From Pheasants Forever:

The Pennsylvania Game Commission, Fox Township Sportsmen and Pheasants Forever Chapter 630 are coordinating and hosting a work day on the new Brandy Camp parcel of State Game Lands # 044 on Saturday, March 28, 2009. The project work will be constructing brush piles. Brush piles are necessary habitat, food and nesting sites for many small animals in the wild, including rabbits and pheasants. They are easily built and will be immediately available for animals.

We are looking for volunteers who are skilled in the safe operation of a chainsaw. Volunteers will need to bring their own tools. Those using a chainsaw must be safe with its use and have helmets, chaps, etc. Volunteers could also bring pruning poles to topping pine trees instead of chain saws. The rest of the helpers without tools can drag brush or pine tree tops into brush piles. Each volunteer will need to sign a form. This is a great community service project for youth.

We will be starting at 9:00 am and plan to finish by 3 - 4 pm with morning and afternoon teams of just a few hours. Can you commit to 3 hours of good outdoor exercise? Hot dogs, warm drinks and a blazing fire will be available. Reserve this date on your calendar. Call Jane at 814-772-4604 for more information.

Working together, we can get a lot accomplished toward the rapid development of some great small game habitat that should reap benefits now and long into the future.

This internet link will lead you to a clip of the banding and release of wild pheasants from Montana in to central Pennsylvania reintroduction. The section on putting radio collars on the birds is very interesting. Our chapter has sponsored this activity for the past 3 years. http://www.wnep.com/shows/paoutdoorlife/

Please note there is a Pheasants Forever Chapter 630 meeting on March 9, 2009 at 7:00 PM in the Ridgway Capital City fire hall on Front Street. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. We will be discussing the habitat work party as well as new projects for the up coming year. Visit our web site at http://www.northcentralpa.pheasantsforever.org/ for meeting dates, hunting information, recipes, officers list and more.