| Contacts: | Cass Cairns, 719-269-855 |
Newly appointed Front Range Resource Advisory Council members announced
Cañon City, Colo. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the newest appointments to the Colorado Bureau of Land Management Front Range citizen Resource Advisory Council (RAC), which advises the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management on public land issues.
“As a diverse group of concerned and knowledgeable citizens, we look to the Front Range RAC for their input and recommendations on BLM-managed public lands that make up the Front Range Colorado District,” said Greg Shoop, Front Range District Manager. “I welcome our new RAC members and commend them for their commitment to help us ensure that we are using the benefits of these lands in a balanced way.”
The Front Range District covers a lot of geography--east of the I-25 corridor to the state borders of Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico, and in the San Luis Valley.
The councils, composed of citizens chosen for their expertise in various fields of natural resource use and management, help the BLM carry out its stewardship of 253 million acres of public lands across the nation. Each RAC consists of 12 to 15 members with an interest in public land management, such as ranchers, conservationists, outdoor recreationists, state and local government officials, scientists, and others.
“Colorado's resource advisory councils offer a great opportunity for the public to communicate with BLM upper management,” said Helen Hankins, BLM Colorado State Director. Our new and reappointed Front Range RAC members will have an important role to play as we move forward over the next three years.”
RAC positions are held for three-year terms. Terms are staggered and each year five of the 15 positions on each RAC are considered for nominations. When a RAC position is vacated early, it is filled with a new appointment for the balance of that term. Information about upcoming RAC meetings will be announced when it becomes available.
Secretary Salazar’s appointments for the Front Range RAC with their areas of interest and background are:
Laura Benjamin, Colorado Springs, is new to the Front Range RAC and will represent public-at-large. She is a keynote speaker, facilitator and seminar leader and has owned and operated a successful coaching, training and facilitation company for the past 13 years. She is a member of several organizations including the Colorado Horse Council, National Rifle Association and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Jay Heeter, Golden, is new to the Front Range RAC and will represent environmental organizations. He is a campaign coordinator and has worked with several national and regional environmental organizations including the Alaska Coalition, Green Corps, Sierra Club, and the Colorado Mountain Club.
Mike Nelson, Colorado Springs, is a reappointment after serving one year to fill a vacated position, representing dispersed recreation. He is an active field geologist, camper, hiker, fisherman, rock collector, and ATV owner and rider. A retired Dean of Science and Health from the University of Wisconsin, he has worked with the BLM and the US Forest Service (FS) to establish a permitting system to collect vertebrate fossils.
Ed Nielsen, Saguache, is new to the Front Range RAC and will represent grazing. He has been a rancher in the San Luis Valley (SLV) since 1978. He has completed several FS and BLM short courses related to federal lands grazing. He served on the Front Range RAC from 1998-2000, the SLV Advisory Committee for The Nature Conservancy, and the Mountain Valley School Board, and is one of the founders of the Saguache County Sustainable Environmental and Economic Development program for Saguache County. He is an active member with the SLV Colorado Cattlemen’s Association.
Christopher “Kit” Shy, Westcliffe, is a reappointment after serving one year to fill a vacated position, representing an elected official. He is currently the Custer County Surveyor, a position he has held for 24 years. He also served four years as a County Commissioner. He has been a professional land surveyor for 28 years and has worked in 16 Colorado counties giving him a broad understanding of land issues and boundaries, including knowledge of federal land management agencies.
For more information on the Front Range RAC, contact Cassandra Cairns, 719-269-8553, cassandra_cairns@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.