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09/20/12 Dear DCNR Advisory Council, I regret to inform you that I have recently sent my resignation letter to the

Honorable, Sam Smith, Speaker of the House. In that letter I also requested his assistance to reestablish council to an effective and efficient advisory level, as legislatively mandated in Act 18, Section 316. This council, due to many events out of our control, can no Longer effectively and efficiently meet the spirit of the law or Its responsibility to the public. The appointing bodies have put in place well qualified and dedicated advisors that volunteer considerable time to ensure that the citizens of Pennsylvania are well informed and represented in natural resource related policy decisions. The current situation with CNRAC significantly diminishes public input and a checks and balance system to DCNRs administration. As you well know the degradation of council is a result of multiple actions. They include the: 1) loss of councils independence as an advisory body, 2) removal of the executive directors position, 3) reassignment of councils secretary, 4) extremely disproportionate budget reduction, 5) low response time for requested information, 6) quality of information that is eventually shared and 7) displayed hostile atmosphere created by the administration for public input during a council meeting These concerns have been brought up repeatedly to the administration without a satisfactory resolution. At the time of writing this letter, the proposal for partial staffing that has been sent to the Secretary, at least four weeks ago, has not received a response. I urge you to reconsider your position and request a full time director. DEPs sister council currently has a full time executive director plus Susan Wilson (the previous executive director) working part time. DCNR has no less issues of importance to the public interest. The legislation that separated DEP and DCNR were to be mirror images of each other as it related to advisory councils. I know that, through sitting on Governor Ridges environmental transition team and having the opportunity for involvement in the writing of the subsequent pieces of legislation that divided the two departments. I do not take this resignation lightly or without considerable thought. At this point I will have served19 years of advisement between DER, DEP and CNRAC advisory councils. I have had the privilege to serve on many state and national committees related to resource management and environmental education. Never have I served with a more dedicated, informed or professional group. DCNR does not recognize the valuable resource it has at its disposal.

This is a serious situation for which I leave in your hands. It affects the checks and balances put in place by our legislature and has a significant impact on public involvement in the conservation of Pennsylvanias natural resources. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely,

Dr. Paulette Viola Professor of Park Resource Management Slippery Rock University Cc: Secretary Richard J. Allan

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