Laura Clellan had been Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s permanent director for nine days when her commission voted to override her recommendation on the state’s most contested wildlife management question.
The commission confirmed Clellan on February 23. On March 4, she recommended denying a citizen petition to ban commercial fur sales, citing inadequate population data and existing statutory constraints. Six of ten commissioners voted to approve the petition and initiate rulemaking anyway, setting the stage for a final rule vote in May.
The fur vote was not the only unresolved furbearer question. The commission also remanded the proposed furbearer bag limit — a CPW recommendation of 15 animals per day across 17 species — back to the agency for further research. Clellan acknowledged the limit was more a human dimensions issue than a biological one and recommended additional study before the May meeting. No vote was taken.
On Senate Bill 25-003, the commission’s role was purely ministerial — setting a fee for the firearms safety record system the legislature assigned to CPW. Staff recommended $52 for a five-year eligibility record. Chair Reading told the public the commission had no authority over the bill’s merits and would only accept comment on the fee. Commissioners praised staff for managing what Commissioner Vardy called an awkward assignment, but took no action. The fee vote is scheduled for May.
The wolf program handed Clellan a separate problem. Wolf 2305 died January 28 during a routine GPS collar replacement. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent a formal letter on December 18 demanding CPW provide 30 to 60 days’ advance notice before future mortality events — a requirement staff acknowledged they could not always meet. CPW responded on January 16. USFWS had not replied as of the March 4 meeting. No new translocation is planned for this season.
A rancher-led petition seeking to pause wolf releases until November 2026 was withdrawn before the meeting. The Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association, one of 28 organizations that signed it, told commissioners Thursday the petition was moot given the absence of planned releases but said the organizations were disappointed it was never formally heard.
The governor appointed Clellan after director Jeff Davis resigned in lieu of termination following documented violations of federal wolf management requirements. Clellan’s background is in military police and federal human resources administration, not wildlife biology — a credential gap HCA documented in February.
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