Alt Receives Oliver Award

On Jan. 6, 2024, Dr. Gary Alt received the “John C. Oliver Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Board of Commissioners at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s headquarters. The award ceremony was open to only a select group of agency employees; retirees, past and present; current board members; NGO and agency partners; and members of the House and Senate Game and Fisheries Committees. Only invited guests could attend.

I was first alerted to this event by sportsmen’s advocate Greg Levengood of Boyertown, who found some irony in the bestowing of the award by the PGC, which is supposed to represent sportsmen.

John C. Oliver was more of a conservationist than a sportsmen’s advocate. He served as the president and CEO of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s land management operations for 25 years. During that time more than 126,000 acres of land were permanently protected. Among these were 14,000 acres of riverfront property along the Clarion River, which is now designated “wild and scenic” under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. He also was instrumental in acquiring 9,400 acres of oil and mineral rights in the Allegheny National Forest, which resulted in the designation of the Hickory Creek Wilderness within the forest. In addition, he helped acquire 12,760 acres in Clinton and Centre counties for the creation of State Game Lands 295. These were wonderful acquisitions.

In 1995 Gov. Tom Ridge appointed Oliver as the first Secretary of DCNR. During his eight years there, he added to state park and forest systems. He also advocated for sustainable forestry practices, including the inclusion of state forests in FSC certified management systems. This inclusion was a serious disservice to Pennsylvania’s sportsmen.

FSC certification required a dramatic reduction of the deer population in state forests. In many places deer were obliterated with the claim that the deer were preventing forest regeneration. The reduction of deer has taken place, with many acres of state forests now being devoid of deer. I have previously written of the devastation of the deer population in the Sproul State Forest near a hunting camp I belong to. When a FLIR (infrared population survey) was conducted near the camp, only two deer were identified – not per acre but in many acres of forest. Alt’s deer management plan was complicit in the devastation of the deer population in the name of FSC certification.

Anyhow, the PGC has rewarded Alt with the Oliver Award for his leadership in decimating deer numbers, including in state forests. I imagine those in attendance were supporters of Alt’s deer decimation program.