Butler man named a Game Commission supervisor
The Pennsylvania Game Commission Northwest Region, which includes Butler County, has two new supervisors, including one from Butler.
Jacob Olexsak of Butler was recently promoted from game warden for the county to the region conservation administration supervisor, and Jason Amory, a resident of Meadville, was promoted from game warden in Crawford County to the region information and education supervisor.
Olexsak was a graduate of the 28th class of game wardens from the commission's Ross Leffler School of Conservation in 2010. His first assignment was to serve as the warden for Western Crawford County. In 2018, he was transferred to his home district in Butler County.
Olexsak won the Northeast Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Association Officer of the Year Award in 2016 and the Kalbfus Berrier Award in 2019. The award recognizes game wardens who use traditional techniques to detect significant violations of the state Game and Wildlife Code.
Olexsak is a 2003 graduate of Butler Area High School and he graduated from Butler County Community College with an associate degree in parks and recreation management. He said he started working as the region conservation administration supervisor in May.
“I certainly enjoyed my career, my time in the field. It's a very unique job and the experiences are unique. As most supervisors realize, there's a time to move on and continue on a career path,” Olexsak said.
His new job involves overseeing the region's dispatch center, safety committee, budget, vehicle fleet, hunter access programs, pheasant allocation and other administrative work.
The vehicle fleet includes law enforcement vehicles as well as tractors, bulldozers and other equipment used by food and cover corps workers to maintain game lands and food plots.
He said he works with region land managers and the game farms that raise pheasants to make sure the birds are stocked in the correct areas at different times during the season.
To manage the hunter access programs, he said he works with property owners who agree to allow hunters to hunt on their land in exchange for liability protection, tree seedlings and law enforcement support.
“It's certainly a change of pace from my prior position. There's a new set of challenges to tackle. It's nice to have the opportunity to work throughout the region to make sure the different areas of the agency have the support and equipment to get the job done,” Olexsak said.
He said the commission serves sportsmen and others who enjoy the outdoors.
“It's servicing the needs of sportsmen and other wildlife enthusiasts, and other people (who) enjoy the outdoors. When you can try to balance the needs of sportsmen and people involved in other activities like bird watching, it's nice to pull that all together and serve the people, not just the sportsmen,” Olexsak said.
Amory will supervise game wardens in the 10 counties in the region and the Hunter-Trapper Education Program, maintain legislative contacts and serve as the information officer for all press and public relations matters in the region.
He was a graduate of the 29th game warden class in 2013. Upon graduation, he was assigned to Warren County. Amory later transferred to Venango County and then was transferred to his home district in central Crawford County in 2019. He won the Northeast Conservation Law Enforcement Chief's Association Officer of the Year Award in 2019 and the Kalbfus Berrier Award the same year.
Amory is a 1993 graduate of Cambridge Springs Junior Senior High School and a 1998 graduate of Gannon University. He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree with a concentration in political science and public administration.
“I was a game warden in Southern Warren County, then in Venango county, then Crawford County. I got my home district in Meadville six months ago,” Amory said. “I spent all that time trying to get home; I got home then I got promoted.”
Even though Amory and Olexsak are now supervisors, they maintain their law enforcement credentials and wear uniforms. They don't perform regular patrols anymore, but they can respond to calls and occasionally ride with wardens, Amory said.
He said the Northwest Region office has a director, four supervisors, 21 wardens and a total staff of 175 people. The staff includes dispatchers, a forester, clerical personnel, regional biologists and food and cover workers.
