The Susquehanna River Valley Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will hold its third annual Conservation & Sportsmen’s Banquet Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Genetti Hotel, 200 W. 4th St., Williamsport.

The featured speaker for the evening will be Ruffed Grouse Society President & CEO, Dr. Benjamin C. Jones. He will discuss some of the habitat initiatives taking place in northcentral Pennsylvania, as well as the direction the national organization will be headed in the future.

A native of Mansfield, Jones took the helm of the RGS national organization in June 2018. Prior to that, he had worked for the Pennsylvania Game Commission for more than a dozen years, most recently as Habitat Division chief.

Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science with a forest science minor from Penn State University, a master’s degree in wildlife ecology from Mississippi State, and a doctorate in natural resources from the University of Tennessee.

The annual fundraising banquet will get underway with a social hour and hors-d’oeuvres beginning at 5:30 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner at 7 p.m. The evening will feature live and silent auctions, raffles, drawings and door prizes, highlighted with a selection of firearms, artwork, and collectibles.

Proceeds from the Feb. 9 banquet will be used to enhance and create high-quality habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock, and other forest wildlife on public land in Pennsylvania.

The Susquehanna River Valley Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society focuses its habitat work and member-recruitment efforts in Lycoming, Sullivan, Clinton, Potter, Tioga, Bradford, Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Union, and Snyder counties.

Individual dinner tickets are $40 without a membership or $70 with a membership, which includes a one-year subscription to the Ruffed Grouse Society magazine. Membership is not required to attend. A membership and guest package that includes two dinners is available for $105, and there are discounted meal options for attendees age 17 and under. Banquet, Conservation, and Sustaining Sponsorship packages are available at $295, $550 and $1,000 respectively.

“If you have an interest in healthy forests, abundant wildlife and the opportunity to help preserve our region’s rich sporting heritage, this is a great event to support and enjoy those conservation interests,” said Seth Heasley, chapter president.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact ticket chairman Jeff Fetzer at (570) 885-6112 or by email: jfetz.jf@gmail.com. Tickets can also be purchased through the chapter website: susquehannagrouse.com.

Established in 1961, the Ruffed Grouse Society is an international wildlife conservation organization dedicated to promoting conditions suitable for ruffed grouse, American woodcock, and related wildlife to sustain our sport hunting tradition and outdoor heritage.