New game officer hired to fill Cameron County vacancy
By James Moate Endeavor News

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has announced that on March 11, Cameron County will once again have its own Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO), a position that has been in limbo for the past year. Wayne Hunt, a WCO trainee from St. Marys, has been hired to fill the position upon graduation from the game commission's training program at the Ross Leffler School of Conservation in Harrisburg.

Warren Stump, Law Enforcement Supervisor from the PGC's North Central Regional Office told Endeavor News that the residents of Cameron County are well overdue for a permanent WCO.

"It's been a number of years since there has been a stable (Pennsylvania) Game Commission presence in Cameron County," Stump began. "I think (with the hiring of Hunt) we've got that."

Hunt, who was a deputy under Elk County WCO Doty McDowell for six years, is no stranger to the area. When McDowell temporarily assumed some of the Cameron County responsibilities, Hunt was actively involved in Cameron County. He was also employed as a Food and Cover worker for the Elk State Forest for six years working on land management and habitat improvement projects in Cameron County.

Stump said that Cameron County is what's called a one-district county. That means that only one WCO is necessary to oversee all of the county's operations. Throughout Pennsylvania, there were 32 WCO vacancies at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, only 22 new cadets graduated from this year's training course. As such, Stump said that Cameron County is "extremely fortunate" to fill it's only vacancy.

Hunt said that he not only feels lucky to receive a job so close to home-he lives about

15 minutes from Emporiumbut

he's looking forward to the taking the job. He said that he has come to know and like many of the people that live in Cameron County.

"I'm delighted to be going back there," Hunt told Endeavor News. "It's one of the wildest, most remote areas and, in my opinion, it's where a WCO wants to be. There's an abundance of wildlife and a great group of people (in Cameron County.) I can't wait to get to work."

One of the primary responsibilities of a WCO is to recruit and hire deputies, said Stump. For the last year, there have been no deputies in Cameron County since there has not been an official WCO to hire any. Hunt says that he plans to start recruiting people.

"It's going to be vital that I establish a core group of deputies," Hunt said. "But I am confident that I will have no problems doing so since there is such a large base of people there that are familiar with the area and knowledgeable about many of the species of animals, particularly game animals."

Stump said that the PGC is just as anxious to have the position filled as Hunt is to fill it. He said that with Hunt's knowledge of the area and popularity among the residents, he will be a perfect fit and a valuable asset to both the community and the game commission.

"Citizens in Cameron County deserve to have a good, stable WCO who will fill the position for an extended period of time," Stump continued. "He's very, very familiar with the area and he knows a lot of people in the area. I think he's going to be an excellent officer and we're very anxious to have him."

Hunt said he plans to try and fix the relationships that may have been severed by the lack of a long-term PGC representative in the area. He said that the PGC "hasn't really been represented well in the last several years" and that he's "looking to increase the positive image of the PGC in the area."

For more information about the game commission, visit their website at pgc.state.pa.us.