Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Management is undergoing a makeover, with a few familiar faces moving to other posts and several openings for new additions.
Two of the changes come from the deer and bear segments of the bureau. Chris Rosenberry, who led the agency’s deer management program, left his position as Deer and Elk Section Supervisor to take over the Game Management Division within the bureau.
Mark Ternent, who served as the PGC’s black bear biologist, is now the wildlife management supervisor for the Northcentral Region.
A third move saw Matt Lovallo, who was the supervisor for the Game Mammals Section, take over as chief of the newly-created Wildlife Administration Division.
Matthew Schnupp, director of the bureau, said all of the moves were promotions and the agency is conducting a nationwide search to fill the vacancies. The positions will be posted on various job boards for two weeks, and bureau and agency staff will interview each candidate and make a selection.
The changes are recent, Schnupp added, and Ternent’s bear biologist position was temporarily filled by Mike Hooker, who passed away unexpectedly.
As far as a timeframe to fill the vacant posts, Schnupp said, “We want to do it immediately because all of these positions are essential. We can’t wait around.”
Ternent took over as the agency’s bear biologist in 2000. In his new position, Schnupp said Ternent will in all wildlife management programs in the Northcentral Region.
“Mark developed one of the most comprehensive bear programs nationwide. He built a solid career and now he’s taking the next step,” Schnupp said.
Rosenberry started with the agency in 2000 as a biometrician and took over the deer program in 2005. In his new position, Rosenberry will oversee the Deer and Elk, Game Mammals and Game Birds sections. He takes over for Ian Gregg, who now serves as the chief of the Wildlife Operations Division, which oversees the game farms and is in charge of budgets and grants.
Schnupp expects a lot of interest when it comes to filling Rosenberry’s former post.
“There’s a lot of people that want to be the deer biologist in Pennsylvania. It’s a prestigious program,” he said.
As the head of the new Wildlife Administration Division, Lovallo will act as a liaison between bureau and region staff.
“I really think it’s going to help us implement programs and get stuff done on the ground,” Schnupp said.
The agency has five divisions within the Bureau of Wildlife Management – Game Management, Wildlife Diversity, Wildlife Operations, Wildlife Administration and Wildlife Health. Dan Brauning leads the Wildlife Diversity Division while Andrew DiSalvo is the head of Wildlife Health.
There are 42 full-time employees, including biologists, within all five divisions.
Schnupp said the Game Commission is fortunate to have numerous biologists focusing on specific species. That’s not the case in other states, he added, where a single biologist manages multiple species.
“This is probably the most staff we’ve ever had in the bureau,” Schnupp said. “A small mammal and a waterfowl biologist – we never had that before.
“A lot of other state agencies aren’t as fortunate to have the staffing they need to get things done.”
- This story originally appeared in PA Outdoor News
