One governor-appointed commissioner to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife board was confirmed by the Senate on Friday and two will not be confirmed after they withdrew their nominations just before the vote.
Frances Silva Blayney, a fly-fishing outfitter based in Colorado Springs, was confirmed to represent hunters, anglers and outfitters on the commission.
Both John Emerick, appointed as an at-large member, and Chris Sichko, appointed to represent hunters and anglers, resigned prior to the vote.
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee voted against recommending Emerick and Sichko Wednesday over perceptions Gov. Jared Polis had appointed them to advance an anti-hunting agenda. Silva Blayney had received unanimous support.
In a statement Friday evening, Polis congratulated Silva Blayney on her confirmation, saying “her experience in a mother-daughter business as fishing guides is an inspirational story and I know that she will serve with distinction on the commission.”
He also thanked Emerick and Sichko for their “willingness to serve Colorado and for the dedication they brought to the commission.”
And he said he’s “deeply disappointed that the confirmation process has become so divisive that highly qualified candidates are not considered on their experience, merit, and expertise.”
The governor appoints members to the commission but it is unclear when he might make appointments to replace Sichko and Emerick.
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.
Sichko had been especially unpopular with hunting groups, according to testimony from state Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, on Wednesday.
Jen Clanahan, executive director of the Colorado Nature League, said “it’s disappointing a Ph.D. economist with specialized knowledge about the economics of hunting and fishing, who is a sportsperson, and who meets all statutory requirements, is not good enough for the extreme lobbying arm of the hunting community.”
“If they can’t support a candidate as qualified as Dr. Sichko then clearly there is no room for compromise,” she added.
“That extreme sentiment is why we are in the situation we are in — with so many species listed as a species of concern, at risk of serious decline. Healthy functioning ecosystems need healthy populations of native species fulfilling their ecological roles, so the biodiversity crisis has far reaching impacts.”
Following Blayney’s confirmation, Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, said Blayney and her daughter run a “pretty amazing angling outfitter group” and that she was excited to join them for some fishing. “I encourage you to reach out,” she told the other lawmakers. “She’s doing really great work.”
Mark Surls, Northern Rockies coordinator for Project Coyote, which advocates for the protection of wild carnivores, said he had seen Sichko at the state Capitol on Friday morning prior to the Senate’s vote.
Surls said he had heard early Friday that the confirmation vote was going to be postponed to Monday and was shocked to hear Sichko and Emerick had resigned.
Gaspar Perricone, a former CPW commissioner and chair of the Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project, said, “we appreciate the Senate’s leadership in seeking to restore balance and experience to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission,” and that “this outcome is a step towards restoring trust that the agency will be able to continue to advance science based wildlife management.”
But Surls said, “it’s disheartening to watch appointed officials, serving in a volunteer capacity, go through a very public confirmation process after stepping forward to contribute to the stewardship of Colorado’s wildlife, only to ultimately resign. With the resignations of Dr. Emerick and Dr. Sichko, the commission has lost an opportunity to add two highly qualified members, and both the people and wildlife of Colorado would have benefited from their ability to evaluate complex scientific and policy issues.”
“Dr. Emerick and Dr. Sichko were volunteers,” Clanahan said. “If this is how we treat volunteers, few others will step forward to volunteer in the future.”