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The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners are scheduled to consider a users fee for those riding bicycles, horses or snowmobiles on state game lands trails at a Sept. 22-23 meeting.

(MARCUS SCHNECK, mschneck@pennlive.com)

A variation on the idea of requiring a permit of non-hunting/non-trapping users of state game lands will be considered once again at the Sept. 22-23 meeting of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners. Other, broader versions of similar plans have fallen to outpourings of negative public opinion previously.

This time around commissioners will be considering a plan to sell user permits only to those older than 16 riding bicycles, horses or snowmobiles on trails on game lands. Hikers, birders and other "low-impact" users, as well as those already buying hunting or furtaking licenses, would not need the new permits to continue using game lands.

According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which manages about 1.5 million acres of game lands across Pennsylvania, "A study into the need for a game-lands use permit concluded that low-impact users like hikers and birdwatchers typically don't cause the types of damage to game lands, and associated repair costs, that the permit fee would help offset. That's why the recommendation from the Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management was narrowed to apply only to specific uses on designated trails."

There are more than 1,328 miles of designated trails open to horseback riding, bicycling and snowmobiles on game lands.

The commission identified about $230,000 in known costs over the past three years associated with trail maintenance and signage. Other projects to build or maintain game lands roads, parking lots or other infrastructure – all of which benefits trail users, as well as hunters and all users – topped $4 million in less than three years.

According to the commission, damage to trails due to horses, bicycles and snowmobiles can be considerable. When the ground is saturated, horses can leave hoof prints 6 inches deep. And in areas with heavy traffic, or that stay wet most of the time, the damage is even worse. It's no different with bicycles and snowmobiles, which also can damage habitat and infrastructure and create the same type of erosion and sedimentation concerns, at ford crossings and elsewhere.

Under the proposal, the commission would expand its existing $30 range permit, which is required of anyone using shooting ranges on game lands without hunting or furtaking licenses, to also cover riding horses, bicycles or snowmobiles on designated trails.

Commissioners will consider the recommendation at their regular meeting Sept. 22-23, which is scheduled to be held at the Lamplighter Inn in Delmont, Pa.

There will be a public comment period at 8:30 a.m. the first day of the meeting. However, comments also may be submitted by email to pgccomments@pa.gov, or by mail to ATTN: Game Lands Permit, Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797.