A land-for-oil deal will result in the creation of a new state game land in western Warren County.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission struck a deal with Pennsylvania General Energy, an oil and gas developer, to extract oil and gas beneath a portion of a state game land in Lycoming County.

“In exchange, PGE will convey to the Game Commission 2,195 acres in Spring Creek Township, Warren County, known as the Spring Creek Tract,” a statement from the PGC explained, as well as 943 acres in Cambria County.

The Game Commission said that the Spring Creek Tract “is considered one of the most prized in the area because of its biological diversity” and “will become an entirely new game lands, State Game Lands 337.”

“Whenever we can leverage natural-resource development on game lands into preserving significant acreage for wildlife, and at the same time provide public hunting and trapping opportunities, it’s a win-win,” Game Commission President Kristen Schnepp-Giger said.

“Some of these acquisitions are particularly special, though, because they provide that benefit on such a large scale, or in places that really need them. It’s impressive and something every hunter can be proud of.”

The Game Commission also announced changes to some of the Chronic Wasting Disease Management Areas in the state.

DMA 3 – which includes parts of Armstrong, Cambria, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Indiana and Jefferson counties – was expanded “following the detection of CWD (chronic wasting disease) is a road-killed adult female deer in Indiana County.”

DMA 4 in Lancaster was reduced in size after five years passed of no additional positive tests while DMA 8 was created in Dauphin County in response to two detections in road-killed deer.