Gov. Jared Polis’s latest appointments to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission have drawn quick scrutiny, with one nominee criticized as a political insider and the other dismissed by longtime outfitters as an unknown in the industry she’s slated to represent.

Polis said the nominations will help “bring down the temperature and move away from any politicization of this board.”

Polis named John Emerick of Redstone to an at-large seat, replacing Karen Bailey of Denver, who served one term.

According to the Polis administration, Emerick is a retired professor of environmental biology and “a leading voice in stream, riparian, and wetland ecology.” Emerick has authored books on Colorado’s ecosystems and “founded multiple watershed health and restoration efforts in the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys,” the administration said. 

Emerick has chaired the Crystal River Caucus and is a board member for conservation organizations, such as the Wilderness Workshop.

“His appointment brings a science-based approach rooted in decades of field research, education, and community partnership,” the administration said.

Emerick is also the current treasurer of Colorado Wild, one of the state’s wolf advocacy groups. He is also tied to the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, the main backer of Proposition 114, which led efforts to bring the state’s wolf reintroduction program through a ballot initiative in 2024.

The president of Colorado Wild is Emerick’s partner, Delia Malone, who is also the wildlife chair for the Colorado Sierra Club and a frequent attendee at Colorado Parks and Wildlife commission meetings, where she advocates for wolves and against hunting.

Frances Silva Blayney of Colorado Springs was nominated to represent the outfitting industry.

Long-time outfitters, including the president of the state outfitting association, said they have no idea who she is.

Silva Blayney replaces Marie Haskett, a third-generation outfitter who served two terms on the commission. Haskett was lauded in her final commission meeting for her advocacy for Western Slope outfitters and ranchers.

The governor’s news release said Silva Blayney is “a professional fly-fishing outfitter, small business owner, and longtime public lands advocate.”

The office said she co-owns Canopy Fly Fishing, the “only mother-daughter outfitting business in Colorado, where she helps clients of all ages and skill levels connect to the state’s rivers and wildlife.”

The administration said she is recognized leader in the outdoor community and listed the organizations she’s involved in: co-chair of Wild Watershed Broads and an active volunteer in CPW’s River Watch Program. She has held leadership positions with the Colorado Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited, and several local environmental and water protection initiatives, the administration said. 

“Silva Blayney brings to the Commission firsthand knowledge of public land use, deep experience working with Colorado’s outfitting and angling communities, and a passion for protecting ecosystems while maintaining access for sustainable recreation,” the administration added. 

The statement included an endorsement from Barb Luneau of Colorado Trout Unlimited, which called Silva Blayney “a thoughtful and energetic leader in Colorado’s fly fishing and conservation communities. Her deep connection to rivers, wildlife, and public lands will be a tremendous asset to the Commission.”

Silvia Blayney’s flyfishing company, Canopy, was registered with the Secretary of State on May 30, 2023. Outfitters are required to be registered with the Department of Regulatory Agencies, which Silvia Blayney obtained on April 1, 2025. That registration is required before an outfitter can obtain a river access permit.

Her website shows that she takes clients on flyfishing tours twice a month. She held no tours after June 7 and before July 19, considered to be peak flyfishing season in Colorado. Silvia Blayney told Colorado Politics she is out of the country on a fishing trip.

Silvia Blayney declined to answer questions about why she’s unknown in the outfitting community or how she intends to represent outfitters, given her company’s short history.

A statement provided by CPW on Silvia Blayney’s behalf said, “I’m really proud of the work I’ve done to build Canopy Fly Fishing and of the perspective I bring to this role. We’re a small, woman-owned outfitting business rooted in fly fishing and conservation. We guide on private water through landowner relationships and business memberships.”

She added: “We’ve tried to get additional public water permits, but there are moratoriums and caps that make it nearly impossible for new guides to break in. That is just the reality, and it is one I think more people need to be talking about.”

Some said Silvia Blayney is better known for her “super volunteer” activism with the Colorado Sierra Club, including serving on a council that advises the club’s board members. Her LinkedIn profile notes she is an “experienced activist with a demonstrated history of working for environmental and education non-profit organizations” and a “skilled outdoor enthusiast with emphasis on fly fishing and outdoor recreation.”

This is an attempt to “plant” a Sierra Club member on the commission, one outfitter said.

Jennifer Burbey, president of the Colorado Outfitters Association and an outfitter in Colorado for 37 years, told Colorado Politics she doesn’t know Silvia Blayney but “I look forward to meeting her and creating a relationship, since she is now our only rep on the commission.”

She’s a “full unknown,” Burbey said. “She’s willing to serve, and that’s worth a positive note; it’s a difficult job. Because she’s new to the outfitting industry, she will learn a lot.”

Lani Kitching, who also has decades of experience in outfitting and the flyfishing area, said she also doesn’t know anything about Silvia Blayney. She questioned, as have others, whether Blayney has obtained any river access permits, which are granted to outfitters by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. Kitching, who is on the Western Slope, said Silvia Blayney is outside of her geographic area, “and because she’s new to the industry, I don’t expect anyone in my peer group to know who she is.”

Justin Nolan of Minturn Anglers said, “We look forward to newcomers in the business, but I’m surprised someone this green hasn’t reached out to the flyfishing community.”

“I look forward to working with her and being a resource,” added Nolan, who also questioned whether she can represent guides and outfitters, given her limited experience.

Flyfishing outfitters on the Front Range usually obtain permits from Denver Water, and Nolan was part of a Denver Water meeting with stakeholders on how to welcome smaller new businesses while protecting outfits, like his, with larger numbers of employees.

Nolan said Silva Blayney wasn’t there.

Silva Blayney said she holds two permits with Denver Water, for fishing at Antero Reservoir in Park County and Williams Fork in Grand County.

“There’s a waiting list for permits with Denver Water,” Nolan said, a list that isn’t likely to budge until 2027.

“As a flyfishing outfitter, the first thing anyone will tell you is to have your permits in order,” Nolan added.