The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will have two new members when it meets in Wenatchee later this month.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Steve Parker and Woodrow “Woody” Myers Jr. on Wednesday to serve on the nine-member committee that sets fish and wildlife policy for the state and oversees the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Inslee also reappointed commission chairperson Barbara Baker, of Olympia, to a second term.

Both of the new commissioners are retired biologists with extensive experience managing fish and wildlife. Parker, appointed to represent the eastern part of the state, spent much of his 37-year career working for the Yakama Nation as a fisheries biologist. He lives in Yakima County.

“I am excited to serve in this position,” Parker said in a news release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “I’ve devoted my professional career to fish and wildlife conservation and it is an honor to continue to do so in this new role and apply my experience to new issues.”

Myers, of Spokane, will fill an at-large seat on the commission. He worked as an ungulate researcher biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for four decades.

“The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is a pivotal player in activities that affect the quality of life of Washingtonians,” Myers said in the news release. “It is truly a privilege to be appointed, and I am eager to get started on the critical work of the Commission. I look forward to furthering the use of science to set policy directing fish and wildlife management in our state.”

They replace Kim Thorburn, of Spokane, who Inslee passed over for a second term, and Don McIsaac, who resigned at the end of last year.

Parker and Myers will join what has been at times a sharply divided commission that has seen acrimonious battles over predator hunting. Thorburn and McIsaac were part of a four-member minority who fought but ultimately lost a yearlong battle to retain the state’s limited spring black bear hunt.

Thorburn, who publicly criticized Inslee, knew she was unlikely to be reappointed. She has mixed feelings about ending her time on the commission.

“It’s just been a really, really tremendous honor to serve in this way,” she told the Tribune in a phone interview.

But she called the past two years challenging. Though not a hunter herself, Thorburn aligned with hunters, many of whom feel the majority of commissioners don’t support the activity nor appreciate its rich history of conservation. She was saddened by the decision to end spring bear hunting, saying the hunt was biologically justified but torpedoed by those who opposed it for other reasons.

“Banning something when we know the resource can support it, that is bigotry to me.”

Commission watchers gave Inslee mixed marks for his choices. Mark Pidgeon, president of the Hunter Heritage Council, praised Parker but declined to comment on Myers.

“I think Steven Parker is an outstanding choice,” he said. “I think Steve is super intelligent, and highly educated.”

Pigeon also serves as president of Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation. The group has threatened to sue Inslee for failing to maintain a balance of perspectives on the commission. In particular, the organization feels the commission has too few members who support hunting. Pidgeon said the new appointments did nothing to restore balance.

“It doesn’t change the fact that the animal rights slash radical environmentalists community have total control of that commission.”

Samantha Bruegger, executive director of Washington Wildlife First, a group that opposed the spring bear hunt and is working to reform the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said she appreciates the new commissioners’ depth of experience.

“We are hopeful the new appointees will allow the commission to break through the gridlock they have experienced at recent meetings and move forward with important issues like the conservation policy.”

Dan Wilson, co-chairperson of the Washington Chapter of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said Parker and Myers are a “step toward commission balance and sound management.”

“We thank the Governor and his staff for the opportunity to provide feedback and for making educated decisions that reflect a shared respect for due process, best available science, and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.”

The commission will next meet March 16-18 in Wenatchee. An agenda for that meeting has not yet been posted.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.