Why, when they say they are low on funds?

You'd think they'd avoid any new projects and worry about finances.

Fishers are one of the few predators that regularly kill and eat porcupines.

Could it be, that the PGC is on another mission to save the trees. They seem really concerned about Timber, I mean trees.

Of all the game animals that could use funding ( pheasants, rabbits, grouse ) they choose to reintroduce another predator.

I beleive the fisher program was started a good while ago and I also think that much of the money wasoutside money. I'm strictly goingby memory here and may not be 100% accurate.

A lot of these programs are funded by fed money like Pittman Robinson dollars, donations, grants but I do agree that when it comes general fund money, the mainstream responsibilities of the PGC should prevail. For instance, personell is being cut by attrition at least. If the choice exists, and I'm not sure itdoes, general funds shouldn't be used on programs like this whenstaffing is suffering.

The "wood rat" research project is another that comes to mind when we talk of pissing into the wind.[:@]

I think a lot of people question that kind of stuff. Maybe one of our PGC guys on here can enlighten us on how much is beng spent on this kind of thing and where the money comes from.

I know that a lot of the Elk research and habitat work has come from the RMEF. Likewise, the NWTF has provided a lot of funds for turkey programs.

It would be good to know where the $$ comes from for fishers, wood rats etc

Maybe I could start my own not for profit fund raising organization.[:-]

W.R.F.E. or ..Wood Rats Forever

N.W.W R.R. or North Western Wood Rats research

P.E.T.W.R. or People for the ethical treatment of wood rats.

“Over the past 25 years, we have successfully reintroduced or bolstered the marginal nesting populations of bald eagles, ospreys and peregrine falcons and returned river otters to sizeable chunks of their former range in the Commonwealth. The fisher reintroduction extends this wonderful list of wildlife management success stories and further enhances the diversity of Pennsylvania’s wildlife community.”
Fishers were released in Pennsylvania from 1994 to 1998, and have made great progress expanding their range from release sites in the Quehanna Wild Area, Allegheny National Forest,

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=157811

The woodrat is an endangered species and like it or not the PGC is tasked with the well being of all wildlife.

BTW the research project was paid for with a SWG.

I'm glad they reintroduced the Fisher. I had the opportunity to observe one at close range this year, just 50 ft from my cabin. They are beautiful animals that were indigenous to PA.

And, I'm tired of porcupines chewing the siding on my cabin.

In my area the pheasant and the cottontail rabbit are endangered species. I haven't seen a brood of pheasants in at least 20 years and the last I heard the PGC wasn't cooperating with those that wanted to import wild trapped birds from the mid west.

i remember when the PGC had deer dropped from helicopters to feed the fishers in fish dam area of clinton county.

i believe it was in early 90s .