Pennsylvania Game Commission Provides State Game Lands Maps on the Internet
Pennsylvania Game Commission Provides State Game Lands Maps on the Internet
HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Game
Commission
has begun to place its popular maps of State Game Lands on its website
(www.pgc.state.pa.us) just in time to accommodate hunters heading out for
deer
season, which begins statewide on Monday, Nov. 26.
The topographic maps depict contour lines, parking areas, trails, food
plots and other features. Bringing them to the website has been a goal of
the
state's wildlife management agency for some time.
"Placing these State Game Lands maps on the website provides an
extremely
important service to hunters and trappers," said Game Commission Executive
Director Vern Ross. "It gives them the opportunity to view our 1.4 million-
acre State Game Lands system in the comfort of their home or office.
Picking
a place to hunt on State Game Lands just got a whole lot easier!
"The addition of these maps to our website will help Pennsylvanians
become
more familiar with the Game Commission's land holdings, and also will
accommodate non-resident hunters who are interested in coming to hunt our
state, but aren't familiar with the outstanding public hunting opportunities
we provide."
The Game Commission began buying State Game Lands in 1920. In 1936, the
game lands system topped 500,000 acres. In 1965, the agency's land holdings
exceeded one million acres. Today, the State Game Lands system is greater
in
size than the state of Delaware. Each year, hundreds of thousands of
outdoors
enthusiasts hunt, trap, fish and hike these lands.
Without these public lands, Pennsylvania would lose some of its most
critical wildlife habitats, and important hunting and trapping areas.
"The State Game Lands system was built acre by acre with revenues from
hunting and furtaker licenses," noted Greg Grabowicz, Game Commission Land
Management Bureau director. "It's a tremendous agency asset and has
immeasurable value to wildlife and Pennsylvanians. Showcasing the system on
the Internet will acquaint people with the Game Commission's ongoing and
extraordinary effort to preserve rural Pennsylvania and wildlife habitat.
"To truly appreciate what State Game Lands provide and the extent of the
agency's holdings, visit our website and get acquainted with these wild
lands," Grabowicz said. "Game lands are purchased first and foremost to
preserve wildlife habitat and to provide public lands for hunting and
furtaking. Use them responsibly and safely."
The agency's Bureau of Automated Technology Services spearheaded the
effort to develop the website's new "State Game Lands Maps" section.
"Webmaster John Schellenberger worked diligently to package these
sportsmen's maps for the upcoming hunting seasons," said Robert Strailey,
Bureau of Automated Technology Services director. "The result is a user-
friendly reference that provides both low- and high-resolution maps. The
on-line maps have a zoom feature and are arranged in county-by-county
listings.
"Of course, we recognize that everyone doesn't have a computer or
Internet
access, and that will limit, to some degree, who can take advantage of this
opportunity," Strailey explained. "But the Game Commission, like every
other
state and federal government agency, cannot ignore America's growing
dependency on and infatuation with the Internet. It's where many of us go
for
everything from news to lottery numbers to Christmas presents and trip
directions."
The new, printable Internet maps were not developed to replace the hard-
copy State Game Lands maps -- also known as "Sportsmen's Recreation Maps" --
currently sold by the agency for $1 each. In fact, the on-line maps
currently
cannot match the quality and durability of the hard-copy maps. But the
Internet maps will increase the public's accessibility to the maps, which
currently are available at the agency's Harrisburg headquarters and on a
limited basis at region offices, and provide a means to get acquainted with
unfamiliar State Game Lands.
The maps will be presented in an Adobe Acrobat package to accommodate
printing and viewing. They can be accessed by visiting www.pgc.state.pa.us
and clicking on the "State Game Lands Maps" icon. Visitors will be routed
to
a map table of contents. State Game Lands will be listed county-by-county.
If portions of a State Game Lands are situated in more than one county, it
will be listed with all involved counties. From the table of contents,
visitors can select either a low- or high-resolution map. The main
differences between the two are that high-resolution maps offer better
quality
and have longer download times.
"Putting State Game Lands maps on the agency's website has been one of
our
most frequently received public requests since the Game Commission's
homepage
went on-line more than four years ago," noted Ross. "I'm confident the
public
will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. And when they do, I hope
they take the time to check out the rest of our website, which truly is one-
stop shopping for hunters, trappers and wildlife enthusiasts seeking news,
information and quality merchandise."
The maps available on the website showcase most of the more than 300
State Game Lands. As new maps are created or updated, the maps on the website
also will be added to or updated.
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