HARRISBURG – As development continues take over wildlife habitats, the
Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery has a way for wildlife enthusiasts to
help support wildlife housing needs without having to apply for a second mortgage.
The agency’s Howard Nursery is selling a variety of wildlife nesting structures
for several species of birds – from bluebirds to flickers, from ducks to owls –
as well as housing boxes for bats and squirrels.
“According to Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Action Plan, development consumes more
than 300 acres of Pennsylvania’s landscape per day,” said Carl G. Roe,
Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director. “Although
we can’t keep pace with losses caused by urban and suburban sprawl, the Game
Commission is working hard to preserve and improve habitat on its more than 1.4 million
acres of State Game Lands and other public and private lands.
“For years, our Howard Nursery has been constructing a number of different
wildlife nesting structures for placement on State Game Lands and to provide to private
landowners enrolled in the agency’s three cooperative public access programs. To
enable private landowners to lend a hand to wildlife, we also are offering for sale a
variety of nesting boxes, beyond the popular bluebird boxes.”
Homeowners – the human kind, that is – can view the entire selection of
nesting structures for sale on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on “General
Store” in drop-down menu bar under the homepage banner, clicking on “Howard
Nursery” and then choosing “Wildlife Homes Order Form.” The two-page brochure and order form list the
nesting structures by habitat type, to guide landowners in determining which nesting
structure is best suited for their property.
Available nesting structures, listed by habitat types, along with the size (in inches)
and price, are as follows:
Open Land or Woodland Margins – American kestrel box, 24x12x13, $20; gray
and fox squirrel box, 18x12x12, $30; bluebird, chickadee or wren box, 11x6x9, $7; northern
flicker box, 32x8x12, $25; bat box, 36x25x10, $95; or winter roosting box (can be used by
chickadees, wrens, nuthatches, titmice, woodpeckers or bluebirds), 30x10x14, $30.
Hardwood Forests – barred owl box, 34x17x18, $50.
Farmlands or Open Lands – barn owl box, 17x36x17, $55.
Wetlands and Associated Uplands – wood duck box, 32x10x17, $30; or mallard
duck box, 24x13x13, $25.
Prices listed do not include shipping/handling costs, which range from $7 to $18 per
unit, or applicable state sales taxes. All
boxes come assembled and with instructions on where and how to place. The bluebird, chickadee, wren nesting box can be
either fully constructed or provided in an unassembled kit complete with nails and screws.
Once an order is received, a representative from the Game Commission’s Howard
Nursery will contact the customer to confirm the order and discuss scheduled shipping
dates. Completed orders can be mailed (P.O.
Boxes are not acceptable for delivery), or arrangements can be made for customers to pick
up their orders at Howard Nursery.
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