Pennsylvania Game commissioners approve land acquisitions, mining deals – Outdoor News
Harrisburg — Pennsylvania game commissioners, at their recent quarterly meeting, approved seven acquisitions – one donation, five purchases and one exchange – that would add more than 1,000 acres to state game lands.
The donation involves 203 acres in Lebanon County. The Lebanon County Beagle Club will give its property to the Game Commission if the club ever dissolves.
The acquisitions are:
• Roughly 280 acres in Indiana Township, Allegheny County, near State Game Land 203. This property not only meets a strategic priority of being near a large city – in this case Pittsburgh – but runs along Deer Creek, a stocked trout tributary of the Allegheny River.
The parcel contains several species of greatest conservation need and would provide a buffer for the Rachel Carson Trail.
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• Roughly 116 acres in Bethel Township, Berks County, adjacent to State Game Land 80. It provides access to the existing game lands and contains several species of greatest conservation need.
• Roughly 4 acres in Haycock Township, Bucks County. This is an indenture to State Game Land 157.
• Roughly 1.9 acres in East Rockhill Township, Bucks County. This is an indenture to State Game Land 139.
• Roughly 264 acres in Jefferson Township, Washington County. It connects two parcels of existing game lands that have no current access and nearly doubles the size of State Game Land 303.
The land exchange involves giving 187 acres in Sandy Township, Clearfield County, part of State Game Land 77, to the City of DuBois and DuBois Water Authority in exchange for 204 acres in Union and Huston townships, Clearfield County, adjoining State Game Land 331.
The 187-acre parcel is landlocked and separated from the rest of State Game Land 77 by Interstate 80, so the Game Commission determined the exchange is in the best interests of the agency and game lands users.
Hunters and other users of the game lands system should be aware that none of these additions are yet final. Some are contingent upon third parties receiving funding through grants or other means. What’s more, the Board of Commissioners’ approval of the agreements is but one step in the land-transfer process.
When that process is done, and the properties are officially game lands, the Game Commission will post signs to that effect, stating that they’re now available for public use.
In other action, Game Commissioners approved an agreement allowing RES Coal LLC, of Armagh, to impact roughly 117 acres of State Game Land 198 in Cresson Township, Cambria County, and Juniata Township, Blair County, in order to remove coal to which the Game Commission does not own the rights.
The deal requires RES Coal LLC to pay the Game Commission $3.2 million to offset the surface impacts and also allows for use of a roughly 9-acre mining support area. Additionally, RES will help pay for construction of a road that will provide public access to a portion of the game lands where none exists now.
The Game Commission also purchased at auction the coal rights under about 164 acres of State Game Land 79 in Buffington Township, Indiana County.
The Game Commission is allowed, under certain circumstances, to bid at auctions or tax sales so long as that is announced at a subsequent meeting. This purchase occurred on Aug. 28, so no board action was necessary.
