Private Landowner Assistance Program

Landowners - A team of Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists is ready to assist you in making your property more attractive for wildlife, particularly species of greatest conservation need. They even make house-calls!

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is responsible for managing the state's wild bird and mammal populations. In May of 2004, the agency created a Private Landowner Assistance Program and hired a Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist to facilitate the program and aid interested landowners in developing habitat management plans in each of the state's six geographic regions. The Game Commission's goal is to improve Pennsylvania's landscape for wildlife species of special concern through developing detailed plans for interested landowners who want to help these at-risk species. These plans focus on creating or maintaining habitat for the state's 109 bird and mammal species of concern. Although the plans focus on species of concern, a wide variety of species often benefit from these habitat plans once they are implemented.

Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologists cover large areas statewide and will work with landowners who have an interest in Pennsylvania's wildlife and the property to make a difference. This program is custom-made for landowners who are interested in creating, preserving, or enhancing wildlife habitat. And remember, every habitat improvement made in support species of concern solidifies their future in the Commonwealth. Progress is made in the Private Landowners Assistance Program every time another landowner gets involved. The goal of this program is to make private properties better for these species, at the very least one property at a time.

The first step is to contact the Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist or regional office serving your county. After a short interview, the biologist will send the interested property owner a landowner objective survey (PDF), which identifies the property by habitat features and ranks the landowner's interests and property uses. After reviewing the survey, the biologist will visit the property and walk it with the landowner. A detailed plan will be developed based upon the biologist's findings and landowner's chosen level of involvement.

There is no charge for participating in the program, nor is there a public access requirement. Biologists will follow-up their planning effort by checking with participating landowners to see if they have questions or need additional direction.

If you're interested in participating in the Private Landowner Assistance Program, please use the following listing to determine what region your property is found in and where to call/write for assistance:

Northwest: Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Warren counties - RWD Biologist Stacy Wolbert at 814-226-4348 or stwolbert@pa.gov. Stacy also can be reached through the Game Commission Northwest Region Office at 814-432-3187 or by mail to P.O. Box 31, Franklin, PA 16323.

Southwest: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties - RWD Biologist Tammy Colt at 814-233-2281 or tcolt@pa.gov. Game Commission Southwest Region Office at 724-238-9523 or by mail to 4820 Route 711, Bolivar, PA 15923.

Northcentral: Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga and Union counties - RWD Biologist Mario Giazzon at mgiazzon@pa.gov or 570-660-2483, or at the Game Commission Northcentral Region Office at 570-398-4744 or by mail to P.O. Box 5038, Jersey Shore, PA 17740.

Southcentral: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York counties - RWD Biologist Clayton Lutz at cllutz@pa.gov. Lutz can be reached through the Game Commission Southcentral Region Office at 814-643-1831 or mail to 8627 William Penn Highway, Huntingdon, PA 16652.

Northeast: Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties - RWD Biologist Richard Fritsky at 570-406-6690 or rfritsky@pa.gov. Fritsky also can be reached through the Game Commission Northeast Region Office at 570-675-1143 or by mail to P.O. Box 220, Dallas, PA 18612.

Southeast: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill counties - RWD Biologist Dan Mummert at 717-626-0031 or dmummert@pa.gov. Mummert also can be reached through the Game Commission Southeast Region Office by calling 610-926-3136 or mail to 253 Snyder Road, Reading, PA 19605.