Officers are uniformed and have received extensive law enforcement and wildlife management training. All full-time officers are graduates of the Game Commission's Ross Leffler School of Conservation, America's first wildlife conservation officer school. More than 500 officers have graduated from the school since it was established in 1936. Wildlife conservation officers are empowered to enforce the Game and Wildlife Code, Fish and Boat Code, Forestry Laws and Pennsylvania's Crimes Code, and they frequently assist local and state police, especially in rural areas. Our officers have been involved in missing person searches, guiding police in remote wilderness areas and drug eradication programs.
Officers also provide assistance in emergency responses to accidents and disasters.
The Commission is deeply involved in land management, because it's one of the most effective and important ways to manage wildlife. To ensure wild animals always have food and shelter, the agency, since 1920, has been purchasing lands for inclusion in its state game lands system, which currently contains about 300 separate tracts comprising a total of about 1.4 million acres. Each game lands has an individual management plan designed to improve wildlife habitat and provide recreational opportunities. Plans are carried out by the agency's Food and Cover Corps. Hunters, anglers, hikers, birdwatchers and other wildlife enthusiasts are welcome on game lands.