SE Oregon RAC Info
Charter (PDF)
Members
Minutes and Agendas

The Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council (RAC) is an official Federal Advisory Committee, providing advice and recommendations on all aspects of Public-Land management to the BLM's Burns, Lakeview, and Vale District Offices, as well as the Deschutes, Fremont, Malheur, and Ochoco National Forests.

The Secretary of the Interior appoints citizens to staggered three-year terms on the Council, so one-third of the member terms expire annually. Each spring, the BLM encourages Oregon/Washington residents to apply, or nominate others to apply, for open positions they would like to represent.

Resource Advisory Councils were created in 1995 to advise the BLM on land management programs and issues.  Each RAC consists of local residents who represent broad interest categories:  commodity interests, non-commodity interests, and community interests.  RAC members are selected and appointed by the Secretary of the Interior.

The Southeast-Oregon RAC had a key role in developing the Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing for Oregon, and legislation for the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act. Recent topics have included management options for off-highway recreation, sage-grouse habitat, and noxious-weed control.

Membership on the 15-member RAC is balanced to reflect the array of interests and users of Public Lands:

• Five members who represent commodity interests such as grazing permittees, commercial timber, energy and mining, developed recreation and/or off-highway vehicle groups, and transportation & rights-of-way.
• Five members who represent conservation interests such as environmental organizations, historic & cultural interests, conservation, and dispersed recreation.
• Five members who represent community interests such as elected officials, Indian Tribes, State resource agencies, academicians involved in natural sciences, and the public-at-large.

The Southeast-Oregon RAC meets quarterly at various communities within the RAC's boundary. The RAC schedules field tours for specific projects or issues on their agenda. All RAC meetings are open to the public with a portion of each meeting reserved for the public to present or comment on issues for RAC consideration.

Meeting minutes retained by the Designated Federal Official (DFO) after each meeting are posted on this website after their approval. The DFO role rotates between the Prineville and Vale District Managers every two years.