Game Commission Posts Agenda for January Meeting on Website

HARRISBURG – The agenda for the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners meeting, which is slated for Jan. 30-Feb. 1, was posted on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) today, and can be viewed by clicking the “Next Commissioners’ Meeting” box on the homepage and then on the agenda link.

The Board meeting will be held in the auditorium of the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters to collect additional recommendations on the 2011-12 seasons and bag limits, and to conduct a workshop and formal meeting. The headquarters is at 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81 in Harrisburg.

On Sunday, Jan. 30, beginning at 1 p.m., the Board will hear public recommendations for 2011-12 hunting and furtaking seasons and bag limits. Doors will open at noon. Individuals interested in offering public testimony – limited to five minutes – may begin to register at noon on a first-come, first-to-speak basis.

On Monday, Jan. 31, the Board will gather any additional public comments and hear Game Commission staff reports beginning at 8:30 a.m. Doors open at 7:45 a.m. Registration for those interested in offering public testimony – limited to five minutes – also will begin at that time.

On Tuesday, Feb. 1, beginning at 8:30 a.m., the Game Commission will take up its prepared agenda to, among other things, give preliminary approval to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for 2011-12. The Board will establish its schedule for the other 2011 meetings, and the January 2012 meeting. Doors open at 7:45 a.m.

Antlerless deer license allocations for the 2011-12 seasons will be presented for the Board to consider at its meeting in April. Harvest results from the 2010-11 deer seasons will be announced in mid-March.

“In the past, we printed and mailed copies of the agenda to more than 100 sportsmen’s club representatives, outdoor writers and legislators,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “However, in our ongoing efforts to cut operational costs, we have decided that it would be better to post this information on our website providing a wider and more uniform distribution, while saving money for important conservation work.”

A limited number of copies of the agenda will be made available to those who attend the meeting.

Once the January meeting ends, Roe also noted that a copy of the January meeting minutes will be posted on the website as soon as they are transcribed, which generally takes between two to three weeks. Previous meeting minutes are posted on the website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) in the “Reports/Minutes” section of the homepage.

“Posting the minutes on the website allows us to cut the costs of printing and mailing copies of this document and reach a wider audience,” Roe said. “It’s a cost-savings move that makes Game Commission actions and decisions more accessible to the public.”

For those unable to attend this meeting, the Game Commission will webcast the meeting beginning with the Game Commission staff reports on Monday, immediately following the conclusion of public comments. In addition, the full Board meeting on Tuesday will be webcast beginning at 8:30 a.m. An icon will be posted on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) on Monday and Tuesday to access the webcasts.

A rebroadcast of the meeting will be scheduled and announced in early February.