MWCD names chief of recreation

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District announced the appointment of Peter Novotny to be the new chief of recreation and lead all recreation-related strategies and efforts for the district’s 5 million annual visitors to its parks, lakes and marinas.

Novotny is an experienced natural resources leader with a background in recruiting and building teams and managing wildlife and public engagement efforts. He currently serves as the assistant chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife and is a recognized national advocate for the use of public lands as the chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Hunting and Shooting Sports Participation Committee.

“We’re excited to have Peter join us because of his passion for getting Ohioans outdoors and engaged in all that our state’s natural resources have to offer. He is a capable administrator and financial manager who is committed to public service. His abilities and interests align with the MWCD mission very well, and I am confident he will bring valuable energy and ideas as we enter a new phase of expanding the district’s recreational programming for our visitors,” MWCD Executive Director Craig Butler said.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to work alongside fellow professionals as we reimagine recreation to connect people to the wild places and spaces of Ohio,” Novotny said.

In this role Novotny will oversee parks, marinas and docking and work collaboratively across the MWCD to enhance and expand recreational offerings.