An influential former Pittsburgher has been appointed to a panel that will advise the Obama administration on hunting and wildlife issues.

Larry Schweiger -- eight-year president and CEO of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and now president of the National Wildlife Federation -- was recently appointed to the federal Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Advisory Council. The panel was formed to advise the Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture on issues regarding recreational hunting, wildlife and habitat conservation.

A longtime advocate for conservation, Schweiger grew up hunting and fishing in the commonwealth. At the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, he worked to enhance the region's watershed restoration and community outreach, and advocated for ecological research and land conservation.

Schweiger worked for the Pennsylvania General Assembly as executive secretary of the Joint House/Senate Conservation Committee, was a VP of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and served on the boards of the Alliance for Climate Protection and John Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. In 1995, he received a Conservation Service Award from the Christian Environmental Association, and in 2002 was named Pennsylvania's Environmental Professional of the Year. His 2009 book, "Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth" (Fulcrum), analyzed global climate change. "I am honored and excited to join the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council," said Schweiger, in a written statement. "National Wildlife Federation is thrilled to have this opportunity to continue working with federal agencies to connect children to nature, conserve America's great landscapes for future generations, and protect wildlife and people from climate change."

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