Outdoors Notebook
Three days into his new job as executive director of the state Fish and Boat Commission, Tim Schaeffer said he’s still getting his feet wet. But having worked there as director of policy and planning from 2008 to 2017 he said he has a good idea where Fish and Boat currently stands.
“One priority will be ensuring the agency gets back on sound financial footing,” he said, “and with that would come a renewed sense of optimism among the staff so they’ll be thinking about what they can do instead of what they can’t because of personnel or infrastructure shortages.”
Some things, he said, are certain.
“Yes, we need a revenue increase, but I don’t know the amount. … No, I have not gotten that instruction [from the board to trim $2 million per year from the agency’s $54 million budget],” he said. “I understand the value of holding a cash reserve, but at this point I don’t know what it should be.” And, “sure, the [trout] hatchery system is designed to produce [3.2 million trout per year] and already they’re in production to do that next year.”
Mr. Schaeffer stressed that he’s not coming into the job with any preconceived ideas.
“Really, there’s no specific agenda or hot topic,” he said. “To me it’s about the long-term sustainability of the agency and engaging the board, staff and outside partners.”
Buck fever
In the 2017-18 hunting seasons Pennsylvania hunters harvested 163,750 bucks, the second-largest antlered take since antler restrictions were started in 2002. Chris Rosenberry, head of the state Game Commission’s deer and elk section, said 57 percent of those bucks were at least 2½ years old. About 45 percent of the last season’s buck harvest was taken on the opening day of the statewide firearm deer season.
Post-Gazette Outdoors Poll
LAST WEEK: Should scope-mounted night vision and ballistics calculation be permitted in hunting situations?
Yes 100 %
No 0 %
The poll is an unscientific tally of web postings generated by CivicScience.
First Published: November 15, 2018, 9:45 p.m.