For Immediate Release: September 3, 2004
Contact:  Hillerie C. Patton  BLM 303-239-3671

Secretary Norton Announces New Appointments to BLM Resource Advisory Councils

Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced today the appointment of 16 new members to Colorado 's three citizen-based Resource Advisory Councils, which advise the Bureau of Land Management on public land issues.

“We value the input that the Colorado Resource Advisory Councils provide in helping the BLM manage America 's public lands,” Norton said. “I welcome our new members, thank them for their commitment, and look forward to their counsel as we work to improve the health and productivity of the public lands.”

The BLM's Resource Advisory Councils (RACs), composed of citizens chosen for their expertise in natural resource issues, help the agency carry out its stewardship of 261 million acres of public lands. The Bureau, which manages more land than any other Federal agency, has 24 RACs across the West, where most BLM-managed land is located.

BLM Director Kathleen Clarke said, “RAC members bring a wealth of experience and a wide range of perspectives to each of our councils. This diversity results in a balanced outlook that the BLM needs for its mission, which is to manage the public lands for multiple uses.” The BLM, an agency of the Department of the Interior, is responsible for managing these various uses – such as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production – while conserving the land's natural, historical, and cultural resources.

Below are the newly appointed members of each Colorado RAC. Information about upcoming RAC meetings will be announced as soon as it becomes available.

Front Range RAC
Mr. James W. Coleman
Ms. Donna Murphy
Mr. Larry E. Strohl
Mr. Jim Bensberg
Mr. Michael Dean Bush
Mr. Keith L. McNew

Northwest RAC
Mr. T. Wright Dickinson
Mr. David P Bailey
Mr. Pat Kennedy
Mr. Jeff Comstock
Mr. John C. Martin

Southwest RAC
Mr. Don Bennett
Mr. Andrew McLeod
Ms. Andrea Rose Robinsong
Ms. Ellen R. Stein
Mr. Alan W. Staehle

-BLM-