Facing escalating threats from climate change, habitat destruction and species extinction, Colorado’s rich natural heritage hangs in the balance – but the recent appointment of three new CPW commissioners offers hope for safeguarding wildlife and the outdoors for all.

The recent appointments have led to complaints from some sportsmen that Gov. Jared Polis is expanding on the traditional model of appointees representing narrowly defined special interests on the commission. In fact, with these appointments, he is showing that qualified commissioners, fit for purpose in the 21st century of climate change and species extinction, don’t always fit neatly into preconceived notions of what it means to be a sportsman or sportswoman. And it’s about time.

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Under the Public Trust Doctrine – the cornerstone of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation – states have a duty to protect and manage all the wildlife within their boundaries, other than migratory birds, marine mammals and endangered species, which are managed by the federal government. But the historical leadership at CPW, including its commissioners, have not chosen to exercise this trust responsibility in a way that benefits all species.

Colorado is home to about 960 species of wildlife. About 50 of these species, like elk and deer, are hunted and produce revenue through the sale of hunting licenses. Their management takes up the vast majority of CPW staff time and financial resources. That leaves 910 species that collectively need far more attention, including 159 species that have declined to the point where they have been listed in the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. 

To be fair to the state wildlife agencies nationwide, they recognize the need to commit more resources to conserving non-game species. They have worked hard with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to introduce the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), which will provide Colorado with about $27 million annually to recover the 159 SWAP species. But money alone won’t solve our wildlife management challenges. Too many species in Colorado and around the country are managed by state wildlife agencies in ways that ignore their scientifically documented conservation needs because politicians, state wildlife agency leaders and wildlife commissioners too often have been more concerned about upsetting special interests than doing what is best for the wildlife resource. 

To address this problem, state wildlife agencies like CPW need commissioners knowledgeable enough to challenge the agency’s time-worn assumptions about wildlife management. These three new appointments represent a crucial step towards a science-based, collaborative approach that people across Colorado demand. Public opinion research, like the bipartisan Colorado Rockies Conservation West Poll, demonstrates nine out of 10 Colorado voters prioritize and support wildlife conservation and habitat protection. Gov. Polis recognizes what voters want leadership ready to confront 21st century realities that will honor and safeguard both the big game hunting tradition and the diversity and beauty of Colorado’s wildlife and nature.

CPW has a new director who by all indications understands these challenges and is prepared to take them on. But he needs commissioners who understand the impacts of climate change and habitat fragmentation on individual species and their habitat as well as entire ecosystems, and how to invest in land conservation and science-based wildlife management in ways that will help ensure long-term ecological resilience.

The resistance to these three new CPW commissioners is born of a sentimental attachment to a familiar system. But as we look to the future, Coloradans have an important choice to make. We can object to new CPW commissioners simply because they don’t fit the tired old model of men and women with narrow, conservative perspectives that are heavily skewed toward managing the killing of a relatively small number of game species at the expense of the needs of all the other wildlife. Or we can recognize that change is now essential to nurture our wildlife through this century.

Historian Steven Ambrose once said: “In the 19th century, we devoted our best minds to exploring nature. In the 20th century, we devoted ourselves to controlling and harnessing it. In the 21st century, we must devote ourselves to restoring it.”

With these commissioners, traditional hunting and fishing will continue to thrive in Colorado. Moreover, every parent in this state who wants their children and grandchildren to enjoy the wildlife of Colorado should be grateful Gov. Polis has the courage to seek more thoughtful, effective, science-based state wildlife management that will focus on restoring all of our state’s wildlife and the habitat they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Eric Washburn is a fifth-generation Coloradan and big game hunter who lives in Steamboat Springs.