Mar 7, 2015 3 min read

There will be a fresh new pair of faces from the Pennsylvania Game Commission in Greene County.

The commission announced this week it assigned two of the 25 officers who recently completed their studies at the Ross Leffler School of Conservation to Greene County.

Amanda Powell, a native of Huntingdon, was assigned to cover eastern Greene County. Jeremy Febinger of Kittanning was assigned to cover western Greene County.

They are not the only new officers in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Thomas Kline of Reading was assigned to cover western Allegheny County, while Andrew Harvey of Friedens in Somerset County drew the southern Fayette County assignment.

Each district is comprised of approximately 350 square miles.

The primary duties of a Wildlife Conservation Officer includes law enforcement, responding to wildlife conflicts, conservation education and the administration of the hunter-trapper education programs.

• Frequent readers of this page are aware of Asian carp and the issues they present to waterways once the invasive species establish a foothold.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission this week annouced it found environmental DNA from Asian silver carp and bighead carp present in six water samples collected on the Ohio River last July.

The commission collected 595 total samples in the Ohio River and found one positive test each for silver carp in the Montgomery and Cumberland pools of the locks and dams systems.

Each pool also showed two positive tests for bighead carp DNA.

None of the 175 water samples taken from the Ohio River’s Dashfields and Emsworth pools, Beaver River, Little Beaver Creek, Raccoon Creek, Chartiers Creek, Monongahela River and Allegheny River tested positive for either fish. All of those waterways feed the Ohio River.

Researchers use environmental DNA tests as an early detection process for Asian carp. The findings show the presence of genetic material left behind by the fish, but does not provide conclusive evidence of their presence in a waterway.

Anglers who catch what they feel is an Asian carp should immediately contact the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Both species are easily identified when compared to the more common black carp. Both have low-set eyes and lack scales on the head, while a black carp has large scales and a pointed face.

• The Frazier-Simplex Rifle Club improved to 15-1 in the Pittsburgh and Suburban Rifle League with a win over Allegheny.

Christopher Thomas, Zac Szabo and John Husk all fired 297s for Frazier-Simplex, while Zach Nicolella and Morgan Duerr both had 295s.

Gene Lechmanick led Allegheny with a 289.

Second-place Dormont-Mt. Lebanon’s match with Irwin was postponed because of icy road conditions.

The two Washington County-based teams will meet on Wednesday at Frazier-Simplex.

• Because of poor weather in the area, there was some question as to whether the West Virginia Fishing, Hunting and Outdoors Sports Show would still be held this weekend.

It is still on and has more than 150 vendors on site at the Ruby Community Center at Mylan Park in Morgantown.

Show hours today are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $1 for 7 to 12-year-olds and free those 6-under.

There are prizes at the show that will be given away hourly.

Outdoors Editor F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.