Colorado Desk - Governor Polis Appoints Three New Members to Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, Reappoints Two

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DENVER - Today, Governor Polis made three new appointments and two reappointments to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. The appointments include an active big game hunter and veterinarian, a globally recognized outdoor industry leader and West Slope rancher, and a nationally recognized conservation social scientist. With these appointments, all three of the Commission members engaged in production agriculture are now members with active ranching operations, and the Commission now includes three sportspersons who are active big game hunters from Western Colorado.

"Colorado's parks and wildlife deserve commissioners who bring real, lived experience to this work," said Governor Jared Polis. "In this round of appointments and reappointments alone, two active big game hunters from Western Colorado are joining or returning to the Commission, joining yet another active big game hunter already serving, and now across the full Commission, every production agriculture seat is held by a rancher with working cattle on the land. These are Coloradans who hunt, ranch, and have dedicated their careers to understanding how people and wildlife thrive together. I am also deeply grateful to Commissioner Eden Vardy for his eight years of outstanding service representing Western Slope agriculture on this Commission."

Dr. Peter J. Maguire of Grand Junction appointed to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for a term expiring July 1, 2027 An active big and small game hunter and angler, Dr. Maguire has held Colorado hunting and fishing licenses for many years. He began hunting during veterinary school in the 90s and has pursued big and small game annually ever since. Dr. Maguire primarily hunts elk, while also enjoying mule deer, pheasant and blue grouse hunting. Having hunted and fished throughout Colorado, he has spent significant time recreating on the Grand Mesa and brings a deep appreciation of outdoor traditions. He is a board-certified veterinary neurologist with more than 25 years of clinical experience and founder of SpecialtyVetCare, LLC, providing advanced neurological and neurosurgical referral services across Western Colorado. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Science in Veterinary Clinical Sciences from Colorado State University, where he also completed a neurology residency and served as an assistant professor. Dr. Maguire has practiced veterinary medicine for nearly 25 years and has lived in Western Colorado for almost 2 decades.

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Dr. Rebecca Niemiec of Fort Collins appointed to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for a term expiring July 1, 2029 Dr. Niemiec is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University's Warner College of Natural Resources, where she founded and co-directs the Animal-Human Policy Center, a policy research center focused on the social science of human-animal relations. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. Her research on public perspectives on wildlife management, human-wildlife coexistence, and conservation policy has resulted in more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and over $2.5 million in grant funding. She previously served in the Colorado Department of Agriculture as Manager of the Bureau of Animal Protection. Dr. Niemiec has visited state parks all around Colorado, as she enjoys backpacking, mountain biking, backcountry skiing, rock climbing and trail running and will serve as a member at-large.

Johnny Le Coq of Silverthorne appointed to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission effective July 2, 2026 for a term expiring July 1, 2030 Le Coq is a longtime West Slope landowner whose family property encompasses more than 400 acres of grazing land. The ranch had been stewarded for generations, remains protected under a conservation easement held by American Farmland Trust, and supports ongoing agricultural use. He is also the founder of Fishpond, one of the world's most respected fly fishing and outdoor gear brands and a Certified B Corporation, and previously founded Case Logic, a now leading global brand of photo and storage accessories. Le Coq serves on the Board of Directors of Woodwell Climate Research Center and the Board of Trustees of the Nature Conservancy, and is co-founder of Science on the Fly, which uses citizen science to collect river water data that informs climate and research policy.

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Gabriel Otero of Fruita reappointed to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for a term expiring July 1, 2030 Otero's family has been big game hunting in Colorado since before it was a state. A fourth generation Coloradan of Chicano heritage, his family has called Western Colorado and Northern New Mexico home since 1819, and hunting and ranching have been part of that heritage ever since. Otero has hunted big game annually with his family since childhood and is a lifelong angler. He brings over 18 years of professional experience in energy development and public lands conservation, including his current role as Senior Campaign Representative for The Wilderness Society. Hispanic and Latino hunters represent just three percent of all hunters nationally, making Otero's voice on the Commission both distinctive and important. Otero currently serves as Vice Chair of the Commission.

Dr. Richard Reading of Denver reappointed to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for a term expiring July 1, 2030 Dr. Reading recently retired as Vice President for Science and Conservation at Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. He holds a Ph.D. and three Master's degrees in Wildlife Ecology and the Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management from Yale University and previously spent 19 years at Denver Zoo founding and leading its conservation biology program. He also holds affiliate faculty positions at Colorado State University and the University of Denver. A lifelong outdoor recreationist, Dr. Reading regularly visits Barr Lake, St. Vrain and Chatfield for hiking and mountain biking. Dr. Reading will continue to serve as a member at-large.

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