Call it a misdirection move or a pincer attack. Activists are coordinating a two-front strategy right out the animal rights 101 playbook. As the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission left Coloradans scratching their heads by their actions during an “embarrassing” two-day meeting in Westminster, four legislators at the Capitol 13 miles away, and backed by a consortium of eight anti-hunting environmentalist groups, introduced a bill to ban taking beavers on public lands.

Masked by a title of Wildfire Resiliency Prohibiting Taking of Beavers, the bill highlights terms like “drought resilience,” “high-intensity wildfires” and “recovery costs.” Environmentalists take it even further with a bury-the-lead, smoke-and-mirrors approach with arguments that sound like support for forest management reform rather than a hunting and trapping ban.

“Colorado is in a crisis. We have had increasing wildfires. We are in drought conditions. We have a historically low snowpack. And we need every ally we can get in this fight against increased wildfires and drought,” Samantha Miller, a wildlife advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity of the consortium, told the Colorado Sun. “As we know, Colorado is also in a budget crisis. We can have more beavers for free. They make fires harder to ignite and slower to spread.”

Extremists also made unsubstantiated claims that the state’s beaver population is “unstable” and “struggling.”

“There are no furbearer populations that are biologically threatened, that we have any evidence are in peril and in decline right now,” said Mark Vieiera, CPW carnivore and furbearer program manager, after giving a detailed presentation about furbearers at the commission meeting.

Just one month earlier, CPW released a beaver and conservation strategy, which was the product of a multi-year, stakeholder-driven process that included public comment, focus groups, technical partners and a commission presentation aimed at building a science-based framework for species management. CPW’s data places the annual statewide harvest at 1,100 to 1,600 animals or roughly 2 to 4 percent of an estimated population of 43,000 to 64,000 beavers.

Trapping in Colorado is already highly restricted with traditional snares, foothold and body-gripping traps prohibited. Cage traps are the only remaining method, and as a result the catch rate is very low, which means that hunter and trapper harvest are below impactful levels already.

Commissioners debated a petition from the aforementioned Miller at the meeting. CPW’s director earlier offered a five-page recommendation from her agency to reject the petition. Following more than five hours of public comment, debate and discussion, the commission went through a confusing motion process.

While discussing four different action items that included an explanation to commissioners about the difference between bag limits, possession limits and total harvest, the lines became more and more blurry. Commissioner Jay Tutchton asked multiple questions about bag limits while emphasizing “social science,” or his desire to discuss human behavior, public perception and tolerance.

CPW Commission members meeting in Westminster

“With all due respect for my fellow commissioners…I think this discussion (about furbearer bag limits) is going to direct how they feel about the (furbearer petition),” warned Commissioner Dallas May. “As a commissioner, I have a duty to work for the citizens of the state. I won’t impose my will on the state of Colorado. I bring my experience to this discussion but I have to take it lightly from what I’m hearing from our professional biologists.”

“We continually say that we’re a science-based agency and we need to make these decisions by science,” said Commissioner Tai Jacober. “It’s really important that we represent the people. I just want to caution us on relying on social science that is somewhat contrary to what we try to say every time in these meetings is that we’re a science-based agency.”

After more back-and-forth discussion, Commissioner Jessica Beaulieu presented a lengthy, rambling motion which commissioners Beaulieu, John Emerick, Jack Murphy, Rich Reading, Jay Tutchton and Eden Vardy approved. Jacober, May, Frances Silva Blayney and Gabe Otero opposed.

The following morning, when the commission meeting resumed, confusion remained about what exactly the previous day’s vote entailed. The group went into executive session, reconvened, played part of Beaulieu’s motion from the prior day and reopened the issue to public comment from both sides.

“Wow, that’s the only word I can think of to say about yesterday. It was also embarrassing today,” said former CPW commissioner Marie Haskett, as reported by the Colorado Sun. “You added to confusion around the motion, so you go behind closed doors to figure out what happened. Where’s the transparency?”

“I’ve seen better demonstrations of parliamentary procedure and objectivity in the average 4-H meeting,” said rancher Han Smith, also reported by the Colorado Sun. “Your actions and behavior yesterday did more to destroy trust than any single action in the history of the CPW or this commission.” 

During the lunch break, with questions still lingering, CPW distributed a news release in which Director Laura Clellan said the vote did not mean the entire petition was approved and that CPW staff would draft a proposed rule to initiate the rulemaking process.

Post-meeting media coverage directed critical comments at the commission and procedure.

“Either Samantha Miller is lying, or Governor Jared Polis is,” said reporter Rachel Gabel of the Colorado Springs Gazette. “If Miller is lying, she is so secure in the red carpet rolled out for animal activists by this administration that she is willing to put words in the governor’s mouth. If Polis is lying, the deck is stacked against his own agencies and their expertise is worthless. No matter the truth, the governor has a problem on his hands. His CPW Commission, filled with his own appointees who make no attempt to mask their intentions, ignored CPW staff, attorneys, stakeholders, and even his brand-new director, and jumped into chaos in the name of ideology.”

Gabel is referring to an earlier online video of Miller using the governor’s name to call on activist forces to rally and appear at the commission meeting.

According to Gabel, “This is a big problem for the governor’s office because CPW is a Type 1 agency, which means that the governor is limited to budget management functions, and not rule-making, regulation, licensing, and general political interference.”

Gabel also pointed out the petition conflicts with state agricultural statute.

The Colorado Sun quoted a retired game warden saying he had “never seen a more dysfunctional running of a meeting,” adding that it was “incredibly out of control.”  

The Fence Post, which reports on Colorado agricultural news and information, put two and two together in its post, “Animal activists won’t stop at fur bans.”

“If you are a hunter or fisherman you may feel like people are coming for you. Many of the people who spoke at this hearing were worried that the ban on fur sales would lead to bans on other hunting, trapping and fishing activities in the state. These people are right and once animal activists get a foot in the door, which they have already accomplished with the wolf “reintroduction,” they will continue to erode the rights of hunters and anglers. From there they will come for the food we eat. So if you like eating steak, shrimp, eggs and other animal-based food you will be out of luck.”

It should be noted that the environmentalist petition that went before the CPW Commission did not ask to end furbearer trapping. In fact, proponents used those same words several times during both public comment and to the media afterwards. Yet, that is their game plan since that is exactly what happened on the same day, at the same time, at the state legislature just across town.

The commission is a citizen board, appointed by the governor, which sets regulations and policies for Colorado’s state parks and wildlife programs. Several stand out because of their anti-hunting and animal rights backgrounds. Beaulieu was a fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity while Tutchton was general counsel for WildEarth Guardians, another anti-hunting extremist group. A 2024 law stipulates that commissioners are required to hold two public meetings per year to engage fellow residents. Before the dust settled from the commission meeting, Tutchton, who “proudly represents your voice,” held one in Denver with little public notice or exposure. Where did it take place? At the governor’s mansion.

For the record, the rulemaking linked to the petition is supposed to take place in “the coming months.” The commission’s next meeting is May 6-7 in Grand Junction some 250 miles from the governor’s mansion. Deception or confusion aside, you can expect a large contingency of hunters, ranchers, outdoorsmen and women to again be there to fight for and defend their way of life.

About Hunt 2 Conserve

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.

(Photo credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)