Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - May/June 2021 - 4

Conservation
Through
Cooperation
by Timothy D. Schaeffer

The title of this column in the January/February issue of
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater was " Thank You for Fishing
in 2020. " That article was intended to thank the nearly 1
million anglers who took to the water in 2020 as a way to
escape and find a sense of joy and normalcy in the midst of
the craziest year that many of us have ever lived through.
That gratitude is sincere. On behalf of our Board of
Commissioners, Boating Advisory Board, and staff, thank
you for choosing to fish and boat in Pennsylvania last year
and for joining us again in 2021. In so doing, you directly
support the conservation and recreation work that forms the
backbone of Pennsylvania's fishing and boating opportunities
and the aquatic resources that sustain the ecological health
and quality of life here in the Commonwealth.
The purpose of the column this time is to publicly thank
the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's (PFBC's)
phenomenally dedicated staff for all of their hard work over
the past year under incredibly trying circumstances. The
commissioners and I thank our entire team for keeping us
moving forward, delivering top notch customer service,
and displaying an unyielding dedication to the resources
entrusted to our care.
The agency's collective 2020 accomplishments were
recently highlighted in the annual report we delivered to the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives Game and Fisheries
Committee. To read the report and also view the quarterly
reports documenting progress in implementing the 20202023 Strategic Plan, please visit www.fishandboat.com. The
examples laid out in the annual report are just a few of the
many ways that our staff delivered for the Commonwealth.
It would be impossible to distill everything we achieved
into one page, and highlighting some accomplishments may
be misinterpreted as placing greater significance on one than
another. All these accomplishments matter and contribute to
meaningful progress.
So, rather than focus on a few examples, I will emphasize
the collaborative spirit and culture that is permeating the
agency and seemingly gaining momentum on a daily basis.
Thank you to every member of our 411 person team for
thinking beyond the traditional lines on the organization

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * May/June 2021

photo-Samantha Warner

Executive Director
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Benner Spring State Fish Hatchery Foreman Terry Emel (left)
loading Rainbow Trout with Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission Executive Director Tim Schaeffer. Manager Doug
Hess (background) is " crowding " the fish to be loaded. This truck
was destined for Standing Stone Creek, Huntingdon County.
Tim Schaeffer assisted WCO Kyle Robinson and Fish Culturist
Samantha Warner with the stocking later that same day.

chart. While clear lines of accountability and reporting
structures are important and needed, it is exciting to see
the level of appreciation for working across those lines
for the greater good of the agency and the people and
resources we serve.
At the end of the day, an angler, boater, or fish likely
does not know which division made which decision or
implemented a certain project. What they see is that the
PFBC did something with their best interest in mind.
That something is invariably better if it is conceptualized,
developed, and implemented with the input and
collaboration of different parts of the agency. Such an
approach is playing out across Pennsylvania, yielding
meaningful and long-lasting results.
That spirit of collaboration extends beyond the agency
and applies to our relationships with the other agencies
and conservation allies without whom we would never be
able to achieve our common goals.
To our staff, thank you for following the tenet of what
our long-time and valued partners at the Pennsylvania
Environmental Council (www.pecpa.org) coined
" conservation through cooperation. "
To the readers of this magazine and your fellow anglers
and boaters, please know that the PFBC is working
together for you, our aquatic resources, and everyone who
is rediscovering (or discovering for the first time) all that
Pennsylvania has to offer.
So, please get outside and have a fun, relaxing, and safe
summer. As our friends at the Recreational Boating and
Fishing Foundation say-the water is open for everyone!
www.fishandboat.com

http://www.fishandboat.com http://www.pecpa.org http://www.fishandboat.com

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - May/June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - May/June 2021