PA Game Commission Officials to Appear on PCN 'Call-In' Program; Game Commission Posts Agenda for January Meeting on Website

PA Game Commission Officials to Appear on PCN 'Call-In' Program; Game Commission Posts Agenda for January Meeting on Website

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials - Dr. Christopher Rosenberry, Deer Management Section Supervisor, and Jerry Feaser, press secretary - will appear on Pennsylvania Cable Network's "PCN Call-In" program on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. Viewers of the hour-long program can call in questions to PCN toll-free at 1-877- PA65001 (726-5001). (Please check local listings for the PCN channel in your area.)

The call-in program, which is facilitated by PCN staff, will come just two days after the Board of Game Commissioners holds its annual January meeting, Jan. 21-23.

Available on nearly 150 cable systems throughout the state, PCN is a nonprofit, nonpartisan cable television network that airs unedited live and same-day coverage of Pennsylvania House and Senate sessions, press conferences, speeches and other public forums where the business of the state is debated, discussed and decided.

PCN's live interactive "Call-In" program allows viewers to speak directly with government officials, newsmakers, and other knowledgeable parties on current Commonwealth issues. For more information, visit PCN's website (http://www.pcntv.com/).

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 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 general state taxpayer dollars for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals derived from State Game Lands.

GAME COMMISSION POSTS AGENDA FOR JANUARY MEETING ON WEBSITE

The agenda for the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners meeting, which is slated for Jan. 21-23, was posted on the agency's website today, and can be viewed by clicking the "Next Commissioners' Meeting" box in the center of the homepage and then on the agenda link.

The Board meeting will be held in the auditorium of the agency's Harrisburg headquarters to collect additional recommendations on the 2007-08 seasons and bag limits, and to conduct a workshop and formal meeting. The headquarters is at 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81 in Harrisburg.

On Sunday, Jan. 21, beginning at 1 p.m., the Board will hear public recommendations for 2007-08 hunting and furtaking seasons and bag limits. Doors will open at noon. Individuals interested in offering public testimony - limited to five minutes -- may begin to register at noon on a first-come, first-to-speak basis.

On Monday, Jan. 22, the Board will gather any additional public comments and hear Game Commission staff reports beginning at 8:30 a.m. Doors open at 7:45 a.m. Registration for those interested in offering public testimony - limited to five minutes - also will begin at that time.

On Tuesday, Jan. 23, beginning at 8:30 a.m., the Game Commission will take up its prepared agenda to, among other things, give preliminary approval to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for 2007-08. Doors open at 7:45 a.m. Antlerless deer license allocations for the 2007-08 seasons will be presented for the Board to consider at its meeting in April. Harvest results from the 2006-07 deer seasons will be announced in mid-March.

Dates for the Board's April, June and October 2007 meetings, and for the January 2008 meeting, will be set by the Board as well.

"In the past, we printed and mailed copies of the agenda to 130 sportsmen's club representatives, outdoor writers and legislators," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. "However, in our ongoing efforts to cut operational costs, we have decided that it would be better to post this information on our website providing a wider and more uniform distribution, while saving money for important conservation work."

A limited number of copies of the agenda, which is 56 pages, will be made available to those who attend the meeting.

Once the January meeting ends, Roe also noted that a copy of the January meeting minutes will be posted on the website as soon as they are transcribed, which generally takes between two to three weeks. Previous meeting minutes are posted on the website (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/) in the "Reports" section of the homepage.

"Posting the minutes on the website allows us to cut the costs of printing and mailing copies of this document, which averages around 140 double-sided pages, and reach a wider audience," Roe said. "It's a cost-savings move that makes Game Commission actions and decisions more accessible to the public." 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 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 general state taxpayer dollars for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals derived from State Game Lands.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Pennsylvania Game Commission

CONTACT: Jerry Feaser, Pennsylvania Game Commission, +1-717-705-6541,
PGCNEWS@state.pa.us

Web site: http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/

Note to Editors: If you would like to receive Game Commission news releases via e-mail, please send a note with your name, address, telephone number and the name of the organization you represent to: PGCNews@state.pa.us

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