The state Senate on Tuesday approved two appointments made by Gov. Jared Polis to the state Parks and Wildlife Commission but ended the nomination of a third, who chose to withdrew from the post.

The Senate confirmed John “Jack” Murphy and Jessica Beaulieu, whose appointment came with an unfavorable recommendation from the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee.

The committee also recommended against confirming Gary Skiba, a former wildlife biologist who was appointed to represent sportspersons, primarily hunting and fishing interests. 

The relationship between the commission and sportsperson is especially crucial, since fees from hunting and fishing licenses pay for 55% of the parks and wildlife annual budget. 

Skiba’s appointment was laid over to May 9, after the session is over. Skiba withdrew his nomination late last week, after a blistering Feb. 29 hearing in which he tangled with the committee chair, Sen. Dylan Roberts of Summit County, over his support for wolf reintroduction.

Defenders of Wildlife called Skiba the author of the wolf reintroduction ballot measure in a lawsuit filed against the state of California in 2021. Skiba maintained he wasn’t a plaintiff in that lawsuit.

Beaulieu is an environmental attorney with the University of Denver’s Animal Law program, which advocates on behalf of “non-human animals.” She was appointed to the commission last July to represent the interests of state parks and outdoor recreation enthusiasts.

During her confirmation hearing on Feb. 29, Beaulieu appeared to admit she had no ties to the outdoor recreation community, instead asking the Department of Natural Resources who she should be talking to. As to her experience in state parks, she said she had never owned an annual state parks pass and had only visited a handful of Front Range state parks prior to her appointment.

The other appointees gave similar answers. 

Roberts told Colorado Politics after the hearing the three should have had experience in those areas and with those constituencies before they were appointed – not after.

Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Berthoud, who was one of three Democrats who voted for Beaulieu’s appointment in the Senate ag committee, asked the Senate to confirm the appointment, given that Beaulieu has already served on the commission for the past seven months.

As to Beaulieu’s lack of an annual state parks pass, Marchman said the appointee has a full-time job.

“Not everyone is privileged enough” to visit all the state parks, she added.

Marchman also pointed out that rejecting her appointment would leave the 11-member board with just two women. 

Sen. Perry Will, R-New Castle, who voted against Beaulieu’s appointment in the committee hearing, said he doesn’t dislike the nominees, but it’s not about liking them.

Will, a former wildlife officer with Parks and Wildlife for four decades, said he worked with Skiba during that time but wouldn’t confirm him, and said he gotten emails from CPW staff and former commissioners asking for the same. 

On Beaulieu’s nomination, he indicated her not having a parks pass is a major issue for him. He also noted she couldn’t answer how she found out about the commission opening. Beaulieu is a volunteer for an animal rescue organization that includes on its board Polis’ husband, Marlon Reis, as an honorary member. 

Hundreds of people apply for these seats, but the appointees lack involvement with the communities they are supposed to represent, he said.

“We need to make a decision” that benefits state wildlife, as well as those who enjoy the outdoors, he said. 

Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, noted he had met with Beaulieu several times, but her qualifications didn’t rise to the level that should be there. He also pointed to her advocacy for banning mountain lion hunting, which he said conflicts with the North American Model for wildlife conservation. That was on a bill she testified on in 2022 that failed on a 1-4 vote in the ag committee.

Roberts, in advocating against Beaulieu’s appointment, said, “This is a very consequential decision we’re about to make.

“They make long-lasting decisions at every meeting, outside of the purview of the legislature or even the executive branch. They have significant authority” over decisions on wildlife and hunting,” he added. 

“This doesn’t give me pleasure” to vote against this appointment, Roberts said, adding she has an impressive resume at DU’s law school but she’s not qualified for the position.

Beaulieu does not meet the statutory requirements for the appointment, Roberts also said. This seat is for parks users, who can demonstrate they regularly engage in outdoor recreation and parks, Roberts said, adding she did not demonstrate that she regularly engages in outdoor recreation or utilizes parks resources. 

The second reason for his “no” vote is her lack of pre-existing experience with relevant stakeholders who follow the commission work. She said she’s visited a few parks in the Denver metro area, and since her appointment has started visiting other parks. But prior to her appointment, she had never visited a state park outside of the Denver metro area and testified that, after she was appointed, she asked DNR who she should talk to.

She didn’t have those relationships prior to her appointment, Roberts said.

“We can do better. We can find a better nominee than Ms. Beaulieu,” the lawmaker said, adding that the department would not answer how many people applied for that position.

“We could have found a better-qualified woman for this seat,” he said. 

“CPW is hurting right now,” Roberts also said.

People are distrustful of the agency’s leadership, and appointing the right people to the commission should help rebuild that trust, he said.

The vote on Beaulieu was 19 to 15, with four Democrats – Roberts, and Sens. Rachel Zenzinger, James Coleman and Nick Hinrichsen – voting against, along with the Senate’s 11 Republicans. (One was excused for a funeral). 

Murphy, the only appointee to win a favorable recommendation from the ag committee, was confirmed on a 23-11 party-line vote.

This isn’t the first time Polis has sent appointments to the state Senate that got pushback from the chamber.

Five years ago, Senate confirmation of three appointees to the state fair board sat on the Senate calendar until the last day of the session. Opponents had the votes to reject all three nominations. As a result, then-Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg refused to bring the nominations up for a vote.

The three were never confirmed by the Senate, whose objections had to do with lack of representation on the fair board for the Eastern Plains, which includes the top 10 agriculture-producing counties in Colorado.