Gregory M. Schrum

Gregory M. Schrum completed a B.S. in Forest Technology in 1967 and an M.S. in Forest Resources in 1969. His graduate studies were under the direction of Dr. Henry Gerhold and involved the genetic variations of Christmas tree characteristics in Scotch pine.

Schrum is a member of Xi Sigma Pi honorary forestry fraternity and Tau Phi Delta fraternity, of which he was treasurer and president. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters, and a member of Pennsylvania Forestry Association for which he serves on the Communications Committee. He also serves on the School of Forest Resources Advisory Board.

Schrum served in Vietnam as an Army First Lieutenant. He has worked for the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks for the past 30 years. His present position is Chief, Division of Resource Management and Planning, and he is responsible for directing the management of the natural resources and facility development in the Commonwealth's 116 state parks.

During the last five years, Schrum has worked diligently to create a totally new program area in the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks called "conservation area." His efforts were critical in formulating a state policy that provides for this designation for land donated to the Bureau of State Parks and managed for the purposes of preserving open space, conserving natural resources, and providing opportunities for passive, non-motorized, low-density outdoor recreation and environmental education activities. A conservation area differs from a typical state park because the land is donated and only passive forms of recreation such as hiking, hunting, and bird-watching are permitted. Schrum's personality, perseverance, patience, and remarkable ability to negotiate made the creation of conservation areas a reality.

In December 1998, Joseph E. Ibberson ('47) donated land to the Commonwealth, and through Mr. Schrum's leadership it became the first conservation area in the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks. The 350-acre Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area is located in Wayne Township, Dauphin County.

Two other conservation areas have since been established and more are expected to follow. Schrum's diligence and dedication has preserved considerable forested acreage of publicly owned land for various forms of outdoor recreation without precluding timber harvesting when necessary.