2009 Minutes
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PSCLA Minutes
Dates of Minutes included below:
10/25/09, 5/17/09, 2/12/09
Minutes of 10/25/2009
Southern Clinton County Sportsmen’s Assoc.
The following officers were present:
Pres. Martin Salinas – P Director Ron Kephart - P Director Tom Livingston – P
Vice Pres. Doug Sellers – P Director George Conklin - P Director Sid Mentzer - P
Treasurer John Green – P Director June Krumrine - A Director Mike Walker – A
Secretary Chris Fox – A Membership Dick McKinney – P Director Greg Churach - A
Treasurer’s Report by John Green:
John Green gave the Treasurers report with a balance. A copy is available to any member upon request. Please contact Treasurer John Green.
Membership Committee Report by Dick McKinney:
Dick McKinney reported that membership is: A copy of the report is available upon request.
There were 52 present at the meeting.
Election of officers: George Conklin was elected to replace Ron Kephart as director. All other directors and officers are to remain the same.
Items Discussed:
Lease Saved: With efforts of the PSCLA along with cooperation and assistance from DCNR, an abandoned camp was saved and a new owner will be assigned the lease.
Recreation Taxes; PSCLA is still receiving complaints on camp owners being assessed or taxed for recreation or amusement use for their camps. This is not a legal practice!
Processing Leases: If you sell, buy or transfer a lease be prepared for at least a three month wait before all of the paperwork is approved.
Insurance: If you are having problems getting insurance and/or proper coverage for your camp, you can contact us for assistance. PSCLA is searching for a discount program for our camps.
Fuel Discounts: Don’t forget that PSCLA members receive substantial discounts for fuel.
Littering and Damage to State Forests:
Gas Well Drilling: Gas drilling has started in many regions of the State Forest.
Recreation Plan Output: PSCLA staff attended one of the statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan conferences held in July to increase public usage.
DCNR campsite link: If you have some questions regarding your camp lease, we have provided a link on our web site with the DCNR guidelines. If you still have questions or concerns, email or call us first.
DCNR Budget Cuts: Legislators followed the governor’s lead by making significant additional cuts to the environmental funding.
Feeders
Black Flies:
Peck’s pond:
Smoke Alarms: Smoke alarms are required by DCNR regulations; they are also required by insurance companies.
Brown Township: Lycoming County
A PSCLA member mentioned the fact that he is noticing an increase in mountain bike riders in his part of the state. He is concerned that they are riding on designated trails in hunting season without wearing safety orange clothing.
Meeting adjourned at 2:30 pm.
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Minutes of 5/17/2009
Castanea Picnic Grounds
The following officers were present:
Pres. Martin Salinas – P
Director Ron Kephart - P
Director Tom Livingston – P
Vice Pres. Doug Sellers – P
Director Greg Churach - P
Director Sid Mentzer - P
Treasurer John Green – P
Director June Krumrine - P
Director Mike Walker – P
Secretary Chris Fox – P
Membership Chair Dick McKinney – P
Membership Committee Report by Dick McKinney:
Dick McKinney reported that membership is: A copy of the report is available upon request.
Meeting commenced at 1:00 p.m. with 75 in attendance.
Old Business:
1. Saving leases. PSCLA did save one lease from razing by DCNR. We ask that you notify us of any lease that is in danger of being condemned or destroyed by DCNR.
2. Shooting ranges. DCNR sent a letter of warning to a lessee in the Moshannon district stating that the lessee must desist shooting until a suitable backstop is constructed. As in the past, some areas of the state simply do not lend themselves adequately to the construction of shooting ranges. Please contact PSCLA and we will work with the lessee and DCNR to find a common sense solution if that is possible. We do not always guarantee a favorable resolution.
3. Camp Memberships: This is an issue PSCLA has wrestled with for a few years and a resolution is yet to be found. We are still undecided as to the best way to handle this and be fair to all.
4. Once again, thanks goes out to John Drake for his unwavering support of PSCLA in the form of mailing services
New Business:
1. Emergency Dispatch Newsletter: PSCLA sent a newsletter to all members regarding Senate Bill 490. DCNR will be receiving 190 million dollars from oil and gas leases on state lands. A bill introduced in the state senate states “The sum of $174,000,000 shall be immediately transferred from the oil and gas lease fund to the general fund.” PSCLA sent a letter to all state representatives asking that DCNR be allowed to keep all of these funds. Only two responded, Mike Hannah in support of PSCLA and Mary Jo White, explaining why she introduced the bill. President Salinas solicited members to send in names and locations of roads that are in need of repair or other projects suffering from lack of DCNR funds. PSCLA urges all members to contact their designated representative and ask them to oppose this bill.
2. The 18 member Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Committee this week recommended a temporary hold on leasing any additional State Forest land for Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling until the environmental impact of drilling on the first 74,000 acres can be evaluated. The committee also recommended future revenues from leased lands be retained, as they have been since 1955, in DCNR’s Oil and Gas Lease Fund.
3. Lease sale/transfer. If you have any questions or problems please contact PSCLA. We are still addressing the issue of DCNR maintaining more than one contact upon sale or transfer of leases. We are asking DCNR to require a member to obtain notarized signatures of all camp members prior to sale. It is a criminal offense to sell a lease and property without the permission of the other members. It is known as theft by deception. None of the previous camp owners filed a lawful complaint.
4. PSCLA propane discount. Montour Home Comfort Services is offering a propane discount to any member of PSCLA. Montour’s phone number is 570-748-5376, you must ask for Cindy and she will answer any questions you have. Their web address is http://www.montourhc.com/. The counties they serve are: Tioga, Bradford, Susquehanna, Wayne, Clinton, Lycoming, Sullivan, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Centre, Union, Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, Luzerne, Schuylkill, Perry, Dauphin, Lebanon, Cumberland, York and Lancaster. To date PSCLA has three members that do not own state leases but want the discount for their private camps. This is certainly allowable and encouraged.
5. Webpage: KCnet has assumed maintenance of our webpage; the previous caretaker became overwhelmed with other work. We are going to provide a link to the State Camp Guidelines and DCNR.
6. Jim Slinsky: PSCLA discussed having Mr. Slinsky speak at an upcoming meeting about state camps, not hunting. The idea was rejected in an effort to keep the meeting as brief as possible.
7. New director: Please welcome Greg Churach. Greg has taken the place of the deceased Dan Paolini for the Delaware District. To revisit an old issue, DCNR has once again notified lessees that they will be removing dock privileges. Neither Greg nor Ken Lang, of Peck’s Pond, can garner enough support to justify a meeting with DCNR.
8. Meeting location: Recently a member complained that we do not have the general membership meetings in other parts of the state. This is for a variety of reasons. Castanea Fire Company graciously lets us use their facilities every year free of charge for which PSCLA is very grateful. All of the volunteers to cook and perform set/clean up chores live locally. And, finally, our by laws state that the general membership meetings must be held in a central part of the state.
9. A member complained that we were working with DCNR too closely. It has been and always will be PSCLA’s purpose to work with DCNR in an attempt to satisfy both organizations with a common sense approach to problems. This is evidenced by PSCLA’s vehement opposal to the displacement of DCNR gas lease revenues.
At 1:55, The esteemed Mr. Gilbert Hess made motion to adjourn with his good friend and camp partner Thomas Ogden seconding.
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Minutes of 2/12/2009
Castanea Fire Hall
The following officers were present:
Pres. Martin Salinas – P
Director Ron Kephart - A
Director Tom Livingston – A
Vice Pres. Doug Sellers – P
Director George Conklin - A
Director Sid Mentzer - P
Treasurer John Green – P
Director June Krumrine - A
Director Mike Walker – A
Secretary Chris Fox – P
Membership Chair Dick McKinney – P
Treasurer’s Report by John Green:
John Green gave the Treasurers report with a balance of $ A copy is available to any member upon request. Please contact Treasurer John Green.
Membership Committee Report by Dick McKinney:
Dick McKinney reported that membership is: A copy of the report is available upon request.
New Business:
Note: March 15th deadline to submit newsletter to printer.
1. Membership Issues- Discussed letters written to PSCLA, mostly of praise with one letter of dissension.
2. Tom Strickler Horse Gap Rod and Gun Club asked for help in appealing tax assessment of his lease. Doug Sellers resolved this matter to the lessee’s satisfaction.
3. Charles Shoffstahl wishes to purchase a lease on Trout Run road, the camp is in bad repair. The principal lessee has died however his wife’s name remains on the lease.
DCNR would like to have the camp razed but is cooperating to some extent with PSCLA. Dick McKinney will be handling this issue and will keep PSCLA updated.
4. Renewal Applications- PSCLA needs to make it easier for members to return checks for membership renewal while trying to eliminate the cumbersome renewal application we now use.
PSCLA will mail a self addressed envelope to members. Reese printing will be contacted to help work out the fine details. McKinney made motion to accept, Fox seconded.
5. Garbage fees in Benazette township- Pres. Salinas and membership chair McKinney will attend a township meeting.
6. Camp membership in PSCLA- This has been an ongoing concern and discussion has been tabled to the next meeting with an agreement that a resolution will occur for this issue.
Meeting adjourned at 8:05, Dick McKinney made motion, Sid Mentzer seconded.
