New CPW commissioners appointed
Colorado
Denver - Governor Jared Polis appointed by executive order Eden Vardy of Aspen, Richard Reading of Denver, and Gabriel Otero of Fruita to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission on July 1, 2022. They serve terms that expire on July 1, 2026.
Vardy was reappointed to serve as a representative of production agriculture and a member west of the Continental Divide. He is the founder and executive director of The Farm Collaborative, a farm and nonprofit that connects children and the community to nature and their food sources, and engages the next generation to become the farmers of tomorrow.
Reading was appointed to serve as a representative of the public at large. He is the Vice President for Science and Conservation for the Butterfly Pavilion, the first stand-alone nonprofit insect zoo in the United States, where he oversees the Research and Conservation, Curatorial, and Horticulture departments.
Otero was appointed to serve as a representative of sportspersons and a member west of the Continental Divide. He is the Senior Campaign Specialist for the Wilderness Society, a nonprofit land conservation organization dedicated to protecting natural areas and federal public lands in the United States, where he develops and implements National Monument and Wildlife Refuge campaigns.
Reading and Otero replace commissioners Charles Garcia and Luke Schafer, who attended their last Commission meeting in Buena Vista in June. At the meeting, CPW Acting Director Heather Dugan expressed gratitude for the outgoing commissioners.
“I appreciate the perspectives you both brought which allowed me to look at things through your lens and see where you were coming from,” Dugan said. “Both of you have made CPW better and added to our history and I want to thank you for your service.”
The CPW Commission is a citizen board, composed of 11 governor-appointed members which sets regulations and policies for Colorado’s state parks and wildlife programs. For more information on the CPW Commission and existing members,
Richard Reading, Ph.D. is Vice President of Science & Conservation Butterfly Pavilion. He serves as an Adjunct Professor within the Department of Biology at the University of Denver; Affiliate Faculty with the Department of Agricultural Science and Pest Management at Colorado State University; and a Fellow with the University of Nebraska’s Center for Great Plains Studies. Dr. Reading received a Ph.D. and three Master’s degrees from Yale University in Wildlife Ecology and Human Dimensions of Wildlife and an Honorary Doctorate from the National Education University of Mongolia. In 2020, Rich was honored to receive the Order of the Polar Star, the highest honor from the Mongolian National Government for expatriates, for contributions to conservation. He has conducted or overseen projects in dozens of countries, working primarily on grassland and arid ecosystems on six continents, with a focus on the Great Plains of N. America, the steppes and deserts of Mongolia, the savannahs and deserts of Botswana, and the Altiplano of Peru. His work focuses on developing pragmatic, effective, and interdisciplinary approaches to the conservation of wildlife and protected areas through research, capacity development, and working with local people and governments. Dr. Reading serves on the boards of directors or advisors for several non-profit organizations in the U.S. and overseas; serves as an associate editor for 5 scientific journals; has published over 230 scientific papers and book chapters; written dozens of popular articles; and written or edited 8 books.
Gabriel Otero is The Wilderness Society's Senior Campaign Specialist Before joining TWS, Gabriel worked on Congressional and Senatorial campaigns. He also worked for five years in the oil and gas energy sector. Gabriel received his BA in Political Science from Colorado Mesa University. At TWS, Gabriel works on oil and gas development, land management plans, conservation designations, defending National Monuments and bedrock conservation laws across the Colorado Plateau.
Gabriel, a Colorado native, loves hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and spending time with family.
Good, maybe we can go back to science based biology rather than the ballot box stuff...
Ballot box management will always rule in blue referendum states like Colorado. "Citizen wildlife management"
The CPW has no control over ballot box biology/management prior to the vote. Their hands are tied, they can not comment, but then they have to deal with the mess, Wolf reintroduction is a great example, along with the loss of Spring Bear hunting and then what issues might be on the horizon. I believe the CPW does use science based biology, but the ballot box can trump that. Did I say Trump? Make Colorado great again!
Why would you say good wooby? Reading is a huge anti hunter and wolf lover.
