Game Commission Board Takes Actions On Wildlife Habitat Agenda Items

The Board of Game Commissioners this week took several actions related to the management of game lands for the benefit of wildlife, approved several land exchanges and added more than a 1,100 acres to game lands in Monroe County. Here's a summary of the actions--

 

 

The Boardapproved a 25-year lease with the Kingston Coal Company, of Wexford, to deep-mine the agency's holdings in the Freeport coal seam – an estimated seven million tons – from an about 1,500-acre coal reserve deeded in 1969 to the agency as a gift from the Loyalhanna Coal and Coke Company, of Loyalhanna.

 

The Game Commission does not have any surface ownership of land above the reserve, which is located near Latrobe. All mining will be regulated by the state's coal and underground mining regulations and the agency's standard deep-mine lease agreement. Lease royalty payments paid to the Commission will be at the rate of 6 percent of the F.O.B. selling price from each ton of coal mined and removed.

 

 

The Board approved a land exchange with the New Shawmut Timber Company, of Kane, that will convey to the agency 376 acres in Horton and Fox townships, Elk County, in exchange for a 10-year extension on an existing 10-year timber reservation on 4,968 acres in Horton Township. The company had previously conveyed the 4,968-acre tract to the agency, in addition to a 1,555-acre tract. The land being transferred is adjacent to the 1,555-acre tract, is desired by the Game Commission, and consists of reverting reclaimed surface mines vegetated with grasses, black locust and conifers that provide suitable small game habitat.

 

 

The Board approved accepting a 1,100-acre tract of land located in Ross and Eldred Townships, Monroe County as the Game Commission's portion of an anticipated settlement in a Natural Resources Damage Assessment case filed against CBS for the Palmerton Zinc Superfund Site in Carbon, Northampton and Monroe counties.

 

The Game Commission is a participating Trustee along with other state and federal agencies in this case. When final settlement is reached, the transfer of this property to the Game Commission would fully compensate the agency as the Commonwealth's Trustee of damages incurred to wildlife habitat and State Game Lands within the area of the former zinc smelting facility.

 

This facility discharged metals to the surrounding environment via air emissions and through the release of solid wastes, including the creation of a large waste pile, locally known as the "cinder bank." Hazardous substances released to the environment from these facilities include arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, and zinc. The release of these metals resulted in the contamination and defoliation of thousands of acres of land, including state game lands.

 

The mostly forested 1,100 acres, also known as "Kings' Manor," is near State Game Land 168. More than a mile of Aquashicola Creek runs through the new property, it is an Important Bird Area, and protects the Blue Mountain migratory corridor identified in Pennsylvania's Wildlife Action Plan.

 

 

The Board approved the acquisition of a 397-acre tract in Hartley Township and Hartleton Borough, Union County, from Gerald L. Shoop, of Milton. More than 350 acres of the land is agricultural fields and it is near State Game Land 317. The land was purchased using funds held in an escrow account from a land exchange on SGL 176 with Penn State University.

 

The property previously exchanged with PSU was acquired in part with Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act funds and required approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since they administer the funds apportioned through this federal act. The USFWS also reviewed the land and approved acquiring the Shoop property, noting that the parcel will meet all the federal requirements for replacement agricultural lands previously exchanged with PSU.

 

Other Actions
 

In other action from the Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Protection, the Board took the following actions:

 

-- Approved the donation of several building lots totaling 1.4 acres in Salem Township, Luzerne County, from Grace Ruckle, of Shickshinny. The land adjoins State Game Land 260, is wooded and its transfer to the agency will further protect SGL 260 from border development, which can limit recreation on the SGL;

 

-- Approved a surface-mining coal lease with the Fisher Mining Company, Montoursville, to conduct mining on 254 acres of State Game Land 75 in Pine Township, Lycoming County. Mining will occur on only about 185 acres. As part of the reclamation plan under the lease, Fishing Mining will create at least three acres of wetlands; reclaim 12 acres of an abandoned surface mined area; and construct an alkaline addition water quality enhancement system in the headwaters of Otter Run. Lease royalty payments paid to the Commission will be at the rate of 12 percent of the F.O.B. selling price from each ton of coal mined and removed which is estimated to be more than 1.5 million tons;

 

-- Approved an oil and gas land- lease exchange with Little Pine Resources, of Clearfield, to conduct exploration and development operations on 720 acres of State Game Land 78 in Graham Township, Clearfield County. The lease will provide for a 10-acre parcel of land to be exchanged to the Game Commission which will provide a much needed public access to a portion of State Game Land 78, as well as, a greater than 16 percent royalty rate, well location fees, free gas usage, and surface use restrictions on the existing SGL;

 

-- Approved two separate oil and gas leases that were won by competitive bid to the highest bidder, which was Chesapeake Energy Appalachia, LLC, of Charleston, West Virginia. Both leases are in Bradford County, being portions of State Game Land 289, containing 1,529 acres in West Burlington Township, and State Game Land 250, containing 443 acres in Terry Township. Royalty rates will be greater than 20 percent and provide accumulated rental values in excess of $1.9 million, as well as provide the agency free gas usage, well location fees, and protect the recreational and wildlife habitats of the SGL through varied surface use restrictions; and

 

-- Approved United Water of Harrisburg the opportunity to solicit and enter into a private oil and gas lease that would extend beyond their current private reservation of oil and gas rights lying beneath portions of State Game Lands, which are due to expire in December of 2014. The current privately owned oil and gas rights consist of 16,669 acres being part of State Game Lands 60, 108 and 158 in Clearfield, Cambria and Blair counties.

 

In exchange for the ability to lease these rights for oil and gas development beyond the 2014 reservation date, United Water has agreed that any lease they enter into would be structured such that the Game Commission would receive 50 percent of all lease proceeds, well location fees and free gas usage. Further, the private lease would entail numerous provisions restricting the surface use of the SGLs in order to protect the inherent recreational and wildlife habitat values.