Here is an example of some of the contents of just ONE of the links i provided on audubon & input on gamelands, i highlighted red, points of interest:
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Education/Recreation/Eco-Tourism Activities and Opportunities:
The IBA is managed by the PGC mostly for hunting, trapping and fishing. There are some environmental education and interpretive services but little eco-tourism activities other than hiking, birding and cross-country skiing. The future potential, however, is there. Please consult PGC’s website for a listing of recreational opportunities and activities at http://www.pgc.state.pa.us.
Management/Conservation Issues and Opportunities:
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The propagation area is closed to the public on a year-round basis in order to protect birds and other wildlife yet there is public pressure to increase access to the site.
• Invasive plant species like Purple Loosestrife, Phragmites, Reed Canary-grass and Garlic Mustard, are a threat to quality avian habitat. The PGC has implemented management practices to control the invasive plants through environmentally sound herbicide applications and mowing.
• A large population of carp in the Glades Dam Lake threatens native fishes, quality aquatic vegetation and species of concern water birds.
• Fields are cultivated to create pasture for Canada Geese and other wildlife. The PGC is allotted a portion of the crops that are typically left in the fields as feed for wildlife. Yet, there is no management for non-game grassland birds.
• SGL 95 is actively managed for waterfowl, especially Canada Goose, Wood Duck and Mallard, and non-game avian species, such as American Kestrel, Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow, by placing artificial nesting devices throughout the site but again much more can be done for non-game avian species.
• The PGC follows a Wildlife Resource Assessment Procedure (WRAP) to guide management decisions in SGL 95, yet lack of access to that guide prevents this reviewer from learning what these procedures entail.
• Finally, the PGC considers partnerships with conservation organizations and agencies a valuable tool to promote conservation and environmental education; yet such partnerships are weak in SGL 95 and need greater focus and goal orientation.
Conservation Actions:
The following conservation actions describe current and ongoing efforts by the PGC in SGL 95:
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The PGC intends to continue to keep the propagation area closed to the public but will explain more in detail why it is doing so.
• The PGC will continue monitoring invasive plant species and will expand seeking public input for alerting the agency of any discovered threats.
• The PGC will continue monitoring the carp problem, however, currently the problem has declined considerably because of Ospreys and Bald Eagles preying on the carp.
• The PGC will continue cultivating fields for wildlife but consider non-Game avian species in its management plans.
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• The PGC will continue monitoring game and non-game avian artificial nesting devices but target and expand the non-game species.
• The PGC will continue and strengthen partnerships with conservation organizations and state-federal agencies.
Proposed Recommendations:
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The PGC should monitor and manage non-game wetland, grassland and forest avian species to complement waterfowl monitoring efforts through partnerships with the BAS and Audubon Pennsylvania’s IBA program.
• The PGC should identify target areas surrounding SGL 95 for land purchase or conservation easement as a protective buffer measure and encourage partnerships in this endeavor.
• The PGC should install an interpretive sign provided by Pennsylvania Audubon identifying part of SGL 95 as an IBA and its conservation partners.
• The BAS, PSO and PA should issue a joint bird checklist and revise such a list every five years.
• The PGC should promote greater conservation practices through more outreach and environmental education programs for the public with BAS partnership.
• The PGC should explore the feasibility, with the help of the BAS, of re-establishing the ecological requirements for the return and breeding success of these four wetland species of special concern: American Bittern, Least Bittern, Upland Sandpiper and Sedge Wren. There are few if any other western Pennsylvania breeding sites where all four species occur together. Only the Upland Sandpiper has been absent from the IBA the past few years and may be encouraged to return with suitable habitat.
• The PGC should explore the feasibility, with the help of the BAS, of encouraging avian grassland species, such as the Savannah, Grasshopper, Henslow’s and Vesper Sparrows, Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and Horned Lark, to breed inside the IBA by delaying and staggering field mowing times until after July 15 and using prescribed burning of particular fields to create the proper succession scenario for these species. Currently all species are found scattered in SGL 95.