The Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Dan Gibbs placed Parks and Wildlife Director Dan Prenzlow on administrative leave after Gibbs received complaints about “inappropriate comments and interactions” at a CPW conference in Vail last week, a state media release said.

Gibbs did not disclose what those remarks were, but an anonymous group called “Justice at CPW” identified the event and the alleged comments.

A Monday statement from Justice for CPW accused Prenzlow of directing racially insensitive language toward a Black agency employee in front of 600 people at the department’s 9th annual conference on April 19.

Justice at CPW also published a statement the group said came from the employee. In the statement addressed to Gibbs and Gov. Jared Polis, the employee said she is “traumatized, disappointed, upset and extremely uncomfortable.”

The employee could not be reached for comment but confirmed in an email that the statement posted by Justice for CPW is accurate.

Prenzlow could not be reached for comment.

Rick Enstrom, ?who served on the state wildlife commission from 2000 to 2008 and was chairman for three years, said he doesn’t know any more about exactly what was said and the context but that he doesn’t think Prenzlow could have been “inappropriate” intentionally. 

“He just had a Howard Cosell moment, a poor choice of words,” Enstrom said. “When you get that far up the food chain, there’s no room for inadvertence by anybody, poor guy. I hate to see this event define an otherwise nearly perfect and stellar career.”

Jeff Crawford, also a former wildlife commissioner who has known Prenzlow for years, said he has “never heard him utter anything like this.”

“I was shocked,” he said, adding, “I was not there in Vail, so I don’t know exactly what happened, but that’s not Dan Prenzlow.”

In a statement on Monday Gibbs said she he received “several complaints about inappropriate comments and interactions” at CPW’s Partners in Outdoors Conference in Vail, CO.  

“As the Executive Director of Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources, equitable, inclusive access for all to our programs, events, and the outdoors are a priority personally and integral to the mission and culture of DNR,” he said. “DNR has commenced a fact finding investigation to better understand what occurred and to help inform any future personnel or department actions. We will follow our processes and procedures in regards to complaints received associated with the conference.”

Meanwhile, Heather Dugan, assistant director for field services with 30 years of recreational and wildlife experience, will take over as acting director for the agency.

Reporter Scott Weiser contributed to this story.