A state Senate committee is recommending that two of three appointees to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission be removed while one received unanimous support to continue her role during a confirmation hearing Wednesday.
The state Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, led by Sens. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, voted 7-0 to confirm Frances Silva Blayney, a fly-fishing shop owner and outfitter from Colorado Springs, to represent hunters, anglers and outfitters.
They voted 5-2 against recommending John Emerick, a retired professor of environmental biology and a leading voice in wetland ecology from Redstone, appointed by Polis to an at-large position representing the general public.
And they voted 4-3 against recommending Christopher Sichko, small-game bowhunter and research economist from Boulder, appointed by Polis to represent hunters and anglers.
The panel’s vote serves as a recommendation before a final vote on the Senate floor. Roberts said it is “very rare” for a candidate to get an unfavorable recommendation.
Emerick was appointed to his seat last July and voted on several issues including the commission’s decision to accept a petition to ban the sale of wild fur from 17 furbearing species in Colorado. Sichko was appointed Feb. 9 and had yet to weigh in on any commission decisions.
The move follows months of contentious debate over whether the three appointees were placed on the commission to represent anti-hunting and animal-rights interests by Polis or to round out a governing body long known for its representation by hunters and anglers.
Roberts said a full vote could be as early as Friday.
This is a developing story