Pennsylvania unveils specialty license plate

(The Center Square) — Motorists in Pennsylvania now have the chance to boost youth hunting and fishing activities.

On Monday, the Game and Fish & Boat Commissions unveiled a specialty PA Sportsman license plate with PennDOT. Proceeds from the plate will go toward youth education programs.

“Pennsylvania has a long and storied tradition of hunting and fishing,” Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Johnstown, said. “This license plate is more than just a symbol: It’s a way for every Pennsylvanian who cares about our outdoor heritage to make a contribution to future sportsmen.”

The plate features a woodland scene with a buck in the foreground and a ruffed grouse flying away in the background as two anglers fish in a kayak on a river.

PFBC Executive Director Tim Schaeffer appreciated the anglers wearing life jackets in the scene as he emphasized the safety risks at hand.

“Life jackets — it’s so cool to think now that there’s gonna be a constant reminder now on roadways,” he said. “Every year, 80% of the boating fatalities that we have here in PA are a result of not wearing life jackets.”

The license plate will cost $40 plus the registration fee, and $14 will go to a youth hunting and fishing restricted account for the PGC and PFBC to spend on youth hunting and fishing activities.

“The outdoors are important to so many Pennsylvanians, and our state’s outdoor resources – both now and in the future – depend upon the people who care enough to protect them,” PGC Executive Director Steve Smith said. “Hunters, trappers, boaters, and anglers play an active role in conserving fish and wildlife and their habitats, but the torch they carry ultimately will be passed to the generations to come, highlighting the continual need to involve youth in these activities and shape them as stewards who one day can pass the torch to those who follow.”

The plate was created by Act 51 , passed in July.