GAME COMMISSION TO WEBCAST SEPTEMBER MEETING

GAME COMMISSION TO WEBCAST SEPTEMBER MEETING

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners meeting that was held on Sept. 24-25 in Franklin, Venango County, is being broadcast through the agency’s website to afford those unable to attend the meeting the opportunity to watch the staff reports and the Board’s voting session.

To view the meeting, go to Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), put your cursor over “Resources” in the menu bar, then put your cursor over “Video Library” in the drop-down menu listing and click on “Live Streaming Video.” (NOTE: As the agency uses a free webcasting service, pop-up ads will appear. The Game Commission derives no revenues from these ads, and has no control over the content of the ads.)

To view the broadcast, you will need to have “Flash Player” installed on your computer. For those who do not have Flash Player installed, please go to this link: http://adobe.com/software/flash/about/. Once Flash Player has been installed, you will be able to properly view the live feed. The download of Flash Player is free.

“The Game Commission has been conducting live webcasts of the Board’s meetings held in Harrisburg,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “However, when the Board goes ‘on the road,’ the ability to webcast the meeting is complicated from a technological standpoint.

“To provide those who missed the meeting a chance to see it, we will begin broadcasting a nearly three-hour loop of the meeting, which will ensure that anyone interested in viewing the meeting can do so for the next two weeks.”

Roe noted that the agency doesn’t have the website broadcast capabilities needed to provide “on-demand” viewing of the Board meeting, and is unable to maintain a library of previously videotaped Board meetings. However, all Board meeting agendas and minutes, dating back to January of 2006, are available for review on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by putting your cursor on “Resources” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage, then putting your cursor over “Reports & Minutes” in the drop-down menu listing, and then clicking on “Commission Board Meeting Minutes.”

The Board’s first meeting of 2013 will be held Jan. 27-29, at the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81.

The Board of Game Commissioners is comprised of eight board members, but there presently is one vacancy. Each Game Commissioner is nominated by the Governor, and confirmed by majority vote of the state Senate. Title 34, the law that governs the Board, requires that each member be a citizen of the Commonwealth, and well informed about wildlife conservation and restoration. Game Commissioners are appointed from various geographical districts of the state to ensure uniform representation for all residents. These districts are not the same as Game Commission agency regions.

Game Commissioners individually hold office for terms of eight years, but may remain seated for an additional six months if no successor is named. Game Commissioners are volunteers and receive no compensation for their services, but may be reimbursed for travel expenses.

Game Commissioners function as a board of directors, establishing policy for the agency; they are not agency employees. Although they are selected by district, they represent all Pennsylvanians and the state’s 480 species of wild birds and mammals.

For a listing of the current Game Commissioners and their hometowns, as well as biographical information, go to the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) put your cursor on “About Us” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage, then click on “Commissioner’s Page” in the drop-down menu listing.