Op-Ed: Reflecting On 12 Years Of Service On The Fish & Boat Commission Board

By Len Lichvar, Former District 4 Commissioner

Over the last 12 years, I have proudly served as an unpaid volunteer state appointed official in the role of the District 4 Commissioner for the PA Fish and Boat Commission.

The agency has evolved and progressed to maximize its services to the anglers and boaters of the state and enhance natural resources, perhaps collectively more so than in its entire previous history.

Now that my term limit has come to a close I would like to document the many accomplishments that we made during my tenure.

My fellow Commissioners and I, along with the dedicated professional PFBC staff, have accomplished much through partnerships with countless organizations and agencies including through cooperation with and essential assistance and support from our elected  legislative allies as well as listening to and using public input from the anglers and boaters.

As appointed state officials, rather than elected ones, my fellow commissioners and I have a unique role and have been willing and able to lead this process by doing what is needed rather than what is wanted and making the right decisions rather than popular ones.  

We have also strived to use resource science, not political science, to guide our decision making and the results have been and are impressive.

The following is only a partial summary of those pro-active and positive accomplishments.

-- Mentored Youth Trout Day – A special day for youth and mentors to fish together.

-- Unassessed Waters Program – A monumental statewide effort to protect our best water resources.

-- Keystone Select – An opportunity like no other for anglers to catch large trout.

-- Legislator Regional Meetings – A direct line of two way communication with the legislature.

-- Save Our Susquehanna –  Implementing regulations to protect smallmouth bass from over harvest  and putting projects on the ground to effectively address water quality issues.

-- Voluntary Youth License – A way for youngsters to feel like they belong on the water.

-- Three Rods – Enabling anglers to more fully enjoy special angling opportunities.

-- Marketing Program – Aggressively promoting angling and boating.

-- Water Trail Guides and Maps –  Showing how our waterways are user friendly.

-- Multi-Year Licenses –  Making purchasing a license more practical for the angler and productive  for the agency.

-- License Buttons – Value added component to the angling experience.

-- Lake Erie Access –  Securing miles of public stream access in the Lake Erie tributaries.

-- Wild Trout Summit and Wild Trout Work Group – Providing the public a first ever serious look at wild trout management present and future and enabling angler input.

-- Pollution Hotline – Enabling citizens to quickly report pollution events.  

-- Funding for High Hazard Dams – Secure $21 million to save recreational lakes throughout the state that otherwise would be lost.

-- Renovation of Hatcheries – Found innovative sources of funding to renovate and update trout hatcheries to state of the art facilities.

-- Dunkard Creek Settlement – Holding the responsible party accountable and restoring a fishery.

-- Portage Creek Settlement – Restoring a fishery ravaged by a pollution incident.

-- Lake Habitat Projects – Ramp up the fish habitat structure program and significantly improve angling.

-- Stream Habitat Projects – Ramp up stream improvement program and significantly improve angling.

-- Women’s Fishing Initiatives – Focus efforts to bring more women into angling.

-- Family Fishing Programs – Provide everything a family needs to go fishing together.

-- Swift Water Rescue – Creating and building a program that saves lives.

-- Free Fishing APP – Free downloadable APP with everything you need to fish and boat in PA on your phone.

-- The Fishing Hole – An online way to get any question the public has answered.

-- Three Rivers Management Plan – A blueprint for improving and protecting the Allegheny, Mon and Ohio Rivers.

-- Yough River Plan – A blueprint to enhance and improve the Youghiogheny River.

-- Penn State Business Plan – A financial guide to fiscal stability for the agency.

-- Reserve Fund - Creation of an essential Reserve Fund for the agency for emergency operations.

-- Threatened Species Protection - Retooling of the Union City Hatchery to produce and repopulate threatened mussel species.

-- Centre Region Office – Securing a consolidated modern multi function facility to better serve the agency and its customers.  

-- Penns Creek Special Regs – Implementation of special regulations to properly protect a growing wild trout resource.

-- Voluntary Permits – Innovative method to secure funding to enhance specific resources.

-- Executive Director Choices – The selection of highly qualified persons who have led and will lead the agency into the future.

Given this leadership success driven by the dedicated and professional PFBC staff in concert with the Commissioners and all accomplished under severe financial limitations, there seems to me to be no justification for additional impediments to this documented and ongoing progress.

Proposals such as limiting the agency’s Executive Director’s term or combining the PFBC with other agencies are just two examples of past misguided efforts driven by something other than valid justification.

There is a an overwhelming wave of reality and facts that prove that if the PFBC is simply provided the ability to maintain itself financially the huge return on the small investment required to do that will continue to increase countless opportunities for the anglers and boaters and continue the documented positive impact to the state’s economy that benefits all the citizens.  

Despite the many challenges we have and still do face I can tell you as a life- long angler and boater and volunteer and professional in the conservation field for over 30 years our outdoor opportunities in this state are far greater today than ever before.

I played a small role in creating and sustaining that and I hope those who come after me in this important role will continue that positive path forward.

(Photo: Len Lichvar, left of the picture in the photo.)

Len Lichvar lives and works in Somerset County and can be contacted by sending email to: lennyll@yahoo.com