It is imperative that sportsmen email their state Senator as soon as possible! This Friday, March 8, at 9 a.m., the Senate take an important vote on a pair of problematic Game Commission nominations and they need to hear from you.
Two of the governor’s nominations received unfavorable bipartisan recommendations. This is remarkable and very instructive. Please ask your Senator to simply follow the committee’s bipartisan recommendations.
Governor Polis’ nominees:
A former fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity, a well-known anti-hunting organization, Jess Beaulieu manages the University of Denver’s Animal Law Program, which “advocates to protect the well-being of non-human animals.” Gov. Polis nominated her to serve as a representative of outdoor recreation and park utilization. Beaulieu received a bipartisan unfavorable recommendation from the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Gary Skiba, a former Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologist, has spent recent years working to get wolves reintroduced into Colorado. In a 2021 California lawsuit, the anti-hunting organization Defenders for Wildlife called Skiba “the primary author of the Colorado’s wolf conservation plan.” Gov. Polis nominated him to serve as a representative of sportspersons and a member of the West of the Continental Divide. Skiba received a bipartisan unfavorable recommendation from the Senate Agriculture Committee.
John “Jack” Murphy runs Urban Wildlife Rescue, a nonprofit focusing on the nonlethal removal of small nuisance animals like squirrels and raccoons. Gov. Polis nominated him to serve as a representative of outdoor recreation and parks utilization. Murphy received a bipartisan favorable recommendation from the Senate Agriculture Committee.
In a nearly two-hour hearing, neither Jess Beaulieu nor Gary Skiba was able to convince the Senate Agriculture Committee that they had enough unbiased management experience to be qualified to sit on the Wildlife Commission. Once again, the opposition to these nominations was bipartisan.
Senator Dylan Roberts stated in the hearing, “We need to have commissioners who are focused on protecting the interests that they are appointed to, whether it be sportspersons or active park engagement and park use. I do find some challenges in some of the appointees’ backgrounds, as well as their answers.”
Please use the Take Action button to email your state Senator today urging him/her to vote “No” on the nominations of Jess Beaulieu and Gary Skiba. Your Senator needs to know that managing the future of Colorado’s wildlife is a serious matter and should not be used to advance a political agenda, especially for those who oppose hunters so vocally.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
