The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners recently approved three projects that will be funded through the State Wildlife Grants and Landowner Incentive programs for bat research and wetlands preservation.

The research projects will be funded by the federal government under the State Wildlife Grants Program (SWG), while the wetlands conservation project will be financed by the federal government through the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP).

The research projects are as follows:

· Examination of Bat Mortality at Penobscot Mountain Wind Farm: This $153,000 project, proposed by East Stroudsburg University, will investigate pre-construction monitoring techniques and post-construction mortality of bats and birds at the proposed Penobscot Mountain Wind Farm in Luzerne County. The 36-turbine wind farm on the Pocono plateau offers a chance to develop much needed pre-construction protocols and assessments of bat activity, measure site-specific changes in bat activity caused by wind farm development, and attempt to correlate biological and environmental variables to the wildlife impacts.

· Small-Footed Bat Telemetry at Lake Raystown: This $18,000 project, proposed by Sanders Environmental Inc., will contribute to our understanding of foraging and roosting habitat needs of small-footed bats. Increased understanding of foraging and roosting bats should enhance our ability to successfully manage this threatened species, and decrease dramatically the likelihood of it becoming endangered. Reproductive small-footed bats have been captured during surveys at Lake Raystown. The effort will focus on capturing small-footed bats and tracking them to roost sites, determine nighttime habitat usage and travel patterns.

The LIP wetland project is as follows:

· Muhlenberg Wetland Project: This $175,000 project, proposed by the Berks County Conservancy, will protect critical wetlands habitats and several Partners in Flight priority species of birds. The funds will be used to buy conservation easements on critical bog turtle habitat, and to continue the site management plan through vegetative management and general monitoring and assessment. LIP requires a 50-percent funding match, which will be met by the Berks County Conservancy, the landowner and other interested parties.

The research projects are being funded through SWG, a cost-sharing program administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Federal Aid Program. They utilize funding from allocations for Pennsylvania. An advisory group, comprised of Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission staff, review and rank projects, and then secure Board of Commissioner approvals for selected projects.

LIP was developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist private landowners interested in working to conserve and restore the habitat of endangered species and other at risk plants and animals. To be eligible, state fish and wildlife agencies, landowners, or non-profit groups must put up at least 25 percent of the cost of projects.

Visit the State Wildlife Grants Program webpage for more information.

6/17/2005