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HARRISBURG, Pa. (July 19) — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) invites the public to join them August 12 at 9 a.m. for a special time capsule ceremony and open house at the agency’s new Centre Region Office, located at 595 E. Rolling Ridge Drive in Bellefonte, PA 16823 (the former Woodcraft Factory Outlet).

“The Commission staff have reported to a variety of satellite offices throughout the Centre Region in the past, and the new building allows us to consolidate operations to be more effective and efficient in our use of angler and boater funds,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “This new building demonstrates that we will continue to have a presence in the Centre Region for many years to come.

“We thought it was fitting to commemorate the new building by placing a time capsule on the property, providing the agency’s future leaders with a glimpse into the past.”

Diseased buck detected in Bell Township, within Disease Management Area 3.

Chronic wasting disease has spread to free-ranging deer in an area of the state where it previously had been detected only in captive deer.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission today announced a free-ranging whitetail buck in Bell Township, Clearfield County, has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
A news conference about the new CWD-positive deer and the Game Commission’s response will be held on Thursday, July 13, at noon at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters. The news conference will be available to view on the Game Commission’s social media pages.
The CWD-positive buck was shot by a wildlife conservation officer June 7 on State Game Lands 87 because it showed signs of being diseased. Preliminary tests indicated the buck was CWD-positive, and the final results confirm the buck was infected with CWD, which always is fatal to deer and elk.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (July 11) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) voted today to keep in place for at least one more year a closed season on bass fishing in the middle and lower Susquehanna and lower Juniata rivers during the traditional spawning period from May 1 through mid-June.

Also, at the start of today’s formal meeting, the board elected Commissioner Rocco Ali as president and Commissioner Eric Hussar as vice-president. President Ali represents Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties. Vice President Hussar represents Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.

A closed season for smallmouth and largemouth bass from May 1 through June 16 has been in place since 2012 on approximately 98 miles of the Susquehanna River from Sunbury downstream to the Holtwood Dam and on 31.7 miles of the Juniata River from Port Royal downstream to the mouth. Anglers can target bass during the remainder of the year, but only on a catch-and-immediate-release basis.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Northeast Region Director Daniel Figured was recently presented with the Pennsylvania Trappers Association’s (PTA) 2017 Conservationist of the Year Award for his contributions to wildlife management and support of Pennsylvania’s trappers.
The award was presented to Figured at the Game Commission Northeast Region office in Dallas by PTA past president Brian Mohn and PTA Public Relations Director Barry Warner.
Figured is responsible for directing and coordinating all Game Commission wildlife law enforcement, wildlife-management, and habitat enhancement programs within the 13 counties that comprise the Northeast Region.
“Dan has been a tremendous asset to Pennsylvania’s trappers by providing training for wildlife conservation officers in the areas of best management trapping practices, nuisance wildlife control, and positive public relations,” said Warner. “In addition, Officer Figured recognizes the critical role that regulated trapping plays in scientific wildlife management and supports the PTA in its training, educational, and public outreach programs.”

Hunters can submit applications online, or in person at three locations.

Goose hunters in the 2017-18 license year must apply online or in person to enter the drawing to hunt from goose blinds at Middle Creek and Pymatuning Wildlife Management Areas.
An electronic goose blind application has replaced the paper application traditionally found within the Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which no longer is provided to all license buyers.
Applicants can apply online by visiting the Goose Blind Application link at www.pgc.pa.gov.
Those who do not have internet access can fill out the electronic application in person at the following locations:

HARRISBURG, Pa. (June 27) – As the busy July 4th holiday approaches, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) waterways conservation officers (WCO) will be focusing on keeping boaters safe by cracking down on boating under the influence (BUI) as part of the national Operation Dry Water campaign, which runs from June 30 – July 2.

In partnership with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, the PFBC is working to increase boater awareness of the hazards associated with boating under the influence, and to decrease the number of accidents and deaths attributed to impaired boating and other unsafe boating practices.

"As a part of the community ourselves, we want to ensure that recreational boaters, paddlers, and anyone enjoying our waters have a safe place to spend their time on the water, " says Col. Corey Britcher, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Law Enforcement. “Alcohol impairs judgment and reaction time on the water just as it does when driving a car, even more so because of the added stressors of sun, heat, wind, and noise on a boat.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (June 26) - The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is offering two new youth fishing opportunities this summer in the state’s largest urban areas of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The programs will give kids and their families and adult mentors the chance to target catfish in Pittsburgh’s North Park Lake and along the banks of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia City.

“Youth can never have enough opportunities to fish,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “The Commission is committed to providing youth and their mentors with many different opportunities to learn fishing skills and to participate in special Mentored Youth Days. These two programs are specifically designed to show kids who live in urban environments that there are good fishing opportunities close to their cities.”

  1. Game Commission Announces Updated CWD Response
  2. 2017 "Save Our Susquehanna" Buttons Available June 1
  3. Mount From Massive Illegally Killed Elk Finds New Home
  4. Game Commission Officers Recognized By State Police
  5. Game Commission Officers Bish and Murray Recognized
  6. Additional CWD Cases Detected In Pennsylvania Wild Deer
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