The Board of Game Commissioners this week approved the purchase of two tracts in Somerset and Clearfield counties, and one land exchange that will increase the total acreage of four State Game Lands in Erie and Warren counties.

The board also approved additions to the State Game Lands Bank which protects State Game Lands affected by PennDOT highway projects.

The first option is 217 acres in Shade Township, Somerset County, adjacent to State Game Land 93. The purchase price of $130,000 is to be paid to The Conservation Fund. Funding for this acquisition is partially coming from Iberdrola Renewables Inc. of Radnor, in consideration of impacts to upland sandpiper habitat from a wind farm project, with the remainder coming from other third party commitments for compensation of habitat and recreational losses from previously approved Game Commission actions.

The sale is subject to a reservation of all coal, oil, coal bed methane and gas underlying the property; however, there are no above-ground operations on the property to remove the same.

Acquiring this property will join two previously acquired detached parcels of existing SGL 93, which were acquired and named in honor of the Flight 93 crew and passengers. This property adjoins the Flight 93 Memorial boundary established by the National Park Service and authorized by The Flight 93 Memorial Act.

About 115 acres of the tract is vegetated in grassland from a previously reclaimed surface mine operation, while the remaining portion is forested with mixed northern hardwoods. The grassland is beneficial to wildlife species requiring large continuous blocks of undisturbed habitat, such as Henslow's sparrows and upland sandpipers. Public access is provided off Johnson Bottom Road.

The second offering is two tracts totaling 1,095 acres in Huston Township, Clearfield County, adjacent to SGL 331. The purchase price of $438,000 is to be paid to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, in part, with funds from the Estate of Blanche Pollum, of DuBois, and the remainder by third party commitments for compensation of habitat and recreational losses from previously approved Commission actions.

The option is pending upon final approval from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's Board of Directors, and excepts and reserves all timber for 20 years from the date of settlement. The timber will be managed in close coordination with the Game Commission and follow established best management practices.

The first of these two tracts, referred to as the Bark Camp Run tract, is about 736 acres, and adjoins the northeast boundary of SGL 331. Bark Camp Run, designated as a cold water fishery, runs through the mostly forested tract comprised of mixed northern hardwoods and multiple wetlands associated with the stream corridor.

The second tract, referred to as the Bennett Branch tract, is about 359 acres, and is an indenture into the northwest boundary of SGL 331. This tract is predominantly forested with mixed northern hardwoods, and has frontage on the upper reaches of the Bennett Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek, with emergent wetlands along the lower laying areas.

The Board also approved a timber/land exchange with Clear Lake Timber Inc., of Spartansburg, which was previously the high bidder on three of the agency's timber sales, all of which are in varied stages of herbicide treatment and infrastructure development. The timber sale represents an accumulated bid value of $1,148,112.

Under the exchange, Clear Lake Lumber, in lieu of initial block cut payments due to the Game Commission, will transfer to the agency six tracts of land amounting to around 452 acres. The six tracts are as follows: 134.75- acres in Elk Creek Township, Erie County, adjoining SGL 152; 16 acres in Deerfield Township, Warren County, adjoining SGL 86; three tracts totaling 239.69 acres in Pittsfield Township, Warren County, adjoining SGL 143; and 61.60 acres in Freehold Township, Warren County, adjoining SGL 306.

The Game Commission and Clear Lake Timber have agreed to a total appraised value of $484,000 for all six parcels, allowing for a reservation on certain timber, excluding conifers, for one year from the date of settlement on four of the six tracts. The value of $484,000 is to be credited against the timber sales until the value has been exhausted.

All residual monies owed to the Commission from the timber sales will be deposited directly into the Game Fund. This exchange will provide additional hunting acreage contiguous to SGLs 86, 143, 152 and 306.

All the tracts are forested with a good diversity of both hard- and soft-mast producing tree and shrub species, and all tracts provide additional access to established SGLs. In addition, acquiring the tracts adjoining SGL 143 will increase protection of the biologically diverse Brokenstraw Creek, and acquiring the tract adjoining SGL 306 will provide additional protection to the biological diversity of Benson Swamp by securing numerous spring seeps and unnamed tributaries that flow into this diverse wetland.

The Board of Game Commissioners also approved two projects for State Game Land Bank Site Agreements for transportation development projects that impact less than five acres of established State Game Lands within PennDOT Engineering Districts 2-0 and 3-0.

On May 15, 2008, the Game Commission entered into a Cooperative Interagency Agreement for Interdepartmental Land Transfer and Establishment of State Game Land Banks with the Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

The partnership streamlines transportation development projects by allowing PennDOT Districts to establish State Game Land Banks in advance of highway projects impacting less than five acres of State Game Lands. These agreements expedite the mitigation process where impacts can be debited from existing land banks instead of being addressed on a case-by-case basis.

In Tioga County, PennDOT has agreed to transfer exclusive jurisdiction and control of 104.6 acres of land in Chatham Township, Tioga County, to the Game Commission and retain a right to enter the wetland mitigation portion of the site to conduct monitoring and maintenance.

The property, called the Hoffman Wetlands Bank Site, is a detached parcel about eight miles southeast of State Game Land 313. The property consists of 50 acres to be reserved in the Wetland Banking Program and 54.6 acres to be placed in the State Game Lands Banking Program.

The following habitat communities are on the property: 18 acres of constructed wetlands; 10 acres of natural wetlands; 12 acres of constructed upland-wetland buffers; 10 acres of natural riparian-wetland buffers; 13 acres of mature deciduous forest; 6.6 acres of pole-sapling deciduous forest; 12 acres of mature hemlock forest; 11 acres of bottomland forest-scrubland; and 12 acres in herbaceous old fields.

In Northumberland County, PennDOT has agreed to transfer exclusive jurisdiction and control of the 45.3 acres of land in Lewis Township, Northumberland County, to the Game Commission and retain a right to enter the wetland mitigation portion of the site to conduct monitoring and maintenance.

The property, called the Vargo Wetlands Bank Site, is a detached parcel about four miles north of State Game Land 325. The property consists of 37.3 acres to be reserved in the PennDOT Wetland Banking Program, with eight acres to be placed in the State Game Lands Banking Program.

The following habitat communities are on the property: 16 acres of constructed wetlands; one acre of natural wetlands; 17 acres of constructed upland-wetland buffers; 3.3 acres of natural riparian-wetland buffers; five acres of mature riparian deciduous forest; and three acres of herbaceous old fields.

A summary of other actions taken by the Game Commission Board is available online.