Eastern Montana - Dakotas District
| Contacts: | Contact: Mark Jacobsen | |||
| (406) 233-2831 | ||||
| Mark_Jacobsen@blm.gov |
BLM announces RAC appointments
MILES CITY, Mont. --- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced new appointments or reappointments of members to Montana’s citizen-based Eastern Montana Resource Advisory Council (RAC), which advises the Bureau of Land Management on public land issues. The RACs are composed of members with diverse interests and backgrounds.
“The BLM’s Resource Advisory Councils exemplify the collaborative approach taken by the BLM in handling public land issues,” said Montana/Dakotas State Director Jamie E. Connell. “I want to welcome our newly appointed RAC members and salute them for their commitment to public service. Their counsel will serve the BLM well as the agency works to ensure the health and productivity of America’s great outdoors.”
The RACs, composed of citizens chosen for their expertise in natural resource issues, help the BLM carry out its nation-wide stewardship of 245 million acres – the largest land portfolio of any federal agency. The BLM has established 28 RACs across the West, where most BLM-managed land is located.
Each RAC consists of 10 to 15 members with an interest in public land management, such as conservationists, outdoor recreationists, ranchers, tribal officials, state and local government officials, academics, and others.
“I’m looking forward to working with the new and reappointed RAC members and hearing their perspectives on our complex multiple-use issues,” said District Manager Diane Friez, who is also the RAC’s Designated Federal Officer. “These members play a key role in advising the BLM in management of the public lands, and I’m grateful for the time they devote to assist us.”
The BLM, an agency of the Interior Department, 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 or newly re-appointed members of the Eastern Montana RAC which will meet next Dec. 6 in Billings:
• Mack Cole, Hysham (energy)
• Larry Pilster, Alzada (federal grazing)
• Rita Harding, Billings (environmental organizations)
• Becky Kallevig, Sidney (archaeological/historical interests)
• Bill Kennedy, Billings (elected official) reappointment
For the latest BLM news and updates visit us on the web at: www.blm.gov/mt/st/en.html www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/miles_city_field_office.html and on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BLMMontana.
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.
Eastern Montana - Dakotas District 111 Garryowen Rd. Miles City, MT 59301