Congratulations to both Dave Sass and Les Kipper for their recent appointment to the Columbia River Recreational Fishing Advisory Group. Both Kipper and Sass applied in mid-November 2023. The announcement was received in late December. Each had strong letters of recommendations from various members of their respective communities.
Sass will represent Zone 3 and Kipper will represent Zone 6 on the advisory group. Their three-year term begins in January and ends December 2026.
“This is just another example of our members stepping up to volunteer their time and talents to help bring about change to our valued resources in the state of Oregon,” says CCA Oregon President Jack Smith. “Our organization is not only proud of their dedication, but thankful that we have two CCA members on the advisory group.”
In 2007 Sass was a founding member of the Columbia County Chapter. He currently serves as the chapter president and has served as vice president from 2009 to 2017. Dave is a small business owner with vast experience fishing the Columbia River. He is also a member of CCA Oregon’s state board.
A member of CCA Oregon’s Government Relations Committee and the Columbia River Gorge chapter, Kipper served the state of Oregon for 31 years in law enforcement; 27 of those years with the Oregon State Police (OSP) where he spent a few years as a fish and game officer and supervisor. Kipper retired as a lieutenant of The Dalles post. During his time with OSP, and since his retirement, Kipper gained a large amount of experience working with other state agencies including the tribes. Kipper is also a CCA Oregon state board member.
The purpose of the Advisory Group is to provide input to ODFW and WDFW staff regarding the development and implementation of recreational salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon fisheries in the Columbia River within the various management constraints (Endangered Species Act, U.S. v. Oregon Management Agreement, escapement needs, etc.). Specifically, this advisory group is focused on recreational fisheries jointly managed by Oregon/Washington from Buoy 10 upstream to Highway 395 at Pasco, WA. The group may also be asked to engage on other matters important to each Department.