ACSL Game Committee 03/09/06
Legislation – PA House
HB 213, Godshall, Amends Title 18, providing penalties for acts committed by animal rights activists, environmental extremists, and others, defined as eco-terrorism. Includes a provision categorizing hunter harassment as an act of eco-terrorism, thereby increasing penalties to strengthen the already existing hunter harassment law.
Passed the House of Representatives – 3/16/05, passed Senate Appropriations Committee 2/13/06, awaits Senate floor vote.
HB 2435 Tigue, Amends Title 34 (Game) further providing for: (b.1) Regular antlered deer hunting season. - Notwithstanding any provision of law or regulation to the contrary, the regular antlered deer hunting season shall be 15 consecutive calendar days in length beginning on the first Saturday following Thanksgiving and continuing for the next 14 calendar days including the two consecutive Sundays and ending at the conclusion of hunting hours on the third Saturday after Thanksgiving. The hunting hours for the regular antlered deer season shall be fixed by regulation of the commission. Introduced 2/7/06, Referred to Committee on Game and Fisheries
This bill legislatively establishes the dates of the regular antlered deer season (while attempting to enable Sunday antlered deer hunting). It is the job of the Game Commission to set “seasons and bag limits”, under it’s mandate to manage wildlife. It is bad precedent for the legislature to do so.
àUPDATE: It has been recently remarked by a member of the Game & Fisheries Committee that this bill is “DOA, not a good bill”.
HB 2133 Fairchild, Amends Title 75 (Vehicles), further providing FOR SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATES, for identification card, FOR UNATTENDED CHILDREN IN MOTOR VEHICLES, FOR PERIODS FOR REQUIRING LIGHTED LAMPS, FOR AUTHORITY TO USE FLASHING OR REVOLVING BLUE LIGHTS AND FOR RESTRICTIONS ON HIGHWAY AND BRIDGE USE. Passed the House of Representatives – 3/06/06, referred to Senate.
Provides for an identification card for any person 11 years of age or older, to obtain a Junior Hunting or Fishing License. This provision complements a provision in HB 2134 (Limiting the collection of Social Security numbers on State and local government forms; PROHIBITING HEALTH INSURERS FROM USING SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS; and further providing for duties of the Department of Transportation) that will allow a Social Security Number alternative to be used when applying for a recreational license. Undoubtedly, this provision would have to be revisited if the proposed Beginner Hunting License is implemented.
This is another prime example of the state having to tinker with its laws to comply with mandated Federal regulation, under the threat of loosing Federal funding. The simplest and best solution is to eliminate the Federal requirement to supply Social Security Numbers for recreational licenses. Currently proposed Federal legislation (S 2249 and HR 4144) would do that.
Hanna introducing legislation to have
Game Commission pay its own legal fees
HARRISBURG, March 6 – State Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre, plans to
introduce legislation that would require the Pennsylvania Game Commission to pay its own legal fees.
Currently, the commission’s fees for legal action it initiates or lawsuits brought against it are paid for out of the state’s General Fund. The legislation would require the commission to pay its legal fees out of its own funds.
“The Game Commission seems to be unwisely aggressive in initiating legal action because of its access to General Fund money to pay for those costs. It negotiates rights-of-way, boundary line disputes and even criminal appeals as if it has nothing to lose. Like everyone else in the court process, the commission needs to have to worry about costs when weighing whether to accept a settlement proposal,” Hanna said.
During fiscal year 2004-05, the commission’s legal fees totaled $113,959.
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Mike Hanna news release
GAME COMMISSION ANNOUNCES THAT SECOND "WOLF" CONTAINED BY OWNER IN ADAMS COUNTY CASE PGC News Release #21 - 2/24/06
HARRISBURG - Information provided by a confidential informant helped Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today locate the second of two animals that are suspected of being either gray or timber wolves or wolf-hybrids, and the animal has been contained by its owner. Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Darren David is continuing with an investigation, and will not be releasing further information until the investigation is complete.
According to WCO David's investigation, on Feb. 19, an individual shot one of two animals believed to be wolves or wolf-hybrids after it displayed aggressive actions. After killing the animal, the individual contacted the Game Commission Southcentral Region Office and turned over the carcass to officers.
"We are going to have the carcass examined and tested to verify whether this is a pure-bred wolf or some hybrid," David said. "However, given public concern about the second animal's whereabouts, we wanted to let the public know that the animal has been contained."
Further announcements will be made when the results of the tests and investigation are finalized.GAME COMMISSION SEEKS INFORMATION ABOUT ILLEGAL RELEASE OF WOLVES IN ADAMS COUNTY PGC News Release #20 (excerpt) - 2/23/06
"Game Commission policy requires proposed species reintroductions to be appropriate and feasible," said Calvin W. DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director. "We believe that any reintroduction program involving wolves or other large predators would be impractical and inappropriate given the population distribution and density of people in our state. We do not believe that there are any areas remote enough in our state where large predators could be reintroduced without setting up a conflict situation for people or other wildlife valued by people."
PGC – DCNR Joint News Release: Feb. 21, 2006
(excerpts)
EXPANDED AERIAL SURVEY EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO BETTER GAUGE DEER POPULATIONS
State Game Lands Included in Flights Covering more than 500,000 Acres of WoodlandsSections of six state forest districts, seven state Game Lands, and two wildlife management units will be surveyed in aerial flights continuing into early spring. Results will be compared to on-the-ground measures of deer density and habitat conditions to provide a clearer picture of deer browsing impact on the forest ecosystems.
Targeted acreage includes the PGC's doe and fawn mortality study areas, as well as portions of the state forestland enrolled in the Game Commission's deer management assistance program allowing hunters to kill additional deer.
"In selecting which state game lands to include in these flights, the agency chose areas with differing sizes, topography, proximity to populated areas and regions," (PGC Executive Director Carl) Roe said. "While the data is unable to be used to make deer management decisions across entire wildlife management units, we do believe that this data will help in demonstrating deer dispersion at the time of the flights and provide another source of information to help us understand deer and their activities."
State forest districts, game lands, and acreage targeted in the survey include: Moshannon, Clearfield and Centre counties; 61,689; Elk, Elk and Cameron counties, 23,175; Tioga, Tioga and Bradford counties, 69,301; Susquehannock, Potter and McKean counties, 42,519; Sproul, Clinton and Centre counties; 140,542; and Tuscorora, Juniata, Perry, Mifflin, Huntingdon, and Cumberland counties, 54, 747.
Game Lands: 13, Sullivan County, 53,563; 14 and 311, both in Elk County, 16,635; 37, Tioga County, 23,228; 75, Lycoming County, 25,674; 210, Dauphin County, 10,856; and 211, Dauphin, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, 40,940. Also, a total of 2,773,415 acres in the Game Commission's wildlife management units 4B and 4D, in the north central section of the state.