WILD GIFTS: Is the thought of struggling through Black Friday
shopping crowds unbearable?[neWLine]
Are you looking for that really “”wild”” holiday gift for that
hunter, trapper or other conservation-minded person on your
list?[neWLine]
Dozens of wildlife-related gifts are just a click away at “”The
Outdoor Shop”” on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website
(www.pgc.state.pa.us).[neWLine]
All revenues generated from these items support the Game
Commission’s wildlife management programs.[neWLine]
One gift that’s always in demand is the agency’s full-color
calendar which features a fantastic collection of seasonal wildlife
photos taken by agency employees.[neWLine]
January through December features a full-color photo of a
different wildlife species, including: a pair of bull elk sparring;
a male cardinal; a male wood duck; a long-tailed weasel; an adult
doe with a fawn; a pair of great egrets; a brood of wild turkey
poults; a pair of river otters; an eastern coyote; a buck and doe;
and a ruffed grouse.[neWLine]
The 2007 calendar provides a listing of approved season dates
from Jan. 1-June 30, and tentative season dates for July 1-Dec. 31;
a reminder about National Hunting & Fishing Day in September;
and a brief overview of the Game Commission and a list of contact
information for the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters and six
regional offices.[neWLine]
To commemorate Pennsylvania’s 100-nest milestone in bald eagle
conservation, the Game Commission created a special-edition,
six-inch embroidered wildlife patch depicting a bald eagle with two
eaglets and limited the run to 3,000.[neWLine]
With two-thirds sold, the agency has roughly 1,000 of these
unique patches, designed by award-winning wildlife artist Bob
Sopchick, left and available for $20.[neWLine]
In honor of 25 years of the Working Together for Wildlife
Program, the Game Commission is offering for sale a special
collector’s edition six-inch patch. The patch includes depictions
of six birds and mammals that have been featured species on
previous patches, which normally measure four-inches in
diameter.[neWLine]
The Game Commission still has patches available commemorating
the 75th anniversary of Pennsylvania Game News, the agency’s
monthly magazine.[neWLine]
Other patches include the 2006 “”Working Together for
Wildlife,”” which features a hummingbird this year, and the “”We
Need Wildlife”” series, which currently features one patch with a
male cardinal and another with a female cardinal. The “”We Need
Wildlife”” series is scheduled to change to a pileated woodpecker
in the near future, so this may be your last chance to purchase the
cardinal series.[neWLine]
More tomorrow.
