by Jim Foster, Secretary, KTA Board of Directors
KTA has opposed past proposals by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) to require people who hike on State Game Lands (SGLs) to purchase a permit. I support KTA’s position. Yet I just purchased a Pennsylvania Hunting License, even though I have no plans to hunt in Pennsylvania. Am I hopelessly inconsistent? I don’t think so.
I bought a hunting license because it helps the PGC maintain the SGLs throughout the Commonwealth. SGLs have some of the best hiking trails in our state. I live in the Harrisburg area, and I regularly hike on the Appalachian Trail, the Darlington Trail, and the Tuscarora Trail, all of which include sections on SGLs. Look at this map and see how many of your favorite trails are on SGLs: http://pgcmaps.pa.gov/pgcpublicviewer/.
Though the PGC has proposed requiring hikers to purchase permits, there is no current proposal to do so. This is in large part from vigorous lobbying by KTA and other organizations. We don’t want to be forced to pay to hike on SGLs. But it costs our friends at the PGC a lot of money to maintain these lands. Unlike state parks and state forests, SGLs do not receive direct taxpayer funds to support them; they’re instead supported mostly from license fees and an excise tax on guns and ammunition. KTA is fond of saying that “trails don’t maintain themselves.” SGLs don’t maintain themselves either. Our friends in the sportsmen community agree with us on many important issues, like protecting the environment, preserving wild spaces, and protecting wildlife habitats. Plus they let us hike on SGLs.
So here is my simple proposal for you to consider. If you do a significant portion of your hiking on SGLs, and if you can afford it, consider paying $20.70 to purchase a hunting license. Doing so will help preserve some of the best places to hike.