Outdoors

Last year, students from 24 counties – including Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton – participated in the Wildlife Leadership Academy.

This year, academy director Michele Kittell hopes for even more statewide representation and is accepting applications until Sunday, April 1. Applicants between the ages of 14-17 are eligible to attend one of two field schools: Pennsylvania Bucktails, which focuses on whitetail deer, or Pennsylvania Brookies, which focuses on brook trout and coldwater fisheries.

This year's annual sale of bluebird boxes is underway by the Pennsylvania Game Commission at its Harrisburg headquarters at 2001 Elmerton Ave. Boxes sell for $9.54, including sales tax, and customers can select from assembled boxes or kits that can be assembled as a wood-working project.

"Bluebirds are early nesters, so now is the time to put up new nest boxes, as well as to clean and repair existing boxes," PGC Wildlife Diversity Division chief Dan Brauning said. "These boxes enable Pennsylvanians to help wildlife in a natural way.

Preliminary approval to make permanent the lawful use of crossbows in archery deer and bear seasons was passed by an 8-0 vote by the Pennsylvania Game Commission board of game commissioners at last week's first quarterly meeting of the year. Final approval is expected at the April 24 meeting, when seasons and bag limits and antlerless permits will be approved for the 2012-13 hunting and trapping seasons.

After months of cleanup from last fall's flooding, the 24th annual Early Bird Sports Expo will be held Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 26-29, at the Bloomsburg Fairground. Show hours are Thursday, 4-9 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.