closed two pheasant farms, something that will mean 50,000 fewer pheasants ­­— at least — for hunters this fall. Next up, said executive director Matt Hough, might be the shuttering of the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and Howard Nursery, which provides trees and shrubs for game lands.

The Fish and Boat Commission, meanwhile, will have no choice but to make “deep program cuts” starting in 2018 without additional revenue, said executive director John Arway. It's likely some of those will come via hatcheries, he warned.

Both agencies are short on law enforcement officers — the front line against poaching — and may get shorter, the directors said.

That's all on lawmakers.

Only they can increase prices. The fact that they haven't in so long is, as Wes Waldron of the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania said recently, “at best unconscionable.”

What's the holdup?

Naked self preservation.

Lawmakers didn't display any animus toward the commissions, unlike in times past. But they danced all around the fee issue.

They quizzed the agencies on whether they're cutting costs. They suggested other ways of raising revenue, like selling permits to allow people to use ATVs on game lands. One offered to propose giving each $1 million in general tax money — something that's unprecedented — to tide them over until something, meaning who knows what, changes.

That's all fine as far as it goes. The commissions should be pressured to be efficient and creative.

But none of those ideas will solve their problems or help sportsmen.

Several lawmakers said they understand that and have heard virtually every statewide sportsmen's group say they favor fee hikes.

But they also made clear they won't risk votes back home to do anything about it, not until the commissions can somehow prove an even wider groundswell of support.

Enough's enough.

No one likes paying more for anything. But the time's come.

Sportsmen who value fish and wildlife and the recreation they provide must tell lawmakers to properly our natural resource agencies.

If not, we'll all pay the price in other ways.

Bob Frye is the Tribune-Review outdoors editor. Reach him at 412-216-0193 or bfrye@tribweb.com. See other stories, blogs, videos and more at everybodyadventures.com.

Spring Is Almost Here - Really!

Sooner or later, winter will let up – and bluebirds will nest.

In a winter like this one, it might seem spring will never come.

But it’s guaranteed to get here. And now is the perfect time to start “thinking spring” by making plans to connect with wildlife in your own backyard when temperatures warm.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission again is selling bluebird nesting boxes. The boxes sell for $10.60 (includes sales tax), and customers can select from assembled boxes or kits that can be assembled as a wood-working project.

“Bluebirds are early nesters, so now is the time to put up new nest boxes, as well as to clean and repair existing boxes,” said Dan Brauning, Game Commission Wildlife Diversity Division chief. “These bluebird boxes enable Pennsylvanians to help wildlife in a natural way.

“Also, building nesting boxes is a great project for individuals, families or civic organizations interested in connecting with wildlife. These box designs are proven to attract bluebirds and other native species, such as tree swallows and house wrens.”

Bluebirds live in open country, and are a beautiful songbird native to Pennsylvania. Bluebirds are cavity nesters and became less common due to a lack of suitable nest sites. Many nest sites have been lost through changing land-use practices, as well as to urban and suburban sprawl. But the introductions of house sparrows and starlings in 1851 and 1890 were the primary reasons for the bluebirds’ decline, as these non-native species took over native bluebird nesting cavities.

The bluebird boxes offered by the Game Commission include an opening that is the prescribed 1½  inches in diameter. This precludes starlings from being able to enter. However, house sparrows still are able to enter the boxes. If this occurs, the house sparrow nest should be removed immediately. They’re usually easy to identify; they fill up the whole nesting cavity with grasses and almost always include feathers and manmade materials in their composition. Native species such as tree swallows and house wrens should not be excluded from nest-boxes. Wrens construct nests with twigs; swallows build a nest with a distinct cup below the entrance hole.

Boxes should be placed on a free-standing pole 3 to 5 feet above the ground – facing south, if possible – and facing a nearby tree or fence where young birds can safely land on their initial flights from the box. To reduce predation and competition from other species, no perch should be placed on the box; bluebirds do not need one. Boxes placed in pairs, about 20 feet apart, may help reduce competition from swallows.

The Game Commission’s Howard Nursery has been manufacturing bluebird nest boxes and box kits for more than a quarter century. Each year, about 9,000 boxes are manufactured there and sold or provided to Pennsylvanians to help bluebirds. That annual influx of new nest boxes helps ensure Pennsylvania remains a “keystone state” in bluebird conservation.

The boxes are on sale at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters, the Howard Nursery, the Game Commission’s six region offices, and can be ordered by mail through an order form available online. Sales will continue while supplies last.

 Office hours are Monday to Friday from 7:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Game Commission’s headquarters is at 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81 in Harrisburg.

The Howard Nursery is located at 197 Nursery Road, Howard, Pa.

To order by phone, call the Game Commission’s Harrisburg office at 1-888-888-3459. If ordering by phone, shipping and handling costs will apply depending on how many boxes are ordered.

The 2014 Wildlife Homes Order Form will soon be available at the Game Commission’s website. It will be found under the “General Store” tab, and in the “Howard Nursery” category.

For more information on bluebirds, visit the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), hover over “Wildlife” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage, then select “Birding and Bird Conservation”, and then “Eastern Bluebird” in the Natural History section of the page. Also, information about additional wildlife nesting structures can be found by putting your cursor on “Self-Help” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage, then clicking on “Download Forms and Brochures” in the drop-down menu listing, and then clicking on “Wildlife Homes Order Form” in the “Agency Programs” section.

Seedling Sales To Begin Jan. 6 Offered By The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery

Landowners can help wildlife by planting trees and shrubs.

            

While it might be winter, landowners can begin making plans to help wildlife this spring – and beyond – by planting tree and shrub seedlings offered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery.

The 2014 seedling order form is available online, and sales are set to begin Jan. 6.

Most seedlings are sold in units of 25, but 100-seedling bundles also are available in mixes to benefit deer, game birds and songbirds, as well as to improve riparian and winter-thermal habitats.

The 2014 order form contains a wide selection of evergreens, shrubs and fruit- and nut-bearing trees. Most species are native to Pennsylvania, and with the exception of black locust, all of the available hardwoods are grown from seed collected from Pennsylvania sources and processed by Game Commission personnel.

Two offerings have been added to the order form this year. Black-gum/Black Tupelo is a slow-growing tree that provides food for birds and wildlife and, as it grows, often provides nesting cavities. A unit of 25 1-year-old seedlings is available for $12.50.

Also available this year is a mixed-oak collection, which may contain some or all of northern red oak, white oak, chestnut oak, pin oak and black oak seedlings. A unit of 25 seedlings is available for $8.75, but – like many of the seedlings offered for sale – can be purchased at a discounted price.

Although a discount is not offered for all species or habitat bundles, orders of 12 or more total units qualify for applicable discounted pricing. With the discount, prices are as low as $3.75 per bundle, or 15 cents per seedling.

The mixed-oak bundle costs $6.25 with the discount. 

Species that qualify for the discount are marked on the order form.

Annetta Ayers, superintendent at Howard Nursery, said there is a very limited supply of some of the seedlings for sale. Those who are interested might want to call Howard Nursery at 814-355-4434. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Orders can be placed by telephone, as well.

The order form and information about the seedlings for sale are available at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us or use this direct link. Place your cursor over “General Store” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage, then scroll down to “Howard Nursery” and select “2014 Seedling Order Form” from the drop-down menu. If you have problems downloading the order form, you likely need to install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be found by doing an Internet search and downloaded for free.

The order form can be completed and submitted online, or printed out and faxed or mailed. Payments are not due until the order is confirmed by Howard Nursery. For those without Internet access, order forms can be obtained at Game Commission offices or various displays or booths at shows in which the agency participates through the spring or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Howard Nursery, 197 Nursery Road, Howard, PA 16841.

While the order form provides a brief description of the tree species available and their benefits to birds and wildlife, more information is available on the website under “Tree Seedling Index.”

The preferred method of delivery is by United Parcel Service (UPS). Shipping and handling charges do apply.

Orders are shipped only Monday through Wednesday to assure delivery for weekend planting. However, orders also may be picked up in person at the nursery once buyers are notified the order is ready.

Generally, seedlings ship in the month of April

PA Game Commission Urges Participation In Christmas Bird Count

Volunteers sought for annual citizen-science survey.

Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are urging wildlife enthusiasts to join the tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the United States in the Audubon Society’s 114th Annual Christmas Bird Count, which will take place Dec. 14 through Jan. 5.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen-science survey in the world, and the data collected through the count allows researchers, conservation biologists, and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America.

Local counts will occur on one day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. Volunteers can pick the most convenient circle, or participate in more than one count. There is a specific methodology to the CBC, but everyone can participate. The count takes place within “Count Circles,” which focus on specific geographical areas. Each circle is led by a “Count Compiler,” who is an experienced birdwatcher, enabling beginning birders to learn while they assist.

Those who live within the boundaries of a Count Circle can even stay at home and report the birds that visit their backyard feeders.

In either case, the first step is to locate a Count Circle that’s seeking participants and contact the local Count Compiler on Audubon’s website, www.audubon.org, to find out how you can volunteer.

There is no longer a fee to participate in the Christmas Bird Count.

Dan Brauning, who heads up the Game Commission’s wildlife diversity division, said the Christmas Bird Count makes an indispensible contribution to conservation because it monitors bird species that spend winters in Pennsylvania.

“Some of these species are much easier to count or monitor in winter because their breeding ground is so far north in areas where there are few people or roads to give access to habitat,” Brauning said.

The rusty blackbird, for instance, migrates from the boreal taiga forests of Canada and Alaska to the southeastern United States in winter, Brauning said. Pennsylvania is on the northern edge of its winter range, and it sometimes turns up in the Christmas Bird Count, he said.

Hawks also are more easily counted in winter, Brauning said.

Brauning said the Christmas Bird Count is a good way to introduce beginners to bird identification. It is much easier in winter to find birds through your binoculars, he said.

“Birds are easier to spot because the trees lack the leaves that hide birds from your eyes in spring and summer,” Brauning said. “And there are fewer bird species around in winter than at other times of year, so it is easier to learn bird species identification. In fact, many birders got started in this hobby in winter in a car with more experienced birders on a Christmas count.”

Spreading The Word About Birds On Game Commission Website

Game Commission website offerings on wild bird upgraded

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Game Commission today unveiled a redesigned and expanded birding and bird conservation section on its website to help it better communicate the importance of wild birds to the millions who visit the website annually.

“We have always recognized that there is tremendous interest in birding and bird conservation among Pennsylvanians, but it hasn’t been easy to meet that demand with content on our website, because of our limited number of wildlife diversity biologists are incredibly busy,” explained Carl G. Roe, agency executive director. “These upgrades have been in development for the better part of two years, and with them now in place, our wild bird content overnight has become an indispensible resource for anyone from students to birders to backyard bird feeders.”

The new section offers advice on where to go statewide to see birds, when the best times of day are to go and what you can expect to see. Learn about migratory behavior. Figure out what seeds to put in your feeders to attract the wild birds you really want to see. Get help in making your property more bird friendly. Get background on how you can take part in important projects conducted annually to help biologists keep tabs on bird numbers.

“There’s always a need for more participants in the Great Backyard Bird Count, Pennsylvania Annual Migratory Count and even the Christmas Bird Count” explained Doug Gross, supervisor of the agency Endangered and Nongame Birds Section. “Visit these pages and learn firsthand how you can get involved, work with other birders and make a difference in bird conservation. We could really use your help!”

Pennsylvania is truly a keystone state when it comes to wild birds because the Appalachian Mountains have been part of a continental migratory highway for birds since the days of the passenger pigeon. There are 285 species of wild birds that are regular denizens of the state; another 129 species are less frequent visitors. It’s that diversity of birdlife that makes Pennsylvania so special to birders.

“We’ve taken substantial steps on these pages to acquaint more Pennsylvanians with the state’s wild birds and the agency’s role in bird conservation, both within the Commonwealth’s borders and internationally,” said Dan Brauning, supervisor of the agency’s Wildlife Diversity Division. “This content will help more people see the value of wild birds, and get them closer to birds. It also offers ways to get involved in bird conservation and to make your property safer and more attractive to birds. Please visit. You’ll see a side of Pennsylvania that surely will charm you and likely hook you on wild birds for life!”

To access the new Birding and Bird Conservation Section of the agency website – www.pgc.state.pa.us – place your cursor over “Wildlife” in the top navigation, and select “Birding/Bird Conservation in the dropdown menu. The new section can be accessed from the Wildlife Page

Our Own Bald Eagles!

These Bald Eagles were photographed a few weeks ago along the Allegheny River in Brackenridge, 15 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, PA,, near the Allegheny Ludlum Steel Plant.  

Photos sent in by club member Bill Motosicky

Game Commission Urges Support For Wildlife Housing Issues

            HARRISBURG – As development continues to consume wildlife habitats, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery has devised a way for wildlife enthusiasts to help support wildlife housing needs without having to apply for a second mortgage. The nursery is selling a variety of wildlife nesting structures for several species of birds – from bluebirds to flickers and ducks to owls – as well as housing boxes for bats and squirrels. 

“According to Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Action Plan, development consumes more than 300 acres of Pennsylvania’s landscape per day,” said Carl G. Roe, Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director.  “Although we can’t keep pace with losses caused by urban and suburban sprawl, the Game Commission is working hard to preserve and improve habitat on its more than 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands and other public and private lands.

“For years, our Howard Nursery has been constructing a number of different wildlife nesting structures for placement on State Game Lands and to private landowners enrolled in the agency’s Hunter Access Program. To enable private landowners to lend a hand to wildlife, we also are offering for sale a variety of nesting boxes, beyond the popular bluebird boxes.”

Homeowners – the human kind, that is – can view the entire selection of nesting structures for sale on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on “General Store” in drop-down menu bar under the homepage banner, clicking on “Howard Nursery Products” and then choosing “Wildlife Homes Order Form.”  The two-page brochure and order form lists the nesting structures by habitat type, to guide landowners in determining which nesting structure is best suited for their property. 

Available nesting structures - listed by habitat types and approximate sizes (in inches) and prices - are as follows:

Open Land or Woodland Margins – American kestrel box, 24x10x12, $20; gray and fox squirrel box, 22x12x13, $31; bluebird, chickadee or wren box (completed) or kit (unassembled), 14x6x8, $9; northern flicker box, 32x8x12, $40; bat box, 36x25x10, $95; or winter roosting box (can be used by chickadees, wrens, nuthatches, titmice, woodpeckers or bluebirds), 30x10x12, $30.

Hardwood Forests – barred owl box, 33x18x16, $50; or flying squirrel box, 9x9x13, $25.

Farmlands or Open Lands – barn owl box, 17x41x12, $58.

Wetlands and Associated Uplands – wood duck box, 31x12x12, $31; or mallard duck box, 24x13x13, $27.

Prices listed do not include shipping/handling costs, which range from $9 to $26 per unit, plus applicable state sales taxes.  All boxes come assembled and with instructions on where and how to place. 

Once an order is received, a representative from the Game Commission’s Howard Nursery will contact the customer to confirm the order and discuss scheduled shipping dates.  Completed orders can be mailed (P.O. Boxes are not acceptable for delivery), or arrangements can be made for customers to pick up their orders at Howard Nursery.