Board of Game Commissioners to Meet on July 8-9; Game Commission to Welcome Two New...

Board of Game Commissioners to Meet on July 8-9; Game Commission to Welcome
Two New Board Members

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Game
Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced that the Board of
Game Commissioners will hold its upcoming meeting on July 8-9, in the
auditorium of the agency's Harrisburg headquarters at 2001 Elmerton Ave., just
off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81 in Harrisburg.

On Wednesday, July 8, the Board will gather public comments and hear Game
Commission staff reports beginning at 8:30 a.m. Doors open at 7:45 a.m.
Registration for those interested in offering public testimony -- limited to
five minutes -- also will begin at that time.

On Thursday, July 9, beginning at 8:30 a.m., the Game Commission will take up
its prepared agenda, which will be posted on the agency's website prior to the
meeting. Among the items slated for final approval are regulatory changes to
specifically prohibit the use or possession of drug paraphernalia on State
Game Lands and to remove the one-way travel limitation for those who possess a
disabled person permit to use a vehicle as a blind as it relates to travel
permitted on designated State Game Lands' roads.

Among those items slated for preliminary consideration is a proposal requested
by Game Commissioner Ron Weaner to restrict the use of crossbows. Under the
proposal, crossbows would be permitted to be used during the first two weeks
of the statewide early archery deer season; would only be permitted to be used
by disabled hunters with a permit to use a crossbow for the remainder of the
early archery season, as well as all of the late archery season; would
continue to be legal for all deer seasons, including the early and late
archery seasons, in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D; would only be permitted to be used
during the two-day archery bear season by disabled hunters with a permit to
use a crossbow; and would be permitted to be used by muzzleloader deer hunters
who have a muzzleloader license.

Roe also announced the minutes from the Board's April 21 meeting were posted
on the agency's website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) in the "Reports/Minutes" section
in the left-hand column of the homepage.

GAME COMMISSION TO WELCOME TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS

With its upcoming meeting slated for July 8 and 9, the Pennsylvania Board of
Game Commissioners is set to welcome two recently-confirmed members, David J.
Putnam, of Centre Hall, Centre County, and Robert W. Schlemmer Sr., of Export,
Westmoreland County.

Putnam was nominated by Gov. Edward G. Rendell on March 11, and confirmed by
the state Senate on May 5. Schlemmer was nominated by Gov. Rendell on March
11 and confirmed by the Senate on June 16. Putnam filled the vacancy created
when Russell Schleiden's term expired, and Schlemmer filled the vacancy
created when Roxane Palone's term expired.

Putnam, who served as a certified wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service from 1979 to 2007, presently is a self-employed biologist.

Putnam started his career conducting studies on the Allegheny River basin, as
well as on large U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, such as the
Tioga-Hammond reservoir project and the lock and dam systems on the
Monongahela and Ohio rivers.

"For the past 20 years, I was involved in habitat restoration starting with
wetlands and native warm-season grasses and stream-bank fencing and later
including stream restoration," Putnam said. "In that role, I worked
extensively with the USDA, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever,
County Conservation Districts, and hundreds of private landowners."

A 1970 graduate of Penn State University with a degree in forest science,
Putnam's graduate training at Penn State had him conducting research with
Jerry Wunz, the late Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist who pioneered the
trap and transfer of wild turkeys in the state.

"I worked with Jerry on numerous projects and we spent hundreds of hours
discussing the philosophy of wildlife management," Putnam said. "Prior to
that, Jerry worked with my father, who graduated with the Fifth Class of the
Game Commission's Ross Leffler School of Conservation and served as a Game
Warden, in the days before there were Wildlife Conservation Officers. My
father, Jerry and other biologists of that day inspired me to pursue a career
in wildlife management."

Putnam is a member of the Ruffed Grouse Society, Ducks Unlimited, Woodcock
Limited of Pennsylvania, Pheasants Forever and the Spring Mills Fish and Game
Association. He also is a past president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the
Wildlife Society, and a lifetime member of the Pennsylvania Federation of
Sportsmen's Clubs.

Schlemmer presently serves as founder and CEO of Delmont North Industrial
Park, which he created in 1979.

"I plan to work with my fellow Board members and Game Commission staff, as
well as elected officials and stakeholders in our Commonwealth's wildlife
resources and hunting and trapping heritage, to build on past successes," said
Schlemmer. "I have traveled to all corners of Pennsylvania and talked with
many sportsmen's clubs and other stakeholders about their thoughts on what
direction our hunting and trapping heritage should take. Communication is
vital when decisions made by the Board of Game Commissioners will impact the
entire Commonwealth, and I stand ready to serve."

Schlemmer graduated from Clarion University with a bachelor's degree in
biology, earth sciences and geography. He did post-graduate work under the
direction of Woods Hole Institute at Solomon's Island in Chesapeake Bay, which
focused on pollution of the bay. Schlemmer also worked with biologists
banding birds and studying owls and hawk habitat at Presque Isle State Park.

Schlemmer's other public serve includes his recent tenure as chairman of the
Governor's Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation. He serves
as a Department of Agriculture representative on the CWD Task Force to help
prevent chronic wasting disease from entering Pennsylvania and impacting the
state's wild and captive deer and elk.

In addition to serving as volunteer Deputy Wildlife Conservation Office for
the Game Commission since 1974, Schlemmer also served as vice-president of the
Board of Directors, from 1972-1980, for the International Council for Outdoor
Education, which developed hunter safety programs for numerous states and
Canadian provinces, including Pennsylvania.

Locally, Schlemmer has worked with Murrysville Parks and Recreation Department
to open public areas to archery and muzzleloader hunting, as well as the
establishment of a deer/habitat management plan for community parks. He also
is a member of the Murrysville Sportsmen's and Landowners' Alliance, where he
helped to make the Haymaker Creek accessible for handicapped children for
fishing. He also serves a volunteer fireman for Holiday Park, and is a member
of the United Church of Christ and Masonic Lodge #721.

Schlemmer is a member of a number of sportsmen's organizations, including the
Westmoreland County Sportsmen's League, the Connellsville Sportsmen's Club,
the Western Clinton County Sportsmen's Association, the Pitcairn-Monroeville
Sportsmen's Club, the Allegheny County Sportsmen's League, and the
Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Club. He is a contributing member to
the Wildlife for Everyone Endowment Foundation, the Western Pennsylvania
Conservancy, the Ned Smith Center, Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation, Safari Club International and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director, noted that there remains one
vacancy on the Board, which was created by the resignation of H. Daniel Hill
III, when he was appointed Senior Policy Advisor and Counselor to U.S.
Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper. On June 3, Gov. Rendell nominated Ralph
Anthony Martone, of New Castle, Lawrence County, to this seat, and he is
awaiting Senate consideration.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners is comprised of eight board
members, each selected by the Governor and confirmed by majority vote of the
state Senate. Title 34, also known as the Game and Wildlife Code, is the law
that governs Board actions, duties and responsibilities. Title 34 requires
that each member be a citizen of the Commonwealth, and well informed about
wildlife conservation and restoration. Game Commissioners are appointed from
various geographical districts of the state to ensure uniform representation
for all residents. These districts are not the same as Game Commission agency
regions.

Game Commissioners individually hold office for terms of eight years, but may
remain seated for an additional six months if no successor is named. Members
of the Board receive no compensation for their services, but may be reimbursed
for travel expenses.

Game Commissioners function as a board of directors, establishing policy for
the agency. They are not agency employees. Although they are selected by
district, they represent all Pennsylvanians and the state's 467 species of
wild birds and mammals.

Note to Editors: If you would like to receive Game Commission news releases
via e-mail, please send a note with your name, address, telephone number and
the name of the organization you represent to: PGCNews@state.pa.us
For Information Contact:
Jerry Feaser
717-705-6541
PGCNews@state.pa.us

SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission

Jerry Feaser of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, +1-717-705-6541,
PGCNews@state.pa.us