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New wildlife conservation officers heading to Western Pennsylvania
One agency is putting its newest recruits in the field, and the other is still getting started.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission graduated its 30th class of wildlife conservation officers last weekend. The class included 25 officers: 23 men and two women.
All underwent 51 weeks of training and will be assigned to their new districts.
Many are coming to Western Pennsylvania.
Zachary Edwards of Nanty Glo is going to be working the northern Somerset County district. Jeremy Febinger of Kittanning is taking over the district in western Greene County, and Amanda Powell of Huntingdon will go to the one in eastern Greene.
Andrew Harvey of Friedens is going to southern Fayette County.
Thomas Kline of Reading is making one of the biggest jumps, coming to western Allegheny County.
Going almost as far is Matthew Savinda. The Tarentum native has been assigned to southern Warren County.
Michael Stutts Jr. of Meadville is going to western Erie County, while Jason Wagner of Elizabethtown is going to eastern Elk County.
Skyler Gibble of Coudersport is going to be working in northwestern McKean County, Eric McBride of Clearfield is going to northwestern Warren County, Jeffrey Orwig of Felton is going to southern McKean County, and Brandon Pfister of Duncansville is going to northern Bedford County.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, meanwhile, is working to put together a class of cadets for its waterways conservation office school. The hope is to have at least a dozen, and perhaps nearly twice as many, ready to begin training by summer, Corey Brichter, head of its law enforcement bureau, told commissioners recently. That would go a long way to filling vacant districts, he said.
But it would not solve the commission's potential concerns completely, he said.
Adding the number of officers who could opt for retirement to existing vacancies exceeds the number set to be trained, he said.
“So we could stand to run two classes back to back,” said commissioner Bill Sabatose of Elk County.
Cost will determine that, said executive director John Arway. The goal is to get one class of new officers trained for now, then see where the agency stands, he added.
Bob Frye is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobfryeoutdoors.
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