Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2019 - 59

CURRENTS
July Commission Meeting Held

photos-Andrea Feeney

During the July 16 formal meeting, the Pennsylvania Fish
& Boat Commission (PFBC) welcomed several members to
the Board of Commissioners and elected new officers.
Eric Hussar, Union County, was appointed to a new
4-year term as District 5 commissioner, representing
Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland,
Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties. Rejoining
the board was Richard Kauffman, Berks County, who will
continue to serve as District 8 commissioner, representing
Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery,
Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill counties.
Dan Pastore, Erie County, joined the Board as District 1
commissioner, representing Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie,
Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties.
William Gibney, Wayne County, was welcomed as District 7
commissioner, representing Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne,
Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
Charlie Charlesworth, Lackawanna County, was confirmed
as one of two boating-at-large commissioners on the board.
All new board members were nominated by Governor
Tom Wolf and confirmed by the state Senate on June 18.

Dan Pastore

William Gibney

Charlie Charlesworth

The Board elected Hussar as President, and Richard
Lewis, a Boating-at-Large Commissioner, Adams County,
as Vice President. Both will serve 1-year terms.
In other action:
* Commissioners authorized the acquisition of an
approximately 3-acre parcel of property located in
Muncy Creek Township, Lycoming County. Pending
further due diligence, the Commission will pay
$71,500 for the land to be used for the development
of a new public access area along the West Branch
Susquehanna River. The access area will replace
the former Muncy Access, which was closed in July
2016. Local legislators were able to secure $250,000
in Capital funding to assist in the acquisition and
development of the new access area, which is
downriver from the previous site.
* In Allegheny County, the Board approved
amendments to a boating regulation that will extend
a No Wake Zone along the Allegheny River within
the City of Pittsburgh. The amended regulation
change will apply to the area known as The Point,
where the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers come
together to form the Ohio River. The current No
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Wake Zone on the Allegheny River will be extended
from the 9th Street Bridge upriver to the Veterans
Bridge. The period during which the regulation
is enforced will be extended from October 1 to
November 1. These amendments will go into effect
upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
* Commissioners approved the publication of a notice
of proposed rulemaking to amend a section of the
Pennsylvania Code related to the enforcement of
Motorboat Noise Control (Title 58, Chapter 119).
Under the proposal, which was approved by the
Boating Advisory Board, the regulation would become
less subjective and more enforceable through a more
highly defined set of standards. The proposal will be
considered for final rulemaking at a future meeting.
* In Northampton County, the Board approved the
publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking to
amend fishing regulations for Minsi Lake, requiring
catch and release/no harvest for all species except
trout, and applying Commonwealth Inland Waters
regulations for trout. This reservoir was completely
dewatered in June 2017 to complete dam and
spillway repairs and modifications per Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP)
dam safety standards. The application of this special
regulation is intended to protect fish populations
during the restocking process beginning in spring
2020 or as soon as refilling conditions allow with
fingerling plants of select fish species to establish a
high quality warmwater and coolwater fishery. Once
the warmwater fishery has been reestablished, the
lake will be recommended for removal from the
miscellaneous special regulation and inclusion in one
of the Commission's existing warmwater regulation
programs. If approved on final rulemaking at a future
meeting, the amendment will go into effect upon
publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. With the
addition of the new miscellaneous special regulations,
the Board voted to remove Minsi Lake from the Big
Bass Program effective on January 1, 2020.
* In Westmoreland County, Commissioners approved
the publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking to
amend fishing regulations for Donegal Lake, requiring
catch and release/no harvest for all species except
trout, and applying Commonwealth Inland Waters
regulation for trout. This reservoir was completely
dewatered during fall 2016 to complete control
tower, dam and spillway repairs and modifications
per PA DEP dam safety standards. The application
of this special regulation is intended to protect fish
populations during the restocking process beginning
in spring 2020 or as soon as refilling conditions allow
with fingerling plants of select fish species to establish
a high quality warmwater and coolwater fishery. Once
the warmwater fishery has been reestablished, the
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * September/October 2019

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2019

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