[MAIPC] Introduction from PA Rep Andrew Rohrbaugh

[Rohrbaugh, Andrew]

Hello MAIPC,

My name is Andrew Rohrbaugh, and I'm one of your Pennsylvania representatives. I grew up in southcentral Pennsylvania, and received my B.S. in Environmental Studies at Gettysburg College and M.S. in Biology at Shippensburg University. I decided to enter the environmental field in high school, as I watched more and more of the small farms and wooded areas I grew up in be destroyed by development and fragmentation. As I worked through these degrees, I realized that the alteration and degradation of natural ecosystems, especially by invasive species, was also a huge problem, since these can impact even preserved land. It can also be deceptive to the public at large, as plant-blindness can cause many to confuse fragmented, highly invaded landscapes that provide minimal ecosystem services with intact ecosystems that provide habitat for many common and rare species.

After graduating, I worked for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, conducting environmental review for rare plants. This experience only reinforced my view of the negative impacts invasive species can have on our natural ecosystems! I then moved on to work as a botanist/ecologist for the PA Bureau of Forestry, where I focus on rare plant conservation and invasive plant management. We've started to map out invasive plants on state forest lands, and prioritize infestations for treatment. Top priorities include novel invasive species in a region, and areas where the invasive plants are threatening rare plant populations.

In my spare time I enjoy gardening, dabble in hunting (taking the gun out for a walk!), and have been slowly backpacking my way through Pennsylvania's trail system and sections of the Appalachian Trail. I've also got two boys under 5 the keep me pretty busy, although they are now starting to help with botanizing!

I also thoroughly enjoy reading both science and science fiction books, and try to envision what the future intersection of technology and the environment might look like. The internet, more selective/RNA herbicides, CRISPR, drone technology, computer learning. How do folks see current and future technological advances changing our work on invasive species?


Andrew Rohrbaugh | Botanist
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Bureau of Forestry | Ecological Services Section
PO Box 8552, 400 Market St, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8552
Phone: 717.705.2823 | Fax: 717.772.0271
anrohrbaug at pa.gov
www.dcnr.state.pa.us<http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/>

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