HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners met recently in Harrisburg, hearing public comments before taking up official business. Highlights from the meeting appear below.

Survey to precede further action on marten plan

Exploring the possibility of reintroducing American martens to Pennsylvania will include consideration of an additional public survey gauging residents’ opinions on the matter.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently developed the draft “American Marten Reintroduction and Management Plan for Pennsylvania,” a long-term, 10-year strategy to translocate the species back to the state, then conduct comprehensive monitoring to evaluate that reintroduction.

A proposal to make the plan available for public review was on the agenda, but the Board of Commissioners tabled the proposal until the results of a soon-to-be-conducted scientific survey clarify the public’s opinions about the initiative. The survey will be conducted by the Virginia-based Responsive Management.

“Given that the survey is not yet completed, I believe it is appropriate that we table this issue at this time to allow for that survey to be completed and the results to be made available to the board and to the public,” Board of Commissioners President Kristen Schnepp-Giger said.

The American marten (Martes americana) is a small furbearer that’s about the same size as adult mink or fox squirrel. Martens weigh between 1 and 3 pounds and measure between 19 and 27 inches.

Martens were once commonly found in portions of Pennsylvania. They disappeared from the Commonwealth in the early 1900s, though, as a result of deforestation and unregulated harvest.

A feasibility assessment by the Game Commission found that martens would have sufficient habitat within Pennsylvania and pose little to no risk to other species if reintroduced. Much information about martens is available from the Game Commission at https://american-marten-pagame.hub.arcgis.com/Opens In A New Window.

Meanwhile, the Game Commission recently conducted an American marten art contest for middle- and high-school students. Submitted artworks will appear in the reintroduction and management plan. The winning artists for high school are: 1st place, Alma Swartzentruber, 12th grade; 2nd place, Olivia Graham, 12th grade; 3rd place, Kahlan Fuhrer, 12th grade. The winning artists for middle school are: 1st place, Alexavier Biordi, 7th grade; 2nd place, Aaron West, 7th grade; and 3rd place Jillian Gressley, 8th grade.

Changes regarding issuing agents

considered

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners have given preliminary approval to changes impacting its license-issuing agent program.

The Game Commission recently evaluated that program, partly because changes in how licenses are sold are significantly impacting issuing agents via reduced license sales opportunities and increased business costs. The goal of the assessment was to find ways to decrease costs and requirements for those license-selling partners.

That’s resulted in several proposed changes.

First, current regulations – which predate the availability of internet sales and on-site, in-person license printing – set the annual issuing agent application fee at $500. First-year issuing agents are eligible to apply to get some of that back, though rebates of up to $400, depending on the number of licenses they sell throughout the license year. Few recoup more than $100 to $200 that way, though.

So the Commission has proposed reducing the annual application fee from $500 to $200, a move that would also eliminate the need for the rebate program.

Second, current regulations require an issuing agent applicant to maintain an $18,000 bond. That figure, set at a time when the Commission sent paper licenses to agents, was intended to cover the value of that paper stock and license and permit fees collected by the agent.

Now that on-site printable licenses are the standard, the agency’s investment in paper stock has decreased significantly. Furthermore, its migration to weekly electronic funds transfers (EFTs) has reduced the financial risk associated with collecting license and permit sale revenues.

And even in those cases, over the last two years where the Game Commission had to collect bond fees, the claims fell well below $18,000.

For all those reasons, the Game Commission is proposing reducing the annual bonding rate from $18,000 to $11,000.

Additionally, the Game Commission is proposing to reduce the annual minimum sales requirement from 50 to 25 license products per year per agent, while also allowing mentored hunting permits to be included in an agent’s sales figures.

And finally, the Game Commission is proposing to eliminate the Nov. 1 to March 31 application window for issuing agent applications. Allowing applications year-round, something made easier by new technologies and processes, will give issuing agent applicants greater access without creating any unreasonable burdens on the Game Commission.

The proposed changes will be brought back to the board in September for final approval.