The Pennsylvania Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers applauds two pieces of legislation authored by state Rep. Mike Turzai of Allegheny County aimed at increasing the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s ability to purchase and conserve wild public land for wildlife habitat and for hunting and other outdoor recreation.

When acquiring new lands for conservation, the Game Commission is capped at a purchase price of $400 per acre. This makes it difficult for the commission to strategically acquire land where the values are significantly higher, such as in Turzai’s Allegheny County district.

House Bill 752 would remove the $400 per acre limit in Allegheny County and allow the commission to purchase land in the county to be used as game lands at a fair and reasonable price. House Bill 753 would do the same statewide.

“We want to ensure that access to land for sportsmen and women exists and to ensure that the commission has the ability to preserve greenspace, particularly in a populated area like Allegheny County,” Turzai said.

PA BHA agrees wholeheartedly and urges its members and others to support this common sense legislation aimed at increasing public lands for all in the Keystone State.