Posts

Radio PA Roundtable – February 17-19, 2017

/in , , , /by

On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, could the State System of Higher Education close or merge some of the 14 state-owned universities? The Pennsylvania Game and Fish & Boat commissions are feeling the financial pinch of these difficult times in state government. And, part 2 of our interview with F&M College political analyst Dr. Terry Madonna focuses on Governor Tom Wolf’s proposal for a $25 per capita tax on townships and municipalities that rely solely on the Pennsylvania State Police for their law enforcement.

Click the audio player below to hear the full broadcast:

This audio/video material is being presented by Radio PA and PAMatters.com for the private use of our web visitors. This copyrighted programming may not be broadcast, reproduced or otherwise exhibited without the written consent of Radio PA.

Radio PA Roundtable – February 3-5, 2017

/in , , , /by

On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, a state lawmaker is vowing to fight Governor Tom Wolf’s plan to consolidate the state Departments of Health, Human Services, Aging and Drug & Alcohol Programs; the state Senate Game & Fisheries Committee votes on legislation that could lead to license fee increases for hunting, fishing and other outdoors activities; the Senate Education Committee votes to roll back a longstanding benefit for public school teachers; and Punxsutawney Phil makes his annual appearance at Gobbler’s Knob in Jefferson County.

Click the audio player below to hear the full broadcast:

This audio/video material is being presented by Radio PA and PAMatters.com for the private use of our web visitors. This copyrighted programming may not be broadcast, reproduced or otherwise exhibited without the written consent of Radio PA.

Resolution Calls for Study on Combining Two Pennsylvania Commissions

/in /by

Is it time for the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat commission to join forces?  A resolution to take a new look at the idea is moving through the legislature.

The house Game and Fisheries Committee has unanimously approved the resolution calling for a study on the impact of merging the two commissions. A similar study a decade ago showed the idea was feasible and would save money, but no action was taken.

Representative Martin Causer, the prime sponsor, says given the economic challenges, it’s time to revisit the issue. He says the study will give solid information to make the best decisions for Pennsylvania’s hunters and anglers.

The study would be conducted by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. The resolution now goes to the full house.

CWD-Infected Deer Appeared Healthy

/in /by

After 15-years of testing more than 43,000 deer, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has confirmed three cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in hunter-killed deer.  Two of the infected animals were harvested in Blair County; the third came from Bedford County.  “We’ve been saying for many years it’s not a matter of if but when, and I think we’ve arrived at when,” says Calvin DuBrock, Director of Wildlife Management. 

CWD had previously been detected in the wild in three neighboring states: Maryland, West Virginia and New York.  However, DuBrock says they have not confirmed whether infected deer traveled to southern Pennsylvania from Maryland, or whether they are the result of escaped captive deer. 

All three hunters who harvested the infected deer tell wildlife conservation officers the deer appeared to be healthy and were not acting sick in any way. 

The Game Commission is still awaiting additional test results from this past deer season, so DuBrock says it would be premature to discuss any potential policy changes for the fall, but he does note that another disease management area will likely be created.  “So there will be intensified sampling that would occur in any area designated as a disease management area,” DuBrock says.  “There will be restrictions on the movement of deer in and out of the area, and high-risk parts in and out of the area.”  That’s similar to what occurred, last year, when a captive deer tested positive in Adams County. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend consuming the meat of CWD-infected deer, but DuBrock stresses there are no known health implications for humans.  Public meetings will soon be scheduled in Bedford and Blair counties. 

This Game Commission map shows where the new cases area in relation to confirmed cases in Maryland and last year's Disease Management Area in Adams & York counties.

This Game Commission map shows where the new cases are in relation to confirmed cases in Maryland and last year’s Disease Management Area in Adams & York counties.

Whitetail Deer

Chronic Wasting Disease Now in PA’s Wild Deer

/in /by

A disease that’s fatal to deer has crossed into the wild in Pennsylvania.   The Pennsylvania Game Commission stepped up monitoring for Chronic Wasting Disease after it appeared in neighboring states. Now, the disease has tuned up in the wild deer population.

Three deer killed in Blair and Bedford Counties during hunting season tested positive for the neurological disorder that is fatal to deer, elk and moose.  The commission is still waiting for more test results on other deer.

Until now, the disease had only shown up in two captive deer on a farm in Adams County.  It has not shown up in samples of hunter-killed deer in the disease management area surrounding the farm.   

CWD Public Meeting to Be Held Wednesday Night

/in /by

Representatives from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the state Department of Agriculture will be on hand for a public meeting Wednesday evening at Bermudian Springs High School in Adams County. The subject will be the recent positive test for Chronic Wasting Disease in a captive deer on an Adams County farm.

This is the first case of CWD confirmed in Pennsylvania, and officials say there is no evidence that it has spread to the wild deer population. Still, this meeting will provide valuable information to hunters regarding quarantines and other steps being taken to monitor the deer population in and around the affected areas. Three farms are under the current Department of Agriculture quarantine order. All three locations were known to have been in contact with the one deer that has tested positive in Adams County. The other two farms are located in York and Lycoming counties.

CWD is not a threat to human health, according to the Centers for Disease Control, but Game Commission officials urge that it’s never a good idea to eat the meat from a sickly-looking animal. Additionally, officials are asking hunters not to shoot a deer that appears sick, but rather to report the location to the Game Commission as quickly as possible so that the animal can be found alive. The Commission says that aids in testing the animal for diseases like CWD.

The public meeting is being held Wednesday evening at 7:00pm at Bermudian Springs High School, 7335 Carlisle Pike in York Springs.

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Pennsylvania

/in /by

Pennsylvania’s luck at keeping Chronic Wasting Disease at bay has run out, its aggressive surveillance program has found a case on an Adams County deer farm.

The positive sample came from a white tailed deer at a farm in New Oxford. As a result, the state has also quarantined two other farms directly associated with the infected deer, in Williamsport, Lycoming County and Dover, York County.

Steps are being taken to prevent further spread of the disease. A task force will carry out a response plan, including education and public outreach.

CWD is fatal in deer and other cervids but there is no evidence it can be transmitted to humans. Pennsylvania is the 23rd state to detect the disease.  It was already present in the neighboring states of Maryland, New York and West Virginia. To date, CWD has not been found in the wild deer population in Pennsylvania.

State veterinarian Dr. Craig Shultz says they are tracking this infection. He says staff has been working to identify any links to the animal diagnosed and other herds of captive deer as well as the locations the deer had been in before it became ill.

Hunters are being told to continue best practices of handling deer with gloves and field dressing the animals.   The Game Commission is looking at the case and deciding whether to designate a disease management area.

The CDC recommends that people or animals not eat any part of a deer diagnosed with or showing signs of CWD.

The state Agriculture Department regulates the farm cervid industry. The Pennsylvania Game Commission regulates wild, or free roaming deer.

Game Commission Announces Pheasant Stocking Plans

/in /by

Despite Tropical Storm Lee, and thanks to Marcellus Shale leasing money, Pennsylvania’s pheasant stocking level this year will be the healthiest in almost a decade.

The state game commission plans to stock some 200 thousand pheasants for the upcoming small game seasons for the first time since 2004,  after being at a reduced level of 100 thousand in recent years due to budget constraints.

15 thousand birds are being stocked for junior only hunting season and another 15 hundred are intended for clubs holding mentored hunts for juniors in October.

Bob Boyd of the Bureau of Wildlife Management Services at the Pennsylvania Game Commission says they’ve recovered from damage at two farms caused by Tropical Storm Lee due to the dedication and perseverance of staff at the Lycoming County facilities.

Some changes have been made to protect from future storms by relocating some of the fields most prone to flooding. But he adds that the core infrastructure was not damaged during the storm.

***Photo of Ring Necked Pheasant by Joe Kosack/PGC Photo

Pennsylvania Game Commission Sets Seasons, Bag Limits

/in /by

Ground hog and coyote kick off hunting season in July and the Pennsylvania Game Commission has set the dates and bag limits for the 2012-13 hunting and trapping seasons.   Hunting licenses will go on sale in June.   

There are no major broad-based changes, but spokesman Jerry Feaser says there are some added benefits, including an additional day for archery deer in the fall. The board expanded bear hunting opportunities in some urban areas of southwestern and southeastern Pennsylvania to reduce bear human conflicts, and added fall turkey to the Mentored Youth Hunting Program line up.

Feaser says snowshoe hare season has been closed in most of the state for the next hunting season except for three wildlife management units in north central Pennsylvania.  He says the species is very dependent on habitat.

The Board of Game Commissioners gave final approval to nearly all of the seasons and bag limits for 2012-13 yesterday, but waterfowl and migratory bird seasons will not be finalized until this summer.

Hunters will receive a digest with all of the information about the seasons, bag limits, arms and ammunition regulations when they buy their license.

Pennsylvania Reports Record Bear Season

/in /by

Pennsylvania is coming off a record bear harvest. Hunters took more than 4300 bears last year. Final figures will be available once the Pennsylvania Game Commission reconciles records from a few field-checked bears.

At the same time, Carl Roe, Executive Director of the Game Commission, told the House Game and Fisheries Committee that bear conflicts seemed to escalate last year for some people in more populated areas.  He says they’re seeing bears expand their range, going to areas where we don’t want a large population.

Roe told the panel they’ve responded by opening bear seasons on a weekend to expand hunter opportunity and expanded bear seasons in problem units to increase the harvest.  The commission has also initiated a study to investigate the movements and habitat use of bears in suburban areas.

Roe says there are areas where they want to see the bear population remain stable and others where they would like to see it reduced.  He says the intent is to have a very viable bear population for hunting opportunities.

Roe says they’re not trying to bring the population down to a great degree; they want to keep it in balance with the habitat that’s available.

Roe told the committee that he doesn’t believe the state will ever reach its biological capacity for bears.  He says Pennsylvania has some of the greatest habitat that’s out there. But he says the state will reach its social capacity, and in many areas they have what people will tolerate.