Pictured are members of the group Pheasant's Forever with the newly unveiled State Game Lands sign on the Kocjancic Tract of the Brandy Camp Parcel. Photo by Polaski

By Becky Polaski

Members of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pheasants Forever, and The Fox Township Sportsmen's Club held a land dedication ceremony on Tuesday, August 19 at 11 a.m. at the newly acquired Brandy Camp Parcel located off of Johnny Kyler Road in Fox Township.

The land was acquired from the Kocjancic family and now makes up part of State Game Lands 44 as the Kocjancic Tract.

The ceremony got underway with remarks by Dennis E. Dusza, Northcentral Region Director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Dusza briefly detailed the background of the project and explained how the acquisition of the nearly 6,500 acres of land came about.

Following his comments, Dusza introduced Land Management Supervisor Pete Aiken and Regional Forester Frank Chubon. Aiken was the first to speak, noting that they hoped to turn the land into a premiere small game habitat.

Land Management Group Supervisor John Dzemyan next discussed some of the partnerships involved with the site.

"My job as Land Manager for McKean and Elk Counties is to make better places for wildlife to live and so the hunters can enjoy it and these two purchase here are going to add 6,500 acres, much of which was posted 'No Trespassing' just months ago," noted Dzemyan. "Now it's opened up for public hunting again. With my crews out here working on it, we plan to improve it and already have the St. Marys School Conservation Club talking to us about work on it. We partner with the paper mill on improving soils. They have ongoing projects going here. We'll be partnering with the DEP on mine reclamation sites on this site and on the other site. So it's really a big partnership."

Wildlife Conservation Officer Richard Bodenhorn detailed some of the changes that the land has gone through over the past several years and explained how it ended up with its present appearance and how it became a small game habitat.

The next speaker was Pheasant's Forever member Leon Blashock, who coordinates the youth pheasant hunts each year. Blashock noted how much of a treasure the recently acquired property is for local residents and also discussed the annual youth pheasant hunts and explained the desired impact on the participating youth.

Fox Township Supervisor Randy Gradizzi echoed previous speakers' excitement about the acquisition of the property and noted that in the future it will be nice to see the outcome of all the effort that will be put into the site.

Following Gradizzi was Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management Director Bill Capouillez.

He further detailed the effort put into obtaining the land and explained that the majority of the process had to be completed in 60 days. He also acknowledged many of the individuals who were influential in that process.

Wildlife Conservation Officer Doty McDowell will be in charge of the newly acquired State Game Lands.

Superintendent Murray Neeper was the next to speak and he briefly discussed the impact the site will have on local youth as they partner with other organizations to help rebuild wildlife habitats.

The Honorable Russell Schleiden, Commissioner for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, was one of the final speakers. He is at the end of his eight year term and reflected back on his time on the Board and discussed the importance of continuing the tradition of land acquisition so that these sites will be available for future generations.

Schleiden was followed by the Honorable Dan Surra, Representative of the 75th District of Elk and Clearfield Counties.

"Just take a look," said Surra, referring to the newly acquired State Game Lands. "There are not too many places where you can look at a horizon like that. That's why I grew up in Elk County and chose to stay here. We're very fortunate. It's not an accident that it's like this. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for a lot of years, has invested in thousands and hundreds of thousands of State Game Lands and State Forest Lands, and we're very fortunate."

Finally, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl Roe addressed those in attendance.

"This is just the beginning, this is not an end," said Roe. "I always thought about Game Land as a beginning. This morning we talked about the access we purchased down below Karthus. That access is 1,000 acres. So today, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is giving 7,500 acres to the sportsmen and sportswomen and the general public for other recreational use, wildlife watching in particular. It is a great, great day for Pennsylvania and a great, great day for us because we enjoy doing this. But again, it is only the beginning. The future will be in the hands of our partners to a great degree. We've got a food and cover crew – some of the best in the world – up here in the north central part of the state, but they can only do so much. But with our partners from the local sportsman's groups and Pheasant's Forever we'll make this even better in the long term and we look forward to that."

Following Roe's speech, the new State Game Lands sign was unveiled. Lunch was then held at the Fox Township Sportmen's Club in Kersey followed by tours of the Meade Run and Brandy Camp Parcels.