Two days after a Senate committee voted against confirming two of Gov. Jared Polis’ appointees to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, both men withdrew their nominations.

The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee earlier rejected John Emerick on a 2–5 vote and Christopher Sichko, 3–4.

Their nominations — along with that of a third nominee, Francis Blayney — were scheduled for a full Senate vote on Friday. The Senate approved Blayney’s nomination, while the vote on Emerick and Sichko was laid over until May 14, the day after the session ends.

Even if a committee rejects a nominee, the full Senate still holds the final say on gubernatorial appointments.

The Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee has voted down Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission nominees in the past, but the full Senate ultimately confirmed several of them.

Blayney, nominated to represent outfitters, received unanimous support from the committee in a 7–0 vote. Her nomination was then placed on the Senate’s consent calendar, indicating the committee expected it to get the chamber’s approval without debate.

While she was unknown in the outfitting community when she was nominated last July, Blayney had impressed the committee on Wednesday with her efforts to listen to outfitters. She also said she supports policies that value hunting and angling.

“Legal managed hunting is conservation,” she told the panel.

Blayney, who has run a flyfishing company with her daughter for three years, also spoke in strong support of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, saying it has brought the country and the “overexploitation of wildlife to a place of abundance.” She said it provides guidelines for thoughtful wildlife management.

The story was different for Emerick and Sichko.

Sichko said one of his goals is to rebuild trust between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the community he seeks to represent, a relationship damaged by the agency’s much-criticized wolf reintroduction program.

Sichko, who spent four years as an economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said he understands the importance of Colorado agriculture to the state’s prosperity and of private lands for wildlife management.

“I believe in hunting and fishing as conservation tools and will defer to CPW staff expertise and recommendations,” Sichko told the committee.

Sen. Dylan Roberts, the Frisco Democrat who chais the committee, told Emerick he is neither qualified nor prepared to serve on the commission.

He told Sichko he would have been better suited for the at-large seat, given his lack of experience in big-game hunting and his lack of understanding that big-game hunting funds the agency.

Emerick was nominated to an at-large seat on the commission. He is the former treasurer of Colorado Wild, a pro-wolf organization founded by his partner, Delia Malone. A Republican and resident of the Western Slope, he had spent two decades teaching at the Colorado School of Mines and has authored books on natural history.

Roberts said during Wednesday’s committee hearing that the at-large seat carries a special responsibility to move the commission forward by recognizing that Colorado is very diverse, with many points of view on wildlife management.

“I am concerned and have become more concerned after today’s hearing that you are not prepared to represent the at-large point of view on the commission,” Roberts told Emerick.

Sichko was selected to represent sportsmen and women, a seat that includes representing big game hunters. Sichko has held only a small-game hunting license since 2021 and has never hunted big game, which was a strike against him in the committee’s view.

Roberts told Colorado Politics that, while he respects both Sichko and Emerick’s desire to serve the state, “I believe their decisions to withdraw their nominations to the CPW Commission was a right one.”

The confirmation hearing Wednesday “made clear that they were not aligned with the mainstream of Colorado on these matters and their likely disapproval by the full Senate further reflects that,” Roberts said.

For the full Senate vote, two Democratic senators who were likely to support Sichko and Emerick’s nominations were absent Friday, reducing the pair’s chances of securing the chamber’s approval.

The committee learned Wednesday that at least 12 other people with big-game hunting experience had applied for the seat Sichko was nominated for.

Those appointments would have helped restore public trust in the commission, Roberts added, suggesting Polis should go back to that list to fill those positions.

The governor’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment.

John Howard, a member of the Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project and a former CPW commissioner, told Colorado Politics that the withdrawals were disappointing for sportsmen and women. He said he appreciated the nominees’ willingness to serve and noted that it can be a real sacrifice to go through the process only to be turned away.

However, he said the governor has stretched the limits of state law that outlines the qualifications required for commission seats. Howard said groups like his currently have no representation on a commission that has traditionally included voices from established conservation organizations.

“I appreciate the legislature stepping in and restoring some balance,” Howard said.

Gaspar Perricone, who also represents Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project, told Colorado Politics the group appreciates the Senate’s leadership in seeking to restore balance and experience to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. 

“This outcome is a step towards restoring trust that the agency will be able to continue to advance science-based wildlife management,” Perricone said.