The Polis administration was saved from embarrassment by members of the Senate who refused to heed the recommendation of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee regarding the confirmation of Jessica Beaulieu to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. This came to fruition after extensive lobbying at the Capitol for Beaulieu’s Senate confirmation.

The following day, the CPW Commission convened with newly confirmed Commissioners Jessica Beaulieu and Jack Murphy present and accounted for. Gary Skiba withdrew his name from consideration for confirmation.

Beaulieu performed poorly during her confirmation hearing, admitting she had to call the Department of Natural Resources to inquire who her stakeholders are so she could establish a relationship with the groups. She also admitted never owning a State Parks Pass – one of the sources of revenue for CPW – and not regularly using the parks system, which is contrary to someone tapped to represent parks utilization and recreation.

According to reporting by Marianne Goodland, Democrat Janice Marchman, who voted for Beaulieu in the Senate Ag hearing, urged Senators to confirm so as not to leave the commission with only two females. Men and women both must be qualified to serve specific positions on commissions, and Beaulieu remains unqualified for the position she has now been confirmed to serve.

Fanning the flames of distrust of the CPW, Commissioner Jay Tuchton wasted little time in making tone deaf, arrogant swipes at the two lawmakers who are doing the work of their constituents. The residents of Sen. Dylan Roberts’ and Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie’s districts are the ones who not only voted against wolf reintroduction but have also been disproportionately affected by wolves. Both lawmakers represent Jackson County, which has been ground zero for wolf depredations from naturally migrating wolves.

In response to CPW Director Jeff Davis’ refusal to remove two wolves, 2101 and 2301, that have been present for attacks on 16 head of livestock and four working dogs in Jackson County, Roberts and McCluskie sent a letter asking either for a definition of chronic depredation or an explanation as to why a definition cannot be determined.

Tutchton, a Polis appointee to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission representing Outdoor Recreation, Parks Utilization and Nonconsumptive Wildlife, with ties to Wild Earth Guardians was also the director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Tutchton began his comments addressing an earlier mention of CPW staff weighing including bison in the depredation compensation plan for wolves. Tutchton clarified that as a bison producer, he has not asked for that inclusion. As for “bison being eaten by wolves,” he said he would “actually welcome it.”

“I can’t think of anything better than a wolf and bison to be able to interact as they did for 10,000 years and see who wins,” he said. “(The wolves are) welcome to any and all of them.”

Tutchton works at the Southern Plains Land Trust which has received $1.3 million in funds from lottery proceeds via Great Outdoors Colorado alone. Based on current bison prices, that’s approximately the value of 650 head of bison on a live basis.

“I remember some whiny politicians kind of pandering to the newspapers and complaining that we needed to define chronic depredation and so I’m wondering one of two things, are we caving in to those folks who just whine, or did they have a point,” Commissioner Jay Tuchton said. “I’m not going to discount the possibility that whining and pandering politicians are occasionally making a valid point.”

He went on to ask if “we had changed our mind” or are “we just knuckling under to some political rhetoric.” Tuchton was correct that the Stakeholders Advisory Group and staff declined to put into place a hard and fast definition of chronic depredation. Of course, that was four ewes, a working dog, ten wolves, and several heifers ago.

Jeff Davis, who is well aware of CPW’s precarious position with private landowners, hunters, anglers, and the agriculture community, masked the draining of blood from his face moderately well and tried to guide the discussion away from pandering and whining.

Roberts and McCluskie asked Davis for answers about a definition of chronic depredation because that was what their constituents asked them to do. Of course, Roberts is carrying the wolverine reintroduction bill that is near and dear to Tutchton’s heart. And, because his term on the CPW Commission is nearing its end, Tutchton will soon face the committee, chaired by Roberts, of whining and pandering politicians for his own confirmation. Funny how knuckling under to political rhetoric goes around and comes around.

Rachel Gabel writes about agriculture and rural issues. She is assistant editor of The Fence Post Magazine, the region’s preeminent agriculture publication. Gabel is a daughter of the state’s oil and gas industry and a member of one of the state’s 12,000 cattle-raising families, and she has authored children’s books used in hundreds of classrooms to teach students about agriculture.