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11-4 Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department Upcoming Events

See any BTVFD member, or message our Facebook page for tickets!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1400034070064818/?ti=icl

BTVFD is raffling off $3000 worth of scratch off lottery tickets, all proceeds benefit our department.

Tickets are $10 apiece and we only have 1000 tickets, see any BTVFD member or message our Facebook page for tickets.

The winner will be drawn on November 4th, 2017 at our Comedy Night!

https://www.facebook.com/events/361496134270489/?ti=icl

11-4 Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department Upcoming Events

See any BTVFD member, or message our Facebook page for tickets!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1400034070064818/?ti=icl

BTVFD is raffling off $3000 worth of scratch off lottery tickets, all proceeds benefit our department.

Tickets are $10 apiece and we only have 1000 tickets, see any BTVFD member or message our Facebook page for tickets.

The winner will be drawn on November 4th, 2017 at our Comedy Night!

https://www.facebook.com/events/361496134270489/?ti=icl

Stoltz of Coudersport

Penn State DuBois Students Spend Spring Break Rejuvenating Communities In Need

Students pause for a photo inside one of the community garden planting boxes they constructed. Row one, left to right: Rachel Duke, Justin Heasley, Alaina Shaffer, and Amber Metzger.  

Row two, left to right: Nathan Lee, Greg Myers, Juli Vokes, Sadie Hubler, Austin Miller, Kristy Hanes

DuBOIS – A group of 15 Penn State DuBois students opted to spend their spring break in service to others in need. This year's annual Alternative Spring Break trip took the students to parts of the Appalachia Region, including Williamson, West Virginia and Pikeville, Kentucky. Economies in these areas were thrown into a dramatic recession in the last decade as the region's largest employment provider, the coal industry, suffered massive closures of mining operations due to a nation-wide shift to other energy sources. Students volunteered with community organizations to help rejuvenate the region through fresh, health-centered and economic initiatives, working in community gardens, on local farms, and at area health care facilities. Community leaders in the Appalachian region hope local agriculture will be the cornerstone of improved physical health and economic wellness for the people they serve.

Through Amizade Global Service-Learning, the students and their Penn State staff leaders were connected with organizations such as Sustainable Williamson, in Williamson, WV. At the core of their mission, Sustainable Williamson holds the health of the area's residents as top priority. Community gardens built on land donated by the city, a farmer's market, and other sustainable living practices help those who live there to save money and be more self-sufficient by growing their own food, but it also provides the foundation for healthy diets and healthy lifestyles. Efforts to retrain former coal miners in trades like electrical, and solar installation were undertaken, as well as the adoption of solar energy for use in community buildings.

Darrin McCormick is a community liaison for the Williamson Health and Wellness Center, a federally funded health clinic which he and other volunteers worked to open in the community. He said, "We realized there was a need for an umbrella to cover all of these projects that we were working on to keep or community alive, around healthcare, around employment. Most of our projects were aimed at making it so the residents could help themselves. Sustainable Williamson is the umbrella, the all-encompassing umbrella of several initiatives."

The Williamson Health and Wellness Center is on the front lines of battling multiple health crises. Among members of Williamson's population, 13% have diabetes, 46% suffer from hypertension, 48% have high cholesterol, and observe an obesity rate of 33%. The wellness center offers care to residents, as well as educational programs on healthy living, including training on healthy eating and cooking.

McCormick explained that the health center serves as a hub for all of the community's sustainability efforts, which branch out into home-grown agriculture. "If you don't have economic opportunity, you're not going to have a healthy, wealthy community," he said. "If you don't have access to good, healthy food, you're not going to have a healthy community. Instead of buying processed, packaged foods, why aren't we growing food?"

A healthy population, McCormick explained, is more ready to join and remain in the workforce. And that workforce, coincidentally, could end up finding opportunity in the very efforts that are also aimed at keeping them healthy.

"Part of this is trying to build economy through agriculture," said Nate Siggers, community engagement coordinator for the Williamson Health and Wellness Center, while joining students during a work day at the community garden. "This is saving people money that they don't have to spend at the grocery store. It's teaching them how to sustain themselves, or even make a living from growing food. A lot of residents now sell what they grow at our community farmer's market. We're expanding, it's growing. With all of this farm land around here, agriculture could be a vital part of our community coming back to what it once was."

To understand what the community once was, is to better, more fully understand what it is today. Coal mining in West Virginia towns like Williamson was a way of life for generations. Not just for a few who chose mining, but for the vast majority of people in the area. Locals say those who did not work the mines, or have family who did, were the smallest of minorities. Boys knew without question they would enter the mines to work, often before finishing high school. And they had no reason to question it. Siggers explained, "I have friends who dropped out of high school to go to the coal mines and they started off making $60,000-$80,000 a year. It was good money. Good work. When you can do that, why finish school? Why go to college? Why go anywhere else?"

And so it went for generations. An entire region of the Unites States dependent upon one industry, with no reason to diversify its workforce. It was an industry that sustained the population, and much more. It provided quality lifestyles for the working man willing to go underground each day to support his family. And when new regulations on clean energy, as well as increased costs to mine deeper and deeper into the Earth to extract coal became too much, the industry crashed. As did the careers of countless individuals. As did the economy that depended upon those mines that employed trucking companies to move coal, and on those miners to buy cars, houses, groceries, and more. The impact resonated throughout an entire region built on coal and through every family touched by or somehow supported by the industry that collapsed virtually overnight. It resulted in a 50% decline in mining jobs since 2008, a 39% decline in coal production in the last decade, an alarming 30% decline in the employment rate in just the last two years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 28% of people in this region are below the poverty line.

"It's the worst kind of poverty because it is spread across everyone. It's so wide-spread that after coal died, even people that had money are hit now," said Ian Fields, an AmeriCorps Vista community outreach coordinator working with Sustainable Williamson. Fields is a native of the area he serves, a rarity among AmeriCorps workers. After some time spent in Florida, the Airforce veteran returned home to help rejuvenate his communities.

"What's normal for the people here is just so normal that it makes it different than other communities. Everyone here is on food stamps, and that's just life here. Nobody is ashamed, it's just how it is. I moved to Florida and the first time I went to the grocery store and tried to use food stamps the lady looked at me like she never saw them before. Here, it's just so normal. Down there, nobody uses them."

The situation is nearly identical just down the road near Pikeville, Kentucky, where students spent a day of service working with Sustainable Pike County. Here, employees from the Pike County Health Department lead efforts to build and maintain gardens at area senior care facilities, like Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The gardens serve the same sustainable living purposes here as they do in Williamson, but have added health benefits to residents at these facilities as well. Studies have proven that working outside on tasks, like gardening, help to lessen the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

"We were looking to come up with something outside of our norm. This is working, and it blossomed," said Leslie Hamilton, a county health environmentalist.

Hamilton's colleague Jackie Cole added, "Gardening occupies the mind, and the fresh air and sunshine really help the patients with Alzheimer's and dementia. Plus, they're getting fresh, healthy food."

Students helped to build garden beds, as well as domed greenhouse structures known as high tunnels at these care facilities.

Another opportunity for students to aid in rejuvenation in this region came at a farm back near Williamson. Outside of town, an organization called the Coalfield Development Corporation runs a unique agricultural program on the site of a reclaimed mine. They've turned the area into a working farm where chickens, goats, pigs and other livestock are raised, as part of the Refresh Appalachia: Agricultural Entrepreneurship Development Program. It's a regional economic and workforce development initiative meant to establish a sustainable training and development program to increase the success of beginning farmers and ranchers in West Virginia, the Mid-Ohio Valley Region, and eastern Kentucky.

Refresh Appalachia works by employing individuals to work on farms, providing jobs. They also spend 33 hours each week in the classroom, working toward an associate degree in business or agriculture. At the completion of a two and a half year contract, the crew members are trained and prepared to operate their own private farm, or may find opportunity within the Refresh Appalachia program as a permanent employee. Food produced on these farms is also sold at local farmers markets, helping the farms to be self-sustaining, as well as providing healthy and affordable food to area residents.

The 22 Mine Road Farm takes its name from the mine that once laid beneath the pastures there. A downsized mining operation still chugs along adjacent to the farm, but does not yield anywhere close to the production it once did, or provide nearly as many jobs. Wilburn Jude and Chris Farley are the crew members vested with running the day to day operation of the farm. They care for, feed, and water the animals; they build chicken coops and fences, tend to bee hives, and complete any number of other tasks that keep production moving.

During a cool, rainy day the men enjoy their break in the shelter of a small shed they themselves constructed of rough cut lumber. A wood stove made out of a repurposed oil drum and a gifted leather couch provide comfort, along with some black coffee.

Now 43 years old, Jude was laid off from a local coal mine in 2013. He immediately went to work for himself, mowing lawns and performing other landscaping until the reality set in, that even making a living that way was too competitive in a region where everyone had just lost a job.

"It got to where everyone in the world was doing it, and everyone did it cheaper than me," Jude recalled. "I got on welfare for a while. But I saw they were hiring for this, and I put in, and I got on."

Jude is working toward his agricultural sciences degree through Refresh Appalachia, but also hopes to earn a degree in mechatronics on his own, qualifying him to work in engineering and electronic fields. He credits Refresh Appalachia for providing him a second chance, and wants to leave the program better than it was when he came so that it can continue to help new crew members who take over in the future.

"I like helping people and watching stuff grow," Jude said. "We've got to keep things going for the people around here. Just like plants and animals, if we don't keep them cared for, it ain't going to produce."

At 32 years old, Farley has a wife and five year old daughter at home. He lost the surface mining job he'd worked for 11 years when demand for coal plummeted. He said he's thankful for the programing giving him the opportunity to not only provide for his family, but also to have quality time with them. He said, "I was signed up for my CDL class, figuring I was going to have to go on the road driving truck. My mom sent me a link for this and I signed up. This is so much better because I don't have to be away from my family."
Farley said he now sees farming as his future, and would enjoy the chance to continue working with Coalfield Development and helping others.

Farley and Jude embody the spirit of the people of coal country. They, like so many others here, have faced adversity with a fierce determination to overcome it, and a refusal to allow themselves, their neighbors, or their communities succumb to hardship. Students on this trip took that message home with them, which goes a long way to fulfilling part of the mission of Alternative Spring Break.

"This group of students felt at home in the hills of West Virginia and Kentucky. However, they got an up close and personal look at what happens when an entire economy depends on one resource," said Assistant Director of Student Affairs Marly Doty, who organizes the campus Alternative Spring Break trips each year. "This area has been devastated by the collapse of the coal industry. It was disheartening to see empty structures and to hear personal stories. On the other hand, the time spent with organizations like Sustainable Williamson and Refresh Appalachia were invigorating, and an example of what a determined group of like-minded people can accomplish. These students were moved by what they saw."

Each evening during the trip, students and staff would convene for reflection exercises, where they discussed the events of the day and what lessons they took from the work completed or activities they participated in. Student Austin Miller said, "I have participated in many service projects through the campus, as well as outside the campus. However, this service learning trip to West Virginia was an entirely different experience from those service projects. When I do things such as Habit For Humanity, I am devoting my time to a goal that will take a significant amount of time to complete and most likely won’t see for a long time. At the end of the day in West Virginia, we saw the impact of all of the time we put in. Projects that would have taken days to weeks to finish, we completed in hours. This shows that a group of motivated individuals, with their heart in the right place, can truly make an impact on not just one life, but many lives. Most of us who went on this trip have been asked why we choose to spend spring break in West Virginia, in light of a more stereotypical beach location. We all have our different reasons for doing it, but they all come back to the idea of service above self. We sacrifice for others not because we have to, but because we want to."

For some students, the similarities between people and culture in West Virginia to that of their own area made the experience meaningful. Alex Davis said, "I can easily picture a member of my family or a friend when I talk to the people here, and the work reminds me of my childhood and the things I did growing up."

Student Alaina Shaffer said, "For me, I see my family. I had a good upbringing and we didn't go without, but it's because we worked for it. We cut our own fire wood for heat, we do our own work and don't pay someone else to do something we can do ourselves. People here do the same thing and they really want to help themselves."

Those similarities between home and the service sight motivated other students to take a closer look at their own communities. Ryan Lingle said, "As we entered the first town we would be doing service projects in, I didn't even know we had arrived. I was utterly confused as the area we were in looked almost identical to many of the surrounding areas I grew up in. As the week progressed, and we explored more areas, I became even more alarmed than I was on the first day as I realized just how similar it is to back home. It felt as if I never truly left home even though we had just driven six or seven hours away. Understanding just how close my hometown is compared to that in West Virginia posed a sense of urgency and has really inspired me to want to help my local communities more. Although the area was poor economically, it was rich in spirit and pride.

"Throughout that entire week, I never once met an individual that was worried, concerned, or angry. All of the individuals of the area were so full of excitement to speak with you, and to help you in any manner they could. The people of the area also were extremely full of pride for everything that they own, the place that they stay, and the people around them. The environment was just so cheerful and hopeful."

In bringing full circle the lessons the students mention, they'll apply much of what they've learned on their trip, and in the corresponding class they've taken in conjunction with the trip, to an upcoming project.

"They will be doing a social change project on campus that will benefit the campus or community as part of their coursework as well as creating a product, program, or service that addresses an issue relative to what they experienced as their final project," explained Doty, who also teaches the corresponding course. "These students are the future game changers for our area and industry. The fact that they gave up their own time and money to service a community in West Virginia and Kentucky speaks volumes about their character and their capacity for civic engagement. I’m also humbled by this experience and feel incredibly full getting to work with these selfless students."

2017-18 HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS

2017-18 HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS

SQUIRRELS, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license, and mentored youth – Sept. 30-Oct. 14 (6 daily, 18 in possession limit after first day).

SQUIRRELS, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Oct. 14-Nov. 25; Dec. 11-23 and Dec. 26-Feb. 28 (6 daily, 18 possession).

RUFFED GROUSE: Oct. 14–Nov. 25 and Dec. 11-23 (2 daily, 6 possession).

RABBIT (Cottontail) Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license: Sept. 30-Oct. 14 (4 daily, 12 possession).

RABBIT (Cottontail): Oct. 14-Nov. 25, Dec. 11-23 and Dec. 26-Feb. 28 (4 daily, 12 possession).

PHEASANT: Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license – Oct. 7-14 (2 daily, 6 in possession). Male pheasants only in WMUs 2A, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Male and female pheasants may be taken in all other WMUs. There is no open season for taking pheasants in Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas, except within the Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area, as authorized by executive order.

PHEASANT: Male only in WMUs 2A, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Male and female may be taken in all other WMUs – Oct. 21-Nov. 25, Dec. 11-23 and Dec. 26-Feb. 28 (2 daily, 6 in possession). There is no open season for taking pheasants in Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas, except within the Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area, as authorized by executive order.

BOBWHITE QUAIL: Oct. 14-Feb. 28 (8 daily, 24 possession).

HARES (SNOWSHOE RABBITS) OR VARYING HARES: Dec. 26–Jan. 1, in all WMUs (1 daily, 3 possession).

WOODCHUCKS (GROUNDHOGS): No closed season, except on Sundays and during the regular firearms deer seasons. No limit.

CROWS: July 1-April 8, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. No limit.

STARLINGS AND ENGLISH SPARROWS: No closed season, except during the antlered and antlerless deer season. No limit.

WILD TURKEY (Male or Female): WMU 1B – Oct. 28-Nov. 4; WMU 2B (Shotgun and bow and arrow) – Oct. 28-Nov. 17 and Nov. 23-25; WMUs 1A, 2A, 4A and 4B, – Oct. 28-Nov. 4 and Nov. 23-25; WMUs 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C, 4D and 4E– Oct. 28-Nov. 11 and Nov. 23-25; WMU 2C – Oct. 28-Nov. 17 and Nov. 23-25; WMU 5A – Nov. 2-4; WMU 5B – Oct. 31-Nov. 2; WMUs 5C and 5D – CLOSED TO FALL TURKEY HUNTING.

SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with required license, and mentored youth – April 21, 2018. Only 1 spring gobbler may be taken during this hunt.

SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): April 28-May 31, 2018. Daily limit 1, season limit 2. (Second spring gobbler may be only taken by persons who possess a valid special wild turkey license.) From April 28-May 12, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon; from May 14-31, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.

BLACK BEAR (Statewide) Archery: Oct. 30-Nov. 4. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (Statewide): Nov. 18-22. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 3B, 3C and 3D): Nov. 27-Dec. 2. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D): Nov. 27-Dec. 9. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 1B, 2C, 3A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E): Nov. 29-Dec. 2. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D) archery: Sept. 16-Nov. 25. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMU 5B) archery: Sept. 30-Nov. 11. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) muzzleloader: Oct. 14-21. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) special firearms: Oct. 19-21, for junior and senior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty military.

ELK (Antlered or Antlerless): Oct. 30-Nov.4. Only one elk may be taken during the license year.

ELK, EXTENDED (Antlered and Antlerless): Nov. 6-11. Only one elk may be taken during the license year. Eligible elk license recipients who haven’t harvested an elk by Nov. 5, in designated areas.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 16- Nov. 25 and Dec. 26-Jan. 27, 2018. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. One antlered deer per hunting license year.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Sept. 30-Nov. 11 and Dec. 26-Jan. 13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Nov. 27-Dec. 9. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered Only) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A and 5B: Nov. 27-Dec. 1. One antlered deer per hunting license year. (Holders of valid DMAP antlerless deer permits may harvest antlerless deer on DMAP properties during this period.)

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A and 5B: Dec. 2-9. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Statewide): Oct. 19-21. Junior and Senior License Holders, Mentored Youth Permit Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only, with required antlerless license. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license, or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS MUZZLELOADER (Statewide): Oct. 14-21. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (Statewide): Dec. 26-Jan. 13. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (WMUs 2B, 5C, 5D): Dec. 26-Jan. 27. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS EXTENDED REGULAR FIREARMS: (Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties): Dec. 26-Jan. 27. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Military Bases): Hunting permitted on days established by the U.S. Department of the Army at Letterkenny Army Depot, Franklin County; New Cumberland Army Depot, York County; and Fort Detrick, Raven Rock Site, Adams County. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

2017-18 FURBEARER HUNTING SEASONS

COYOTES: No closed season. Unlimited. Outside of any big game season (deer, bear, elk and turkey), coyotes may be taken with a hunting license or a furtaker license, and without wearing orange. During any big game season, coyotes may be taken while lawfully hunting big game or with a furtaker license.

RACCOONS and FOXES: Oct. 21–Feb. 17, unlimited.

OPOSSUM, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS: No closed season, except Sundays. No limits.

BOBCAT (WMUs 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D and 4E): Jan. 13-Feb. 7. One bobcat per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.

PORCUPINES: Sept. 1-March 31, 2018. (3 daily, season limit of 10).

2017-18 TRAPPING SEASONS

MINKS and MUSKRATS: Nov. 18–Jan. 7. Unlimited.

COYOTES, FOXES, OPOSSUMS, RACCOONS, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS: Oct. 22–Feb. 18. No limit.

COYOTES and FOXES (Statewide) Cable Restraints: Dec. 26-Feb. 18. No limit. Participants must pass cable restraint certification course.

BEAVERS (Statewide): Dec. 26–March 31 (Limits vary depending on WMU).

BOBCATS (WMUs 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 16-Jan. 7.

One bobcat per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.

FISHERS (WMUs 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4D and 4E): Dec. 16-27. One fisher per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.

RIVER OTTERS (WMUs 3C and 3D): Feb. 17-24, 2018. One river otter per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.

2017-18 FALCONRY SEASONS

SQUIRRELS (combined), BOBWHITE QUAIL, RUFFED GROUSE, COTTONTAIL RABBITS, Sept. 1-March 31, 2018.

SNOWSHOE OR VARYING HARES, RINGNECK PHEASANTS (Male or Female combined): Sept. 1-March 31. Daily and Field Possession limits vary. (Migratory game bird seasons and bag limits for falconers will be set in accordance with federal regulations at a later date.)

No open season on other wild birds or mammals.

Waterfowl and Migratory Game Bird seasons to be established in accordance with federal regulations following the March 10 Waterfowl Symposium.

Otto Townshiip Dispatched To Vehicle Crash On Main Street

At 12:37 PM on Thursday, Otto Township Fire Department has been dispatched to the area of 901 Main Street for a motor vehicle accident.

State Police Announce Sergeant and Corporal Promotions

State Police Announce Sergeant and Corporal Promotions

Harrisburg – Five members of the Pennsylvania State Police have been promoted to the rank of sergeant and forty-four members have been promoted to the rank of corporal, Commissioner Frank Noonan announced.

• Scott A. Bauer, of Lucinda, Clarion County, is promoted to sergeant and will be assigned to Troop B, Uniontown. He was previously assigned to Troop E, Franklin. Sergeant Bauer enlisted in the state police in 2004 and was promoted to corporal in 2012.
• Michael T. Carroll, of Throop, Lackawanna County, is promoted to sergeant and will be assigned to Troop C, Punxsutawney. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Sergeant Carroll enlisted in the state police in 1994 and was promoted to corporal in 2008.
• Jamie D. Clark, of Cheswick, Allegheny County, is promoted to sergeant and will be assigned to Troop D, New Castle. She was previously assigned to Troop D, New Castle. Sergeant Clark enlisted in the state police in 1991 and was promoted to corporal in 2011.
• Steven L. Masteller, of Bloomsburg, Columbia County, is promoted to sergeant and will be assigned to the Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards. He was previously assigned to Troop N, Bloomsburg. Sergeant Masteller enlisted in the state police in 1996 and was promoted to corporal 2004.
• Richard O. Quinn, II, of Apollo, Westmoreland County, is promoted to sergeant and will be assigned to Troop B, Washington. He was previously assigned to Troop B, Uniontown. Sergeant Quinn enlisted in the state police in 2006 and was promoted to corporal in 2011.
• James A. Bablak, of Erie, Erie County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop B, Uniontown. He was previously assigned to Troop E, Erie. Corporal Bablak enlisted in the state police in 2001.
• Ellis E. Barnett, of Chambersburg, Franklin County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop H, Carlisle. He was previously assigned to Troop G, McConnellsburg. Corporal Barnett enlisted in the state police in 1993.
• Michael W. Burns, of Shippensburg, Cumberland County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education. Corporal Burns enlisted in the state police in 1999.
• Ryan P. Burza, of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop K, Media. He was previously assigned to Troop K, Philadelphia. Corporal Burza enlisted in the state police in 2007.
• Albert J. Calzola, of Clifford Township, Susquehanna County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop M, Dublin. He was previously assigned to Troop R, Gibson. Corporal Calzola enlisted in the state police in 1996.
• Eric R. Campbell, of Shippensburg, Franklin County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop H, Gettysburg. He was previously assigned to Troop H, Harrisburg. Corporal Campbell enlisted in the state police in 1998.
• Paul J. Carr, Jr., of Collegeville, Montgomery County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop K, Philadelphia. He was previously assigned to Troop K, Skippack. Corporal Carr enlisted in the state police in 1996.
• Frederick J. Chadwick, III, of Saxton, Bedford County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop H, Chambersburg. He was previously assigned to Troop G, Bedford. Corporal Chadwick enlisted in the state police in 1996.
• Patrick J. Corby, of Springbrook Township, Lackawanna County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop M, Trevose. He was previously assigned to Troop N, Swiftwater. Corporal Corby enlisted in the state police in 1996.
• Nicholas A. Cortes, of Madison Township, Lackawanna County, is promoted to Troop F, Montoursville. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Corporal Cortes enlisted in the state police in 2002.
• John T. Curtis, of Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop M, Bethlehem. He was previously assigned to Troop L, Schuylkill Haven. Corporal Curtis enlisted in the state police in 1993.
• Mark Dean, of Hummelstown, Dauphin County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop F, Coudersport. He was previously assigned to Troop H, Harrisburg. Corporal Dean enlisted in the state police in 2001.
• Jeffrey E. Dunkel, of Pottsville, Schuylkill County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Communication Information Services. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Communication Information Services. Corporal Dunkel enlisted in the state police in 1994.
• Jonathan E. Eckhart, of Danielsville, Northampton County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop M, Fogelsville. He was previously assigned to Troop M, Belfast. Corporal Eckhart enlisted in the state police in 1994.
• Michael I. Fegley, of Drexel Hill, Delaware County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Corporal Fegley enlisted in the state police in 1998.
• Charles D. Fino, of Taylor, Lackawanna County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education. Corporal Fino enlisted in the state police in 1999.
• Dale E. Gillette, of Conneautville, Crawford County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop C, DuBois. He was previously assigned to Troop E, Meadville. Corporal Gillette enlisted in the state police in 1993.
• Robert J. Hadley, of Pittstown Township, Luzerne County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop F, Lamar. He was previously assigned to Troop R, Honesdale. Corporal Hadley enlisted in the state police in 1999.
• Ronald W. Herman, Jr., of Shippensburg, Cumberland County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop J, Lancaster. He was previously assigned to Troop J, Lancaster. Corporal Herman enlisted in the state police in 1999.
• Mark D. Hoban, of Carlisle, Cumberland County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop F, Milton. He was previously assigned to Troop H, Harrisburg. Corporal Hoban enlisted in the state police in 2000.
• Brian R. Hoy, of Mingoville, Centre County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop H, Newport. He was previously assigned to Troop F, Lamar. Corporal Hoban enlisted in the state police in 1999.
• Michael B. Jezercak, of Prompton, Wayne County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop M, Fogelsville. He was previously assigned to Troop R, Honesdale. Corporal Jezercak enlisted in the state police in 2005.
• Arthur L. Johnson, Jr., of Bethlehem, Northampton County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop K, Skippack. He was previously assigned to Troop M, Belfast. Corporal Johnson enlisted in the state police in 1999.
• Scott L. Kemling, of Butler, Butler County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop B, Uniontown. He was previously assigned to Troop D, Butler. Corporal Kemling enlisted in the state police in 2002.
• Kevin E. Kulesa, of Wernersville, Berks County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop M, Bethlehem. He was previously assigned to Troop L, Reading. Corporal Kulesa enlisted in the state police in 2007.
• Isaac N. Lanham, IV, of Belle Vernon, Westmoreland County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop B, Belle Vernon. He was previously assigned to Troop A, Greensburg. Corporal Lanham enlisted in the state police in 1995.
• Scott A. Leidigh, of Carlisle, Cumberland County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards. Corporal Leidigh enlisted in the state police in 1995.
• Robert J. Levan, of Oxford, Chester County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Corporal Levan enlisted in the state police in 1993.
• Ralph R. Maiolino, Jr., of Spring Grove, York County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop H, Carlisle. He was previously assigned to Troop H, York. Corporal Maiolino enlisted in the state police in 1994.
• Aaron B. Martin, of Chambersburg, Franklin County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop H, Carlisle. He was previously assigned to Troop H, Chambersburg. Corporal Martin enlisted in the state police in 1995.
• John A. McGeary, of Catawissa, Columbia County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop F, Milton. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Corporal McGeary enlisted in the state police in 1994.
• Jason P. Michaels, of Altoona, Blair County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop A, Somerset. He was previously assigned to Troop G, Rockview. Corporal Michaels enlisted in the state police in 2008.
• Michael D. Miller, of Beaver Falls, Beaver County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop A, Greensburg. He was previously assigned to Troop D, Butler. Corporal Miller enlisted in the state police in 2007.
• Charles J. Molecavage, of Mountain Top, Luzerne County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop F, Stonington. He was previously assigned to Troop P, Shickshinny. Corporal Molecavage enlisted in the state police in 2000.
• Darren L. Mortorf, of Dauphin, Dauphin County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Forensic Services. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Forensic Services. Corporal Mortorf enlisted in the state police in 1996.
• Michael S. Noel, of Greensburg, Westmoreland County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop A, Somerset. He was previously assigned to Troop A, Greensburg. Corporal Noel enlisted in the state police in 1992.
• James P. Puskar, of Mercer, Mercer County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop C, DuBois. He was previously assigned to Troop D, Mercer. Corporal Puskar enlisted in the state police in 1998.
• Brian C. Roberts, of Easton, Northampton County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop K, Skippack. He was previously assigned to Troop M, Belfast. Corporal Roberts enlisted in the state police in 1999.
• Edward P. Ryan, III, of Wernersville, Berks County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop J, Embreeville. He was previously assigned to Troop J, Embreeville. Corporal Ryan enlisted in the state police in 1999.
• Sandra M. Soliday, of Connellsville, Fayette County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education. She was previously assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education. Corporal Soliday enlisted in the state police in 1994.
• John M. Stover, II, of Ephrata, Lancaster County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education. Corporal Stover enlisted in the state police in 1995.
• Michael C. Taylor, of Greensburg, Westmoreland County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations. He was previously assigned to the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations. Corporal Taylor enlisted in the state police in 1995.
• David A. Vanderaar, of Canonsburg, Washington County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop B, Uniontown. He was previously assigned to Troop B, Pittsburgh. Corporal Vanderaar enlisted in the state police in 1995.
• Jason E. Wagner, of Pleasantville, Venango County, is promoted to corporal and will be assigned to Troop A, Greensburg. He was previously assigned to Troop C, Marienville. Corporal Wagner enlisted in the state police in 1999.

State Police ranks are cadet, trooper, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel and colonel. For more information about the Pennsylvania State Police, visit www.psp.state.pa.us.

2014-15 HUNTING/TRAPPING SEASONS RECEIVE FINAL APPROVAL

2014-15 HUNTING/TRAPPING SEASONS RECEIVE FINAL APPROVAL

Allocation set for antlerless deer licenses, elk licenses.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today set hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for the 2014-15 license year, which begins July 1.

A list of all seasons and bag limits appears at the end of this news release.

The commissioners also set the number of antlerless deer licenses to be allocated, as well as the number of elk licenses to be allocated for the coming license year.

The board voted to allocate 779,500 antlerless deer licenses statewide. Allocations by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) are as follows, with the allocation from the previous license year appearing in parentheses: WMU 1A 47,000 (49,000); WMU 1B 30,000 (31,000); WMU 2A 46,000 (49,000); WMU 2B 60,000 (62,000); WMU 2C 38,000 (43,000); WMU 2D 61,000 (61,000); WMU 2E 21,000 (22,000); WMU 2F 27,000 (29,000); WMU 2G 22,000 (28,000); WMU 2H 5,500 (6,000); WMU 3A 18,000 (23,000); WMU 3B 33,000 (39,000);WMU 3C 32,000 (35,000); WMU 3D 25,000 (32,000); WMU 4A 28,000 (28,000); WMU 4B 26,000 (24,000); WMU 4C 25,000 (27,000); WMU 4D 33,000 (35,000); WMU 4E 21,000 (26,000); WMU 5A 19,000 (19,000); WMU 5B 49,000 (50,000); WMU 5C 95,000 (103,000); and WMU 5D 18,000 (18,000).

In allocating antlerless licenses, the commissioners also voted to change the length of the firearms deer season in two WMUs. Hunters in WMU 4A – which contains portions of Huntingdon, Blair, Bedford, Fulton and Franklin counties – and WMU 4C – which contains portions of Dauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, Luzerne, Carbon, Lehigh and Berks counties – will have seven days of concurrent hunting for antlered and antlerless deer in the 2014-15 deer firearms season. In this format, only antlered deer may be taken during the first five days of the firearms season. Both antlered and antlerless deer may be taken from the first Saturday to the close of the season. 

Hunting licenses for 2014-15 go on sale in mid-June and become effective July 1. After hunters purchase a general hunting license, they may apply for antlerless deer licenses based on staggered timelines, which will be outlined in the 2014-15 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest presented to each license buyer. The 2014-15 digest also will be available at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us in mid-June

The board on Tuesday also voted to issue 108 elk licenses (27 antlered, 81 antlerless) for the 2014 hunt.

While the licenses again will be awarded by lottery, the application process will follow an expedited schedule this year.

The drawing for the 2014 elk hunt this year will be held Aug. 16 or 17 at the Elk Country Visitor Center near Winslow Hill in Benezette Township, Elk County. That’s about a month earlier than last year’s drawing. And it means hunters who are looking to enter the drawing for the 2014 hunt need to get their applications in sooner.  Hunters may apply when 2014-15 hunting licenses go on sale and all applications are due by July 31.

Elk applications cost $10.70, and only one application may be submitted each license year.

Other modifications proposed for the 2014-15 seasons include: changes to fall turkey seasons in several Wildlife Management Units; new extended bear hunting opportunities in WMUs 2C and 4B; an expansion of the fisher trapping season to WMUs 1B, 3B and 3C; and increased possession limits for small game.

Hunters and trappers – particularly those setting vacations for this fall and winter – are advised that, once again, several seasons in the 2014-15 license year will open or run about a week later than they do in many years to accommodate calendar swings related to the timing of Thanksgiving.

Several highlights pertaining to 2014-15 seasons and bag limits follow.

EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES LEGAL TO HUNT

Non-native species difficult to distinguish from mourning dove.

The Eurasian collared dove isn’t native to Pennsylvania, but it’s turning up in the state in larger and larger numbers.

And, especially while in flight, the bird has few characteristics that distinguish it from the mourning dove.

Dove hunters won’t need to make a distinction between the two when they head afield in the coming license year. 

The Board of Game Commissioners on Tuesday approved classifying the Eurasian collared dove as a game bird, meaning they can be hunted with a general hunting license and migratory bird license, and collared doves taken can be counted as part of the bag limit for mourning doves.

Native to Europe and Asia, collared doves were introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970s. The first recorded collared dove sighting in Pennsylvania occurred in 1996. And The Second Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas found possible breeding populations in 15 survey blocks in eight counties.

Studies on interactions between collared doves and other species have not yet identified a negative impact on populations of native birds, including mourning doves.

While the Eurasian collared dove is an introduced invasive species, it must be classified as a game bird in order to establish a hunting season for its take. Game Commission staff recommended the collared dove’s classification as a game bird as a way to better protect the mourning dove.  If the collared dove was classified as an exotic species and subjected to taking year-round, it could lead to mistake kills of mourning doves, staff said.

SPLIT FIREARMS DEER SEASONS APPROVED

WMUs 4A and 4C shifted to split format.

The Board of Game Commissioners adopted a slate of deer seasons for 2014-15 that establishes the split, five-day antlered deer season (Dec. 1-5) and seven-day concurrent season (Dec. 6-13) in 14 Wildlife Management Units. The list includes WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4A 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E. The package also retains the two-week (Dec. 1-13) concurrent, antlered and antlerless deer season in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2B, 3A, 3D, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D.

The split format is new for WMUs 4A and 4C, and commissioners said changing the format is aimed at increasing deer numbers in those WMUs.

Hunters with Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) antlerless deer permits may use the permits on the lands for which they were issued during any established deer season, and will continue to be permitted to harvest antlerless deer from Dec. 1-13 in WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E. Fees for DMAP permits are $10.70 for residents and $35.70 for nonresidents.

DMAP permits also may be transferred to Mentored Hunting Program participants.

The board retained the antler restrictions in place for adult and senior license holders since the 2011-12 seasons. It remains the “three-up” on one side, not counting a brow tine, provision for the western Wildlife Management Units of 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 2D, and the three points on one side in all other WMUs. Those exempt from these antler restrictions are junior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty military on leave.

BOARD EXPANDS BEAR SEASONS

WMUs 2C, 4B to offer bear hunting opportunity during deer season.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today proposed opening up extended bear hunting opportunities to two additional WMUs in 2014.

WMUs 2C and 4B each would be open to bear hunting for four days in deer season, beginning the first Wednesday of the 2014 statewide general deer season Dec. 3.

Game Commission staff had recommended the additions based on increases in the bear populations within those WMUs.

WMU 2C has had a slightly increasing bear population trend. Highway mortalities of bears have been slowly increasing in the area, and there’s been a noticeable increase in human-bear conflicts there.

WMU 4B also has had an increasing trend of human-bear conflicts, and several incidents in recent years involving home entry or injury to pets and people. Highway mortality of bears also has increased there, as has the bear harvest, which has increased by about 20 percent annually since 2003. 

The board retained expanded bear seasons in the state’s most urban Wildlife Management Units – WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D – and will continue to allow the harvest of black bears with a bear license during all deer seasons from September through early December in these WMUs.

The extended bear season dates for 2014 are:

- Sept. 20-Nov. 15 in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, for archery only;

- Oct. 4-Nov. 15 in WMU 5B, for archery only;

- Oct. 18-25 in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, for muzzleloaders only;

- Oct. 23-25 and Dec. 1-13 in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, using any legal sporting arm for juniors and seniors, disabled person permit holders to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty in armed services.

The statewide five-day archery bear season opens Nov. 17 and runs through Nov. 21. The four-day statewide bear season is slated to open on Saturday, Nov. 22, and then continues on Monday and runs through Wednesday, Nov. 24-26.

Extended bear seasons have been proposed as follows:

- Dec. 3-6 in WMUs 2C, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E; and

- Dec. 1-6 in WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D.

- Dec. 1-13 in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D.

CHANGES TO FALL TURKEY SEASONS ADOPTED

Season lengths altered in some WMUs.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Tuesday gave final approval to fall turkey seasons for 2014 and spring gobbler dates for 2015.

Decreasing populations in WMUs 3A, 3B and 3C prompted the adoption of a two-week fall turkey season in those WMUs. Previously, there had been a three-week season there.

The three-day Thanksgiving season segment will continue in WMUs 3A, 3B and 3C despite the one-week decrease in the earlier segment.

Also, 2014 marks the final year of the hen harvest rate and survival rate study. So those WMUs in the study area will continue with the season lengths implemented last year.

The board also opted to retain a three-day fall turkey season in WMU 5A, but shifted it from midweek to a Thursday-through-Saturday framework.

The fall season dates for 2014: WMU 1B, Nov. 1-8 and Nov. 27-29; WMU 2B (shotgun and bow only), Nov. 1-21, and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 1A, 2A, 2D, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B and 3C, Nov. 1-15, and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 2C, 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E, Nov. 1-21, and Nov. 27-29; and WMU 5A, Nov. 6-8. WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D will remain closed for the fall seasons.

For the 2015 spring gobbler season, which will run from May 2-30, the board continued the change in legal hunting hours to reflect the following: from May 2-16, legal shooting hours will be one-half hour before sunrise until noon timeframe; and from May 18-30, hunters may hunt all day, from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.

The board adopted the one-day Spring Gobbler Youth Hunt on April 25, 2015, which will run from one-half hour before sunrise until noon. All junior license holders and Mentored Youth Hunting Program permit holders can participate in this special one-day hunt, as well as the other spring season dates.

2014-15 HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS


SQUIRRELS, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license, and mentored youth – Oct. 11-17 (6 daily, 18 in possession limit after first day).

SQUIRRELS, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Oct. 18-Nov. 29; Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 21 (6 daily, 18 possession).

RUFFED GROUSE: Oct. 18–Nov. 29, Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Jan. 24 (2 daily, 6 possession).

RABBIT (Cottontail) Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license: Oct. 11-18 (4 daily, 12 possession).

RABBIT (Cottontail): Oct. 25-Nov. 29, Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 21 (4 daily, 12 possession).

PHEASANT: Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license – Oct. 11-18 (2 daily, 6 in possession). Male pheasants only in WMUs 2A, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Male and female pheasants may be taken in all other WMUs. There is no open season for the taking of pheasants in any Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas in any WMU.

PHEASANT: Male only in WMUs 2A, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Male and female may be taken in all other WMUs – – Oct. 25-Nov. 29, Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 21 (2 daily, 6 in possession). There is no open season for the taking of pheasants in any Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas in any WMU.

PHEASANT: Male or Female combined in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2B, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4D, 5C and 5D – Oct. 25-Nov. 29, Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 21 (2 daily, 6 in possession). There is no open season for the taking of pheasants in any Wild Pheasant Recovery Area in any WMU.

BOBWHITE QUAIL: Oct. 25-Nov. 29 (4 daily, 12 possession). (Closed in WMUs 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D.)

HARES (SNOWSHOE RABBITS) OR VARYING HARES: Dec. 26–Jan. 1, in all WMUs except WMUs 3B, 3C and 3D, where the season will run from Dec. 26-29 (1 daily, 3 possession).

WOODCHUCKS (GROUNDHOGS): No closed season, except on Sundays and during the regular firearms deer seasons. No limit.

PORCUPINES: Sept. 1-March 31, except during overlap with the regular firearms deer season. Daily limit of three, season limit of 10.

CROWS: July 4-April 5, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. No limit.

STARLINGS AND ENGLISH SPARROWS: No closed season, except during the antlered and antlerless deer season. No limit.

EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE: Season dates shall run concurrently with mourning dove season. Shall be counted as part of the aggregate daily limits for mourning dove season.

WILD TURKEY (Male or Female): WMU 1B – Nov. 1-8 and Nov. 27-29; WMU 2B (Shotgun and bow and arrow) – Nov. 1-21 and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 1A, 2A, 2D, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B and 3C – Nov. 1-15 and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 2C, 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E – Nov. 1-21 and Nov. 27-29; WMU 5A – Nov. 6-8; WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D – CLOSED TO FALL TURKEY HUNTING.

SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with required license, and mentored youth – April 25, 2015. Only 1 spring gobbler may be taken during this hunt.

SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): May 2-30, 2015. Daily limit 1, season limit 2. (Second spring gobbler may be only taken by persons who possess a valid special wild turkey license.) From May 2-16, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon; from May 18-30, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.

BLACK BEAR (Statewide) Archery: Nov. 17-21. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (Statewide): Nov. 22-26. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2C, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 3-6. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D): Dec. 1-13. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D): Dec. 1-6. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D) archery: Sept. 20-Nov. 15. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMU 5B) archery: Oct. 4-Nov. 15. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) muzzleloader: Oct. 18-25. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) special firearms: Oct. 23-25, for junior and senior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty military.

ELK (Antlered or Antlerless): Nov. 3-8. Only one elk may be taken during the license year.

ELK, EXTENDED (Antlered and Antlerless): Nov. 10-15. Only one elk may be taken during the license year. Eligible elk license recipients who haven’t harvested an elk by Nov. 8, in designated areas.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlerless Only) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 20-Oct. 3, and Nov. 17-29. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Jan. 12-24. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Oct. 4-Nov. 15 and Dec. 26-Jan. 10. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2B, 3A, 3D, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 1-13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered Only) WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E: Dec. 1-5. One antlered deer per hunting license year. (Holders of valid DMAP antlerless deer permits may harvest antlerless deer on DMAP properties during this period.)

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E: Dec. 6-13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Statewide): Oct. 23-25. Junior and Senior License Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in
U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only, with required antlerless license. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license, or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS MUZZLELOADER (Statewide): Oct. 18-25. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (Statewide): Dec. 26-Jan. 10. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D): Dec. 26-Jan. 24. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS EXTENDED REGULAR FIREARMS: (Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties): Dec. 26-Jan. 24. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Military Bases): Hunting permitted on days established by the U.S. Department of the Army at Letterkenny Army Depot, Franklin County; New Cumberland Army Depot, York County; and Fort Detrick, Raven Rock Site, Adams County. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.



2014-15 FURBEARER HUNTING SEASONS


COYOTES: No closed season. Unlimited. Outside of any big game season (deer, bear, elk and turkey), coyotes may be taken with a hunting license or a furtaker license, and without wearing orange. During any big game season, coyotes may be taken while lawfully hunting big game or with a furtaker license.

RACCOONS and FOXES: Oct. 25–Feb. 21, unlimited.

OPOSSUM, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS: No closed season, except Sundays. No limits.

BOBCAT (WMUs 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D and 4E): Jan. 20-Feb. 10. One bobcat per license year, but all licensed furtakers may obtain one permit.



2014-15 TRAPPING SEASONS


MINKS and MUSKRATS: Nov. 22–Jan. 11. Unlimited.

COYOTES, FOXES, OPOSSUMS, RACCOONS, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS: Oct. 26–Feb. 22. No limit.

COYOTES and FOXES (Statewide) Cable Restraints: Dec. 26-Feb. 22. No limit. Participants must pass cable restraint certification course.

BEAVERS (Statewide): Dec. 26–March 31 (Limits vary depending on WMU).

BOBCATS (WMUs 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 20-Jan. 11.
One bobcat per license year, and all licensed furtakers may obtain one permit.

FISHERS (WMUs 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3D, 4D and 4E): Dec. 20-25. One fisher per license year, and all licensed furtakers may obtain one permit.



2014-15 FALCONRY SEASONS


SQUIRRELS (combined), BOBWHITE QUAIL, RUFFED GROUSE, COTTONTAIL RABBITS,

SNOWSHOE OR VARYING HARES, RINGNECK PHEASANTS (Male or Female combined): Sept. 1-March 31. Daily and Field Possession limits vary. (Migratory game bird seasons and bag limits for falconers will be set in accordance with federal regulations in August.)

No open season on other wild birds or mammals.

Waterfowl and Migratory Game Bird seasons to be established in accordance with federal regulations this summer.

7 Candidates Vying For Democratic Nomination For Governor of PA

2014 Pennsylvania Democratic Primary Gubernatorial Candidates

	John Hanger Former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Declared Democratic Candidate      Hanger campaign website
	Jo Ellen Litz Businesswoman and County Commissioner of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania Declared Democratic Candidate      Litz campaign website
	Rob McCord Pennsylvania State Treasurer Declared Democratic Candidate      McCord campaign website
	Katie McGinty Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Declared Democratic Candidate      McGinty campaign website
	Max Myers Small business owner and former pastor Declared Democratic Candidate      Myers campaign website
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Life on the Wrong Side of the Oil Field Tracks

Life on the Wrong Side of the Oil Field Tracks.

Dec. 7, 2013 (SOSPA)

By Laurie Barr

Save Our Streams PA

www.saveourstreamspa.org

The industry can be broken down into two distinct groups, the old and the new.

While Gov.Tom Corbett promotes the successes of the new unconventional drilling industry during his re-election campaign, oil rises up from the shadows of the dilapidated pump-jacks, helping to shed light, revealing a long history of a dysfunctional  agency charged with the oversight of both the old and new style drilling.

Leaking well on the Thomas’ Property, Duke Center,

Pennsylvania ( SOSPA Photo left)

Some operators who work in the oil and gas fields are conscientious; when they experience a spill or an equipment failure that results in oil ending up somewhere it shouldn’t be; it’s promptly cleaned up. That’s the best case scenario.

Leaking well on the Thomas’ property, Duke Center, Pennsylvania

(Above SOSPA Photo)  

Imagine a worst-case scenario: an operator abandons a well and the unplugged well oozes oil and/or brine continuously; contaminating your property and nearby aquatic resources.

Now imagine that there are dozens, as many as 65 such wells, and then imagine gallons of oil and other contaminants pouring from the wells daily.

The Thomas’ of Duke Center,  McKean County don’t have to imagine this scenario. They have had to live it.

They have reached out to State and Federal officials for help to little avail. The scenario has plagued the Thomas’ lives daily; for decades.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (PADEP) well records are incomplete.  It’s a mystery how many of the wells on the Thomas’ property were pumped by the operator who passed away in October of 2012. An even bigger mystery is; why Pennsylvania officials haven’t been able to figure out how to stop the constant flow of contamination from the wells, allowing the plumes of contamination to grow.

Emeral green crude  pours from a well on situated in a wetland  on the Thomas’ property, Duke Center, Pennsylvania  ( Above SOSPA Photo)  

To date, after many reports have been made to the PADEP and the Environmental Protection Agency( EPA),  and also after several calls to the National Response Center to report some of the (daily) discharges of crude oil, a comprehensive survey of the oil field has yet to be conducted. Nobody knows exactly how many wells are on the Thomas’ property or even how many of these wells are contributing to the contamination plumes that cover large areas of the property. 

Historic map showing the well locations on the Thomas property. ( Above SOSPA Photo)

The Thomas’ have managed to locate over 30 wells in various stages of disrepair. A historic map, published prior to the permitting of 7 contemporary wells, identifies approximately 65 wells bringing some estimates to 72 wells but early oil and gas operators did not always document every well so there may be more wells hidden among the forested areas and heavily vegetated wetlands included in this 40 acre parcel.

There are health and safety hazards associated with these wells and these have essentially rendered the majority of the property unusable. While a number of wells have pump-jacks or well casings attached, others are simply open holes hidden among the underbrush of the forest canopy and wetland vegetation.

Pump-jacks sit idle on some of the wells; while emerald green crude flows from pipes and wellheads.

In some areas the ground is completely saturated, puddles have formed and brine flows continuously across these areas to ultimately reach Knapp Creek, a tributary of the Alleghany River.

Broken pipes, tangled wires, leaking oil and brine tanks litter the oil field.

Large tanks surrounded by dark oil stains leak oil and other fluids while the unmistakable oil field odors and gases permeate the air.

Leaking seperator tank on the hillside of the Thomas’ property, Duke Center, Pennsylvania. ( SOSPA Photo)

Many abandoned wells constantly pour natural gas into the atmosphere. Several of the wells on the Thomas’ land are leaking natural gas; contributing to climate change. While gases pour into the atmosphere, and as the contamination plume grows, PADEP officials and representatives for the deceased operator’s estate mull over how to divide the oil pie and draw straws to figure out who is going to take the first bite.

According to the National Response Center a report, dated March 06, 2013 “this has been an ongoing issue for years.” The oil and fluids continue to flow from wells situated in these wetlands, along the creek, in the creek and on the steep mountainside, where eventually it washes downstream while officials mull over what to do.

It seems the Department of Environmental Protection or any other agency of the Commonwealth will probably not be able to figure out how to appropriately address this. Contaminants are entering into the watershed daily, a fact that officials, from the local level including Rep. Martin Causer, and others on up to governor Corbett’s office have been made aware of, yet none seem to be able to grasp the idea that this needs their immediate attention, a remedy, sooner rather than later and some office, department, agency needs to step in and take the lead. Do something, anything to stop the contaminants from entering Pennsylvania and New York State waterways.

The idea that the agency continues to authorize more permits to drill wells; while existing abandoned and unplugged wells are continuously dumping contaminants directly into the watershed, as the alarmingly clueless buffoons try to figure out who’s on first, is simply astounding. When will the PA Department of Environmental Protection start actually, you know, protecting the environment?

According to a recent press release, dated October 15, 2013 Reps. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) and Kathy Rapp (R-Warren) joined hundreds of independent oil producers and supporters at the site of the world’s first oil well to highlight the challenges threatening the future of this 150-year-old industry.

Causer spoke to the crowd during the event.“Our independent oil and gas producers are vital contributors, not only to our local economy but to our statewide economy as well,” Causer said. “We can’t afford to have government regulate them out of business. It’s time for the administration to work with us to ensure the future of Penn Grade crude and all the business and industry it supports.”

Rapp stated “I am proud to stand with all of you in the fight to not only protect this industry but to get government out of the way so it can grow and thrive,” Rapp continued “It’s time for the bureaucrats who write these regulations to be held accountable to the people.”  

Ditto!  By the way Kathy, the Thomases are people too.

10 Helen Lane, Bradford, Pennsylvania.Exploded  (Above SOSPA Photo)

Improperly abandoned wells are known to provide a direct pathway to the aquifer and to the surface. The Thomas’ water well contains explosive levels of methane. Due to the risk of explosion a PADEP official's advice to the Thomas’? “I don't recommend you take a nice soak bath while smoking a cigar and enjoying a glass of wine."

XXXXX

Laurie Barr

saveourstreamspa@gmail.com

NRC Incident report number 1037045 dated 30-JAN-2013 10:35. “CALLER STATED THAT THERE WAS A DISCHARGE OF CRUDE OIL, METHANE GAS FROM A WELL HEAD AND INJECTION WELL, THE CAUSE IS DUE TO UNKNOWN REASONS.” Link: http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/reports/rwservlet?standard_web+inc_seq=1037045

NRC Incident report number 1046210 dated 06-MAY-2013 16:18. “THE CALLER IS REPORTING A DISCHARGE OF CRUDE OIL INTO NAP CREEK. THE CALLER STATED THAT LEAKING WELLS ARE THE SOURCE OF THE DISCHARGE. THE CALLER STATED THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR YEARS, DISCHARGING APPROXIMATELY 30-150 GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL PER DAY..” Link: http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/reports/rwservlet?standard_web+inc_seq=1046210

NRC Incident report number 1065112 dated 07-NOV-2013 08:31. “CALLER IS REPORTING THAT MULTIPLE WELLS ARE LEAKING CRUDE OIL ONTO HER PROPERTY. CALLER STATED THIS IS DUE TO NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF THE OWNER OF THE WELLS.” Link: http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/reports/rwservlet?standard_web+inc_seq=1065112

Rep. Martin Causer website: http://www.repcauser.com/

Email:  MCauser@PahouseGOP.com

Press release “Causer, Rapp Join Call to Action for PA Conventional Oil Industry” 10/15/2013 :

http://www.repcauser.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=18750

Perilous Pathways: Behind The Staggering Number Of Abandoned Wells In Pennsylvania

http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/10/perilous-pathways-behind-the-staggering-number-of-abandoned-wells-in-pennsylvania/

Sen. Bob Casey wants feds to help investigate Pennsylvania house explosions http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/03/sen_bob_casey_wants_feds_to_he.html

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Laurie Barr

Wells don't heal themselves; they require plugging & re-plugging for the life of the planet.

Save Our Streams PA
www.saveourstreamspa.org

Phone: 814-203-9772
Join Save Our Streams PA's Scavenger Hunt  for

Lost, Orphan and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells!