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Hunters have been banned from the vicinity of a Johnstown landmark.
Responding to a complaint from a Westmont resident, Johnstown City Council has given final approval to a new ordinance that outlaws hunting on the steep hillside around the Inclined Plane.
Council’s intent is to “protect the safety of its citizens and minimize the damage to City of Johnstown owned property,” the statute says.
While the Incline is in Westmont Borough, the surrounding hillside is within city limits.
Westmont resident Christine Quinn realized that last year after another woman complained to West Hills authorities about bow hunters in the Incline area.
When she was informed that hunting was not banned on the steep, wooded hillside, “I started thinking what a huge liability issue it is,” Quinn said.
Aside from the proximity to the Incline, Quinn points out that many residents use a trail on the hillside.
“This is not about (protecting) deer,” she said.
Quinn requested City Council action in November. After a second council vote last week, all hunting now is banned specifically “in the area known as the hillside of the Johnstown Inclined Plane,” the new law says.
The ordinance applies to “all hunters and fur takers including big-game hunters, small-game hunters, archery hunters and muzzleloader hunters.”
In addition to declaring hunting illegal on the hillside, the statute says it is “unlawful to hunt for, shoot at, trap, take, chase or disturb wildlife within 150 yards moving to or from the area.”
Also, it is now illegal “to shoot into the area known as the hillside of the Johnstown Inclined Plane even if you are outside of this specified zone,” the ordinance says.
An initial violation carries a fine of up to $250. Subsequent violations are punishable by a maximum fine of $300 and loss of hunting privileges for a year.
Darby Sprincz, Johnstown public works director, said signs informing hunters of the ban will be posted “probably in the late summer” before archery season.
Discharging a firearm within city limits already had been banned by a previous ordinance, Sprincz said.
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