Pennsylvania Mixed Bag: WCO Luke Walter gets boating law award

Harrisburg — The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators  Boating Officer of the Year Award was presented to Waterways Conservation Officer Luke Walter, whose district includes western Erie County.

In 2025, according to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Walter’s exemplary law enforcement efforts included 47 days of onboard boat patrols and conducted over 350 boat boardings in an effort to promote compliance with safety regulations.

Walter participated in Operation Stonegarden, which is a federally funded initiative administered through the U.S. Border Patrol aimed towards enhancing maritime and shoreline patrols along Lake Erie.

MORE COVERAGE FROM PENNSYLVANIA OUTDOOR NEWS: 

Report says Pennsylvania Game, Fish agencies should share services

Pennsylvania Sportsman Profile: Founder of PA Wild Trout Coalition is a focused advocate

Tom Venesky: Wardens working alone threatens the safety of Pennsylvania officers

Elliott Appointed to Fisheries Council

Harrisburg — G. Warren Elliott, of Chambersburg, has been appointed to a three-year term as Pennsylvania’s citizen representative to the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council. He was nominated by Gov.  Josh Shapiro.

Elliott was selected for the position by U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and was sworn into the position at the council’s Aug. 11 meeting held in Philadelphia.

The Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens fishing conservation and management act in 1976 to manage fisheries within U.S. federal waters. The Mid-Atlantic council management authority extends from 30 to 200 miles off the coast of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.

Elliott is a former Franklin County commissioner, a former state Fish & Boat commissioner and currently serves as chairman of F&M Trust Bank.

Western Pa. Audubon Gets Big Grant

Pittsburgh — Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania has been awarded a $240,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to launch an 18-month project that will expand opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels to connect with birds and nature through a continuum of engaging educational experiences.

By meeting people where they are, in neighborhood parks, community events, colleges, and other public spaces, the society aims to create lasting pathways from bird curiosity to conservation action.

Ultimately, the project will  encourage conservation actions such as creating native habitats, increasing awareness of bird-friendly policies and volunteering to support conservation organizations.

Maryland Park Reopens Hunting Creek Lake After Removal of Rabid Beavers

Annapolis, Md. — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reopened water access at Hunting Creek Lake and surrounding portions of Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont in late August after extensive monitoring found no evidence of rabid beavers.

Portions of the park closed following two beaver attacks at the lake – a 13-year-old was bitten while swimming on July 26 and a 19-year-old was bitten while fishing on Aug. 5. Both beavers were dispatched; and both later tested positive for rabies. Since then, the Maryland Natural Resources Police worked with Maryland Park Service staff to confirm the area was safe to reopen.

Biologists conducting thermal surveys after sunset were not able to find additional beavers in the Hunting Creek Lake area. Additional monitoring methods including trail cameras, trapping and sign surveys indicate that no beavers remain in the area. Further, there have been no staff observations of beavers around Hunting Creek Lake.

New Assistant Manager for Hickory Run

Harrisburg — The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced the appointment of Taylor Miller as an assistant manager for the Hickory Run State Park Complex in eastern Pennsylvania.

A Berks County native, Miller earned an undergraduate degree in Parks and Recreation from East Stroudsburg University, and holds dual master’s degrees in Park and Resources Management and Environmental Education from Slippery Rock University.

After working at Cape Cod National Seashore and as an environmental educator for Berks and Lancaster counties, Miller began her career with DCNR as a park manager trainee in the eastern region of Pennsylvania state parks. She was assigned to her current role at the Hickory Run Complex following graduation.

DCNR to Improve Campground at Cook Forest State Park

Cooksburg, Pa. — The state is making a multimillion-dollar investment to enhance the visitor experience at Cook Forest State Park in Clarion, Forest and Jefferson counties by replacing the Ridge Campground shower house and restroom facilities with modern, accessible, and family-friendly amenities.

Cook Forest State Park and the Ridge Campground will remain open for use throughout the entirety of this project. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said it is replacing existing facilities, which were built in the early 1970s, to meet today’s visitor expectations for comfort, accessibility and convenience.

DCNR will begin phased improvements to the campground shower house and restroom facilities in the spring of 2027 with anticipated completion in spring 2029.