Post by crazyhorservn on Jun 27, 2012 6:58:03 GMT -4
Is the PGC totally forthcoming?
UNIFIED SPORTSMEN of PENNSYLVANIA VS. PENNSYLVANIA GAME COMMISSION
The Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) is mainly comprised of Traditionally Serious Deer Hunters that disagree with the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) over deer management. Having confronted the PGC during recent years with a lawsuit that progressed over 3 years, only to have the suit dismissed (2011) just twenty days before a scheduled court hearing, the USP was denied the right to present arguments before the Commonwealth Court of Pa. During the past two decades the ranks of resident deer hunters in Pennsylvania have decreased by more than 400,000 primarily because of too few deer to hunt. The PGC blamed failing forests on too many deer and proceeded to allow the harvest of increasing numbers of deer. The deer herd was lowered by as many as 50% statewide and some areas by as many as 90%. Today in some sections of the state, deer are un-huntable due to too few deer, which discourages deer hunters from even wanting to hunt. Not only from the difficulty to see deer, but also from the feeling of guilt harvesting an animal of which very few remain. As such, USP membership in continuing confrontation with the PGC and has witnessed a declining health of forests in our State Game Lands (1.5 million acres) in spite of fewer deer. The worst case scenario is WMU 2G in which the PGC has practiced a yo-yo game of manipulating the number of antlerless licenses issued. With no science to support a staggering 86% doe permit increase request from their top deer biologist Dr. Rosenberry from just the previous year, 2G moves further toward what traditional deer hunters now term a “ghost town” for deer. Even the PGC commissioners cut Dr. Rosenberry's request in half, but still approved a 43% increase.....science or subjectivity?
Current controversies between the USP and the PGC focus on the number of deer available for hunters, the number harvested, the obligations of the PGC to abide by their legal requirements as set forth in Title 34 (Game Law)and the true cause of forests to regenerate, namely acid soils rather than too many deer. Being no neophyte to these issues, the USP has completed a canvas of traditional deer hunters who completed a questionnaire for the USP. The results comprise a significantly large sampling of hunters to be statistically significant. Over 95% of those completing the survey stated that:
1. They believe that State Game Lands can support more healthy deer without damaging a healthy forest or conflicts with people.
2. They believe that the PGC does not place high importance or encourage hunter retention by the way they manage State Game Lands.
3. They believe that the PGC has a moral commitment to provide more food plots and cover for deer in areas where better nutrition is needed.
4. They believe that deer hunting will not get better unless new and/or responsible management is demanded by the PA State Legislature beginning with House and Senate hearings.
The PGC on the other hand, based their opinion on a survey of the general public, and not on the qualified opinion of knowledgeable deer stakeholders or traditional deer hunters, to support their program keeping deer numbers low. From their sampling results the PGC concluded that only 18% of those who replied to their survey think that there are too few deer in the state. The circumstance of the PGC using this data to continue to reduce the deer herd is disingenuous. With a declining hunter base, including youth hunters, too few deer, a failure to manage deer based on sound science, we contend the PGC is in violation of Pennsylvania State Law, Title 34, Section 322 (c) (13). State Law mandates that, “the specific duty of the Commission shall be to serve the interests of sportsmen for recreational hunting.” Not to abide by this mandate may be a matter for the Attorney General’s Office, as it does not give justice to the social, economic, recreational and welfare of sportsmen and the sport hunting industry across the Commonwealth.
The PGC has demonstrated, as an independent state agency, that it has the support of the PA Legislature as no curative legislation that addresses the concerns of sportsmen has been passed. The sportsmen of Pennsylvania who are firm believers in the traditional values of deer hunting have spoken that they want a Game Commission that “once was” and not what “it is now”. No longer will traditional deer hunters be relegated to an enslaved status due to unscientific mythology by PGC deer management, which has often been referred to, or identified as, either ignorance or incompetence.
Not many sportsmen are aware of the huge amount of monetary resources that the PGC is sitting on – namely Marcellus oil and gas. Areas of current production include Southwestern counties of Fayette, Green and Washington and Northeastern counties of Bradford, Lycoming, Susquehanna and Tioga. State Game Lands #12 and #36 (43,466 acres) represent the most valuable PGC property. According to recent, reliable estimates these two parcels of land should provide a signing bonus to the PGC of over $249 million. Also a royalty rate of 20% could net the PGC $1.07 BILLION above the signing bonus.
SGL #13 and SGL 57 (95,031 acres) in parts of Luzerne, Sullivan and Wyoming counties are also rich in Marcellus. It is reasonable that SGLs #13 and # 57 may well realize twice the revenue as #12 and #36 – a signing bonus of $500 million and $3.21 BILLION in royalty. The potential revenue from these four game lands amounts to roughly $4 BILLION to the PGC-- ---or 50 times the annual budget of the PGC. Don’t you think that the PGC can afford to spend a measly few million dollars more each year to conserve Pennsylvania’s working forests for the economic, cultural and environmental benefits they deserve for the Commonwealth? After all our State Game Lands have shown a declining forest restoration growth rate! Good policy does make good politics and doing nothing is no longer an option.
UNIFIED SPORTSMEN of PENNSYLVANIA VS. PENNSYLVANIA GAME COMMISSION
The Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) is mainly comprised of Traditionally Serious Deer Hunters that disagree with the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) over deer management. Having confronted the PGC during recent years with a lawsuit that progressed over 3 years, only to have the suit dismissed (2011) just twenty days before a scheduled court hearing, the USP was denied the right to present arguments before the Commonwealth Court of Pa. During the past two decades the ranks of resident deer hunters in Pennsylvania have decreased by more than 400,000 primarily because of too few deer to hunt. The PGC blamed failing forests on too many deer and proceeded to allow the harvest of increasing numbers of deer. The deer herd was lowered by as many as 50% statewide and some areas by as many as 90%. Today in some sections of the state, deer are un-huntable due to too few deer, which discourages deer hunters from even wanting to hunt. Not only from the difficulty to see deer, but also from the feeling of guilt harvesting an animal of which very few remain. As such, USP membership in continuing confrontation with the PGC and has witnessed a declining health of forests in our State Game Lands (1.5 million acres) in spite of fewer deer. The worst case scenario is WMU 2G in which the PGC has practiced a yo-yo game of manipulating the number of antlerless licenses issued. With no science to support a staggering 86% doe permit increase request from their top deer biologist Dr. Rosenberry from just the previous year, 2G moves further toward what traditional deer hunters now term a “ghost town” for deer. Even the PGC commissioners cut Dr. Rosenberry's request in half, but still approved a 43% increase.....science or subjectivity?
Current controversies between the USP and the PGC focus on the number of deer available for hunters, the number harvested, the obligations of the PGC to abide by their legal requirements as set forth in Title 34 (Game Law)and the true cause of forests to regenerate, namely acid soils rather than too many deer. Being no neophyte to these issues, the USP has completed a canvas of traditional deer hunters who completed a questionnaire for the USP. The results comprise a significantly large sampling of hunters to be statistically significant. Over 95% of those completing the survey stated that:
1. They believe that State Game Lands can support more healthy deer without damaging a healthy forest or conflicts with people.
2. They believe that the PGC does not place high importance or encourage hunter retention by the way they manage State Game Lands.
3. They believe that the PGC has a moral commitment to provide more food plots and cover for deer in areas where better nutrition is needed.
4. They believe that deer hunting will not get better unless new and/or responsible management is demanded by the PA State Legislature beginning with House and Senate hearings.
The PGC on the other hand, based their opinion on a survey of the general public, and not on the qualified opinion of knowledgeable deer stakeholders or traditional deer hunters, to support their program keeping deer numbers low. From their sampling results the PGC concluded that only 18% of those who replied to their survey think that there are too few deer in the state. The circumstance of the PGC using this data to continue to reduce the deer herd is disingenuous. With a declining hunter base, including youth hunters, too few deer, a failure to manage deer based on sound science, we contend the PGC is in violation of Pennsylvania State Law, Title 34, Section 322 (c) (13). State Law mandates that, “the specific duty of the Commission shall be to serve the interests of sportsmen for recreational hunting.” Not to abide by this mandate may be a matter for the Attorney General’s Office, as it does not give justice to the social, economic, recreational and welfare of sportsmen and the sport hunting industry across the Commonwealth.
The PGC has demonstrated, as an independent state agency, that it has the support of the PA Legislature as no curative legislation that addresses the concerns of sportsmen has been passed. The sportsmen of Pennsylvania who are firm believers in the traditional values of deer hunting have spoken that they want a Game Commission that “once was” and not what “it is now”. No longer will traditional deer hunters be relegated to an enslaved status due to unscientific mythology by PGC deer management, which has often been referred to, or identified as, either ignorance or incompetence.
Not many sportsmen are aware of the huge amount of monetary resources that the PGC is sitting on – namely Marcellus oil and gas. Areas of current production include Southwestern counties of Fayette, Green and Washington and Northeastern counties of Bradford, Lycoming, Susquehanna and Tioga. State Game Lands #12 and #36 (43,466 acres) represent the most valuable PGC property. According to recent, reliable estimates these two parcels of land should provide a signing bonus to the PGC of over $249 million. Also a royalty rate of 20% could net the PGC $1.07 BILLION above the signing bonus.
SGL #13 and SGL 57 (95,031 acres) in parts of Luzerne, Sullivan and Wyoming counties are also rich in Marcellus. It is reasonable that SGLs #13 and # 57 may well realize twice the revenue as #12 and #36 – a signing bonus of $500 million and $3.21 BILLION in royalty. The potential revenue from these four game lands amounts to roughly $4 BILLION to the PGC-- ---or 50 times the annual budget of the PGC. Don’t you think that the PGC can afford to spend a measly few million dollars more each year to conserve Pennsylvania’s working forests for the economic, cultural and environmental benefits they deserve for the Commonwealth? After all our State Game Lands have shown a declining forest restoration growth rate! Good policy does make good politics and doing nothing is no longer an option.