Kempthorne Announces New Appointments to
 BLM Resource Advisory Councils

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne today announced the appointment of 15 new members to Colorado’s three citizen-based Resource Advisory Councils, which advise the Bureau of Land Management on public land issues.

“These new Resource Advisory Council members are to be commended for voluntarily committing their time and knowledge to the stewardship of our public lands,” Kempthorne said. “Their advice and recommendations will be a substantial contribution to this collaborative effort.”

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.

“The work of the Resource Advisory Councils is a prime example of how these unique partnerships strengthen our management efforts and help promote cooperative conservation,” Kempthorne noted. “Their innovation and creativity is the engine that drives citizen-based problem solving for land management issues.”

BLM Colorado State Director Sally Wisely said, “With a variety of experience and backgrounds, the RAC members offer wide ranging viewpoints to each of our councils. This diversity gives BLM the balanced outlook necessary 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 Colorado’s RACs. Information about upcoming RAC meetings will be announced as soon as it becomes available.

Northwest RAC Appointments/Reappointments:
Charles F. Kerr
David R. Cesark
Jon D. Hill
Larry McCown

Southwest RAC Appointments/Reappointments:
William A Heaton
Andrew Gulliford
Daniel G. Morse
James O. Cochran
Nikolai J. Kendziorski

Front Range RAC Appointments/Reappointments:
Ms. Keary Hallack
Frank A. Yaeger
Al Trujillo
Thomas Olson
Charles W. Rech
Gene W. King

-BLM-