Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 117 state parks and 20 state forests; providing information on the state's natural resources; and working with communities to benefit local recreation and natural areas. The agency has its headquarters in the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...

.

The department was formed when then-governor Tom Ridge split the Department of Environmental Resources (DER) into the DCNR and Department of Environmental Protection
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania responsible for protecting and preserving the land, air, water, and energy resources through enforcement of the State's environmental laws...

 (DEP).

Current Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources

  • Richard J. Allan (Confirmed June 2011)

Past Secretaries of Conservation and Natural Resources

  • John Quigley (Appointed April 2009)
  • Michael D. DiBerardinis (Appointed January 2003)
  • John C. Oliver (Appointed November 1995)

Education

The DCNR is host to many different Environmental Education programs throughout the summer months. These range from topics such as "Leave No Trace" hiking/camping policy to the different wildlife and plant species of many of the state parks.

Law enforcement

DCNR Rangers act much like a National Park Ranger
National Park Ranger
National Park Service Rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and/or the President of the United States...

 does. They routinely check on cabins and campsites, offer insightful answers to visitors questions, and help to maintain calmness throughout the parks. They have full arrest powers while in park lands and do carry sidearms. However, they do not have jurisdiction over Pennsylvania State Game Lands
Pennsylvania State Game Lands
The Pennsylvania State Game Lands are lands managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission for hunting, trapping, and fishing. These lands, often not usable for farming or development, are donated to the PGC or purchased by the PGC with hunting license monies.The Pennsylvania Game Commission runs a...

, which are patrolled by Wildlife Conservation Officers
Game warden
A game warden is an employee who has the role of protecting wildlife. Game wardens may also be referred to as conservation officers or wildlife officers...

 employed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Pennsylvania Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is the state agency responsible for wildlife conservation and management in Pennsylvania in the United States...

. DCNR rangers do enforce game laws as well as fishing and boating laws in state parks, however, although the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is the state agency responsible for the regulation of all fishing and boating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...

 is completely independent of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Pennsylvania Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is the state agency responsible for wildlife conservation and management in Pennsylvania in the United States...

. Both agencies are independent of DCNR, but do work in cooperation with each other.

Organizational structure

The DCNR comprises the following subunits:
  • Deputy Secretary for Parks and Forestry
    • Bureau of State Parks
      Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
      The Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks is an agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that manages and operates the state park system of the state. The agency is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources .-External links:...

    • Bureau of Forestry
  • Deputy Secretary for Conservation and Technical Services
    • Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey
    • Bureau of Recreation and Conservation
    • Bureau of Facility Design and Construction
    • Wild Resource Conservation Program
      Wild Resource Conservation Program
      The Wild Resource Conservation Program is Pennsylvania’s biodiversity conservation program. As a part of the Office of Conservation Science of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources , and working closely with the and the , WRCP works to conserve Pennsylvania’s non-game...

  • Deputy Secretary for Administration
    • Bureau of Human Resources
    • Bureau of Administrative Services
    • Bureau of Information Technology
  • Office of Policy and Planning
  • Office of Education, Communications and Partnerships
  • Office of Conservation Science
    • Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program
      Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program
      Founded in 1982, the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program gathers and manages information regarding the status and location of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s rare species and habitats and native natural communities...

  • Chief Counsel

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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