Pine Grove Ducks Unlimited ranks 7th in PA

Pine Grove Ducks Unlimited ranks 7^th in PA

By Tyler Frantz

The efforts of a few dedicated volunteers can sometimes leave a lasting impact on many. Such can be said for the Pine Grove Chapter of Ducks Unlimited for their conservation fundraising and habitat work over the past decade in Southern Schuylkill County.

The PGDU committee has grown from eight founding members who first established the chapter in 2006 to a team of twenty volunteers that plans and organizes an annual fundraising pig roast, hosts a waterfowl-style sporting clay shoot and conducts various habitat and educational projects throughout the year.

“We initially founded the chapter as a way to give something back to the outdoor sports we enjoy and to honor our late friend, Ryan Collins, and his passion for waterfowl and hunting in general,” Co-Chairman Shawn Kimmel said. “We wanted to make a difference not only in our local habitat, but all over the United States.

How much of a difference has this group made, exactly? According to Pennsylvania Regional Director Jeremy Mercer, Ducks Unlimited can conserve approximately one-acre of land for $250 at the national level. In ten years of hosting its annual banquet, the Pine Grove Chapter has raised over $101,000, equating to approximately 406-acres of conserved wetlands nationally.

“At our first banquet, we raised $2,977, and have grown to our all-time high last year of $20,232,” Kimmel said. “We've managed to keep climbing in attendance and money raised during a time when many other chapters have struggled and have been a Top Flight Award Winning chapter for four consecutive years.”

Pine Grove’s 2015 event ranked seventh in the state in overall income, among nearly 70 Pennsylvania chapters, placing it in the top 10 with much more densely populated areas such as Lancaster, York, Bucks County, Lehigh Valley and Pittsburgh’s Forbes Trail Chapter. PGDU also ranked 8^th in the state for total membership and 2016 results are still pending.

"The chapter wasn’t really started with the goal of raising a lot of money- more with the intent of improving our local habitat through the hard work of our committee members and volunteers," Kimmel said. “But we’ve done pretty well on both ends.”

PGDU installed and annually maintains nearly 100 waterfowl nesting structures, including wood duck boxes, mallard tubes and goose platforms. Under the leadership of Co-Chairman Jason Krause, the chapter teamed up with local Cub Scouts to clean and update nest sites each winter in preparation for spring brooding.

“The success rate on our wood duck boxes and mallard nests fluctuates from year to year, but on average, we’ve seen a 50-percent usage at the nest sites over the past ten years,” Krause said.

“We lose a few sites each year due to unforeseen circumstances such as floods, trees falling, etc. During the flood of 2011, all but one box were torn off the trees on a particular stretch of stream. When this happens, we try to replace what was damaged or destroyed,” Krause said.

“Over the past few years, we have expanded wood duck boxes onto some feeder creeks in an attempt to avoid the commotion of trout season, which coincides with when ducks are nesting. That should help our numbers too.”

The nest sites often benefit more wildlife species than waterfowl alone. PGDU always finds a few "squatters" when updating nest material during winter maintenance.

“We find many sleeping screech owls using boxes as shelter from the winter elements and as cafeterias, leaving behind remnants of their feast,” Krause said.

“On occasion, gray squirrels (as many as four at once) have used the boxes for nesting. We have found flying squirrel nests, songbird nests, mouse nests, and even a raccoon once squeezed itself through the hole and filled the box. One never knows exactly what is waiting on the other side of that door.”

PGDU attends the Bear Creek Festival each year to inform the public about waterfowl nesting and habitat and even facilitated a meeting between former US Congressman Tim Holden, National DU Reps and the Pennsylvania DU state biologist to help get the Farm Bill passed.

The chapter donates money to help purchase youth hunting licenses through a program run by Dave Keefer Gunsmith and established the EJ Beltz Memorial Pavilion and bridge at Sweet Arrow Lake County Park in honor of a late chapter member.

PGDU recently also began assisting both the PA Fish & Boat Commission, as well as local co-op nurseries with trout stocking in the area, building four float boxes to ensure local creeks are float stocked rather than bucketed to allow better fishing for all anglers throughout the area.

“The committee volunteers do this as a way to give back to a sport we love and enjoy,” Krause said. “To be recognized for the time, effort and work put into our fundraising event and field work is a very pleasing pat on the back for a job well done and makes everyone continually strive to work even harder.”

"It’s a great sense of accomplishment,” Kimmel said. “You can really see a difference in not just the waterfowl population, but in wildlife habitat in general since the start of our work. We are just a group of folks with the same love for the outdoors and a shared interest in giving back to our community and replenishing what we take.”

PGDU is hosting a “Waterfowl-Style” Sporting Clay shoot to gear up for the upcoming goose and duck hunting seasons on Saturday, August 27^th at Friedensburg Fish & Game. The shoot will include layout blinds, decoys, food, prizes and more. All proceeds benefit local waterfowl and wetlands. For more information, call Jason Krause at 570-691-7632.