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 four State Game Lands between September 23 and October 15. All tours are free.

Information on the various tours by region follows:

September 23 - Bradford County: from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. (rain or shine). This will be a 20-mile self-guided driving tour through State Game Lands 12 and 36, and will take about two hours to complete.

October 1 - Elk County: 1-5 p.m., State Game Land 44. The tour will start at the Game Commission State Game Lands Headquarters on Game Commission Road, which is six-tenths of a mile south of Route 949 at the Toby Creek Bridge.

October 8 - Luzerne/Wyoming Counties: State Game Land 57. Registration will be held from 7:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the headquarters building complex on State Game Land 57, Ricketts Station near Lopez, Forkston Township, Wyoming County.

October 15 - Dauphin/Lebanon/Schuylkill Counties: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., State Game Land 211, which encompasses more than 44,000 acres in a three-county area. The tour will start at the Ellendale gate in Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, just northeast of Dauphin Borough.

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 Program; from Working Together for Wildlife artwork and patch sales; and from the Pennsylvania Waterfowl Management stamp and print sales.

For directions and other details, visit the Game Commission Tour announcement online.

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9/22/2006