Valley fish and game advisory panel seats new members

WASILLA — Five men were elected to three open seats and two alternate positions on the Matanuska Valley Fish and Game Advisory Committee Wednesday in front of a crowd of around 50 at the Wasilla High School theater.

Elected to the open seats on the committee were Wasilla residents Chad Lipse, Chris Watchus and Herb Mansavage, while Darren Spano and Bob Marshall were selected as alternates to the 15-member board.

The election coincided with a regularly scheduled meeting of the advisory committee, which is slated to meet again in October after taking a break for the summer. Areas of jurisdiction for the committee are game management units 13, 14 and 15 as well as Cook Inlet and Resurrection Bay fisheries.

Wednesday’s election filled seats created by the resignations of Dan Montgomery, Israel Payton, Jeff Tuttle and alternate Joe Cizek. Advisory committees are allowed two alternates.

Montgomery, a hunting guide, was the vice chair of game on the committee. Payton was nominated in February by Gov. Bill Walker to fill a position on the Board of Fisheries.

Nine people were nominated for the spots. Board chair Jehnifer Ehmann said the turnout for the elections as well as the crowd in attendance was a good sign.

“It was good to see the participation,” Ehmann said. “It’s encouraging to see people getting involved and coming out to see what the advisory committee is doing.”

Nominations came from the floor as well as from the committee itself. Other nominees included Judy Vanderwilt, Trevor Rollman, Gary Watson and Tor Anderzen, who was unable to attend. Each candidate offered brief remarks about their interest in serving on the advisory committee and their fish and game user group affiliations. They also took questions from the audience.

The top vote recipient was Lipse, who owns Lipservice Fishing Charters, a guide service he started four years ago. Later in the evening he was selected as the vice chair of fish in a vote of the committee.

“I grew up here,” Lipse said, “and I want to be able to sustain what we have for kids and others here in the Valley.”

Mansavage, a lifelong Valley resident who works with youth shooting programs, said his interest in the advisory committee was stirred in the state board of game’s proposition 207, a rule prohibiting hunters from using airplanes to search for sheep in the state. The measure was widely opposed by hunters, most of the state’s advisory committees and an aircraft owners’ group, which lobbied for the removal of the rule ahead of the March board of game meeting in Fairbanks. The board voted 4-3 to reject a proposal to rescind the rule.

“Proposition 207 motivated me,” Mansavage said. “The rule was overwhelmingly opposed by so many, and I testified against it. I want to be here to represent the residents.”

Watchus, a former 17-year member of the Wasilla Police Department who is active in the Alaska Waterfowl Association, said stepping up to seek a community-oriented position was important.

“You hear a lot of people complain about things, but they aren’t willing to do anything about it,” he said. “I want to try.”

In other board appointments, chair Ehmann retained her position, as did secretary Andy Couch. Current committee member Herman Griese was named as the new vice chair of game.

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com