Game Commission Seeks Citizen Advisory Committee Volunteers

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Game Commission is calling for nominations of citizens willing to participate in one of four Citizen Advisory Committees (CACs) to help gather input related to the deer management goal of reducing deer-human conflict in three Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) in 2011.

Those WMUs identified for next year are: WMU 2D, which consists of areas in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Jefferson, Venango, Indiana and Westmoreland counties; WMU 2F, which consists of areas in Forest, Warren, Elk, McKean, Jefferson, Clarion and Venango counties; WMU 2G, which consists of areas in Clinton, Lycoming, Tioga, Potter, McKean, Cameron, Elk, Clearfield and Centre counties; and WMU 3C, which consist of areas in Bradford, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming and Lackawanna counties.

All nominations will be compiled and presented to the Commonwealth's Office of Strategic Services, who will interview potential candidates, make the final selections of participants and facilitate the meetings.  The Game Commission does not participate in the selection process, and there is no guarantee that any nominee will be selected or even contacted for an interview.

"Citizens will serve as representatives of specific stakeholder groups and work with other stakeholders to provide a deer population recommendation for each WMU," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director.  "CAC recommendations then will be considered by Game Commission personnel – along with indicators of deer health, forest habitat health and deer population trends – when making deer management recommendations to the Board of Game Commissioners.

"We are looking for nominees that are fair and open-minded; have good interpersonal skills; are not holding office in organizations related to the stakeholder group they are seeking to represent; and are willing to collect input from members of the stakeholder group they represent outside of formal Citizen Advisory Committee meetings."  

Roe noted that the Board of Commissioners retains the authority to make final deer management decisions.

"The purpose of the CACs is to gather input related to the deer management goal of reducing deer-human conflict," Roe said.  

The objectives of CACs include providing an opportunity for the Game Commission to understand stakeholder values regarding deer management; an opportunity for stakeholders to interact with one another; an opportunity for stakeholders to have direct input concerning deer population goals that ultimately affect all Pennsylvanians; and an opportunity for the Game Commission to inform stakeholders on the mission of the Game Commission, complexities of deer management, and the importance of proper management.

Stakeholder groups needing representation in all CACs, except where noted, are: sportsmen-resident; sportsmen-nonresident; forest industry; rural non-farm landowner; homeowners in developed areas; highway safety agent; public land owner; conservationist; and agriculture.

CAC Nomination Form can be downloaded from the Game Commission website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on "White-Tailed Deer" on the homepage, and then choose "Citizens Advisory Committee." Individuals also may contact the Game Commission by phone at 717-787-5529 to obtain a CAC Nomination Form, which should be returned to the address provided on the form.  

Nominees must live in the WMU in which they apply and must complete a CAC Nomination Form to be considered.  All nominations must be received by Sept. 15.

For further information, visit the Game Commission's website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) click on "White-Tailed Deer," and then choose "Citizens Advisory Committee," where additional information can be found, including detailed reports from previous CACs held in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2E, 3A, 3B, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D.

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SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission