Secretary Salazar Makes Appointments to Colorado Citizen Resource Advisory Councils

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today the newest appointments to Colorado’s three citizen Resource Advisory Councils (RACs), which advise Interior’s Bureau of Land Management on public land issues.

"The BLM’s Resource Advisory Councils help ensure that the management of our public lands and resources are guided by a wide range of perspectives and by the input of citizens and local communities." said Secretary Salazar. "I welcome our new RAC members and commend them for their service on behalf of America’s public lands. Their input and recommendations will help us restore our treasured landscapes and ensure that we are harnessing the benefits of these lands in a balanced way."

The councils, composed of citizens chosen for their expertise in various fields of natural resource use and management, help the bureau carry out its stewardship of 253 million acres of public lands. The agency, which manages more land than any other federal agency, has 24 RACs across the West, where most BLM-managed land is located. Each RAC consists of 12 to 15 members with an interest in public land management, such as ranchers, conservationists, outdoor recreationists, tribal officials, state and local government officials, scientists, and others.

"RAC members come from different backgrounds and reflect a wide range of perspectives," said BLM Colorado Acting State Director Anna Marie Burden. "Their diversity results in a balanced outlook that the bureau needs as it carries out its multiple-use mission. The BLM 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."

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. Below are the appointed members and their areas of interest for the three Colorado RACs. Information about upcoming RAC meetings will be announced when it becomes available.

Secretary Salazar’s appointments with their areas of interest and background are:

Front Range RAC

William Dvorak, Nathrop, is new to the Front Range RAC and will represent commercial recreation.  He is a 30-year owner and operator of a whitewater rafting business and has been very active over the years with several recreation and tourism organizations.  He was also actively involved in several BLM River Management Plans including the Arkansas, Gunnison, and Dolores River Management Plans.

Keary Hallack, Denver, is a reappointment representing transportation and rights-of-way issues. She is a member of the International Right of Way Association and Rocky Mountain Association of Environmental Professionals.  She has 10 years experience siting and permitting for electronic transmission, substation, and general facilities.  She has several years experience in both the public and private sector involving project management, facility siting assessment and Federal and local government permitting.

Charles Wm. Rech, Centennial, is a reappointment and represents energy and minerals. He has worked for two mining companies and been a consultant for and involved in the Colorado Mining Association.  He worked for eight years for the BLM where he played a major role in designing and implementing the Federal coal program, which is still the basis for the current federal program. 

Tom Olson, Rye, is a reappointment and represents dispersed recreation. He is active in recreational equine trail use issues and has been a member of the Rye Colorado City Saddle Club for several years. He is a retired Colorado Financial Examiner with the Department of Regulatory Agencies. 

Mike Nelson, Colorado Springs, is new to the Front Range RAC and will serve the balance of an early 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 to establish a permitting system to collect vertebrate fossils.

Albert Trujillo, Colorado Springs, represents natural resources as a state employee and is a re-appointment to the Front Range RAC. He has worked for the Colorado Division of Wildlife for 27 years as a professional wildlife manager covering 19 counties in the DOW’s Southeast Region.  He serves on the State Wildlife Area Management Advisory Committee, Habitat Partnership Program committee, and the Culebra Range Community Coalition. 

Christopher “Kit” Shy, Westcliffe, is new to the Front Range RAC and will serve the balance of an early vacated position representing an elected official. He is currently the Custer County Surveyor, a position he held for 22 years prior to his four years as a County Commissioner.  He has been a professional land surveyor for 26 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

Northwest RAC

Dona Shue, Craig, is a reappointment to the NW RAC representing wild horse and burro interests. She was instrumental in creating the High Plains Mustang Club in Craig, Colo. She has trained and regularly rides wild horses she adopted through BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program. She has been an active participant in the Northwest Colorado Stewardship, an independent group that worked closely with BLM on the Little Snake Resource Management Plan revision.

Dave Grisso, Parachute, is a new appointment to the NW RAC representing energy and minerals. He is the Operations Field Leader for EnCana in Parachute, Colo., and has worked with EnCana in northwestern Colorado since 2001. He has more than 30 years of experience in oil and gas exploration and development in the Rocky Mountain region.

Thomas Latham, DeBeque, is a new appointment to the NW RAC representing grazing permittees. He has been a rancher in western Colorado for 30 years. He was born and raised in western Colorado. He is currently President of the Holy Cross Cattlemen Association, President of Bluestone Ditch, and is serving on a subcommittee of the NW RAC for the revision of the BLM’s Grand Junction Resource Management Plan.

Steve Smith, Glenwood Springs, is a new appointment to the NW RAC representing environmental groups. He has been the Assistant Regional Director for The Wilderness Society since 2004. He has lived in Colorado for 40 years and has been active in many public lands issues including wilderness designation, Wild and Scenic River designation, and sage grouse management. He currently is active on a subcommittee of the NW RAC for the revision of the BLM’s Glenwood Springs Resource Management Plan.

Kai Turner, Meeker, is a new appointment to the NW RAC as an elected official. He was elected to the Rio Blanco County Commission in 2008. He is a professional fly fishing guide and big game outfitter who holds a BLM outfitting permit. His family has lived in Rio Blanco County for five generations. He also works as a construction manager. He served on the RE-1 Meeker School Board for nine years.

For more information on the Northwest RAC, contact David Boyd, 970-876-9008, david_boyd@blm.gov

Southwest RAC

Al Heaton, Cortez, was reappointed to the SW RAC representing grazing interests. He is a Federal grazing permittee in southwestern Colorado and has spent a lifetime living and working in the area.  He is presently a member of the Montezuma County Rangeland Stewardship Committee and a member of the Dolores River Valley working group as well as past Mayor of Dove Creek, Colorado. 

Andrew Gulliford, Durango, was reappointed to the SW RAC to represent archaeology and history as well as environmental interests. He is a Professor of Southwest Studies and History at Fort Lewis College, where he teaches U.S. and Southwestern environmental history and classes on wilderness.  He has served a term for the National Council on Public History and for the Colorado National Register Review Board. He is a member of various environmental and historical advisory boards in the southwestern Colorado where he has lived for over 30 years. 

Dan Morse, Crested Butte, is the Public Land Director for the High Country Citizen’s Alliance.  He has been reappointed to serve a second term on the SW RAC representing environmental interests. He has worked extensively with BLM field offices in California and Nevada to develop the Resource Management Plan for the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon NCA and has participated in the creation of five other Resource Management plans for BLM Field Offices and NCAs in Utah, Wyoming and Nevada.

Peter Mueller, Telluride, is a new appointment to the SW RAC representing environmental interests. He is presently the North San Juans Project Director for The Nature Conservancy in Telluride.  He has 20 years experience as an educator and administrator for schools and programs in Colorado and is presently serving on the San Miguel County and Telluride Open Space Commissions.  His present position involves land and water conservation, as well as river restorations, namely for the San Miguel and Dolores rivers.

Jim Cochran, Gunnison, has been reappointed to the SW RAC representing the public at large. He is the Wildlife Conservation Coordinator for Gunnison County, Colorado.  He has extensive experience as a fisheries biologist and is the owner/principal biologist for his own fish and wildlife consulting company.  His present position requires interaction, involvement and collaborative solution development with many diverse interest and focal group as well as private landowners and governmental agencies.

For more information on the Southwest RAC, contact Erin Curtis, 970-244-3097, erin_curtis@blm.gov