Game Commission Seeks Citizen Advisory Committee Volunteers

The Game Commission is calling for nominations of citizens willing to participate in one of three Citizen Advisory Committees to help gather input related to the deer management goal of reducing deer-human conflict in three Wildlife Management Units in 2010.

Nominations must be received by September 15.

Those WMUs identified for next year are: WMU 2B, which consists of portions of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties; WMU 3D, which consists of all of Monroe and Pike counties, and portions of Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Northampton and Wayne counties; and WMU 5D, which consist of all of Philadelphia, and portions of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

All nominations will be compiled and presented to the Governor's Office of Strategic Services, which will interview potential candidates, make the final selections of participants and facilitate the meetings. The Game Commission does not participate in the selection process.

"Citizens will serve as representatives of specific stakeholder groups and work with other stakeholder representatives to deliberate and ultimately provide a deer population recommendation for their WMU," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. "These CAC recommendations then will taken into account by Game Commission personnel – along with indicators of deer health, forest habitat health and deer population trends – to formulate 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 establishing a compatible deer population that balances recreational desires with acceptable levels of deer-human conflicts," 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; business-direct impact, such as taxidermists and processors; business-indirect impact, such as sporting goods stores, hotels and restaurants; forest industry; rural non-farm landowner; homeowners in developed areas; highway safety agent; public land owner; conservationist; agriculture-nurseries/orchards; and agriculture-livestock/cash crops.

Nominees must live in the WMU in which they apply and must complete a CAC Nomination Form to be considered.

Nominations forms are available online. 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.