WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- David Jennings, billed as a birder, scuba diver and environmental advocate when appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire in 2009, apparently has been removed from the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for lack of confirmation by the state Legislature.

"For the sportsmen of Washington, Jennings was too much of a polarizing figure, and we don’t need that on the Fish and Wildlife Commission,” Sen. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, is quoted as saying in a report by Northwest Sportsman magazine.

Pearson is chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which holds confirmation hearings on commission appointments. The committee apparently has let Jenning's confirmation die without a recommendation.

Polarized groups have lobbied senators to deny and approve Jennings' nomination.

As of this morning on the commission website, Jennings continues to be listed as a member of the nine-person citizen panel that sets policy for Washington fish and wildlife management. His term was supposed to run through 2014. The commisison office has not responded to a request on Jennings' status.

His commission bio says:

David has a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources in Wildlife Management and a Masters of Public Health in Biostatistics. He works as an Environmental Public Health professional.

David volunteers with a number of conservation organizations including Black Hills Audubon Society and the Gifford Pinchot Task Force. He has served on several state and federal advisory boards addressing wildlife and habitat issues, including WDFW’s Wildlife Diversity Advisory Council, the U.S. Forest Service’s Southwest Washington Provincial Advisory Council, and the North Gifford Pinchot Resource Advisory Committee.

David is an avid birder, wildlife watcher, and scuba diver. He is a member of REEF’s Pacific Northwest Advanced Assessment Team and helps conduct underwater surveys of marine fish and invertebrates from the Salish Sea down to Monterey Bay. David lives in Olympia with his wife, Jan.