As part of the Game Commission’s efforts to highlight its ongoing habitat improvement initiatives, the public is invited to take part in upcoming tours of several state game lands.   The tours are free and will be held between September 29 and October 20.

Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe said the tours offer a glimpse of what state game lands have to offer.

“We’re proud of our state game lands and these tours not only provide a chance for us to show them to the public, but they also provide the public an opportunity to come out and talk with the Game Commission personnel directly responsible for managing and protecting game lands,” Roe said.

With autumn nearly here, the tours also provide a chance to see some of the best scenery the Commonwealth has to offer, Roe said.

The state game lands system has a long history in Pennsylvania. In 1919, the Game Commission was granted authority to purchase lands for the protection, propagation and management of game and wildlife, and to provide areas for public hunting and trapping. Since that time, the Game Commission has acquired more than 1.4 million acres in 65 of the state’s 67 counties (Philadelphia and Delaware counties being the exceptions).

With few exceptions, state game lands were purchased using revenues from hunting and furtaker license sales; state game lands timber, coal, oil, gas and mineral operation revenues; the state’s share of a federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, known as the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program; from Working Together for Wildlife artwork and patch sales; and from the Pennsylvania Waterfowl Management stamp and print sales.

Click Here for details on each tour.

NewsClips: State Game Land Tour Schedule Announced

9/23/2013