Colorado 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 earlier this month. 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.

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, visit cpw.state.co.us.