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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Oregon and Washington today announced that it is reopening the public call for nominations for open positions on five of its citizen-based advisory councils.

Resource Advisory Councils (RACs) provide advice and recommendations for the BLM to consider on a range of resource and land management issues. The BLM maintains 38 such chartered advisory committees located in the West. Each council consists of 10 to 15 members from diverse interests in local communities, and they assist in the development of committee recommendations that address public land management issues. RACs are critical in assisting the BLM in continuing to be a good neighbor in communities served by the Bureau.

"The BLM Resource Advisory Councils are an important forum for the community conversation that is a key component of public land management," said BLM State Director Jamie E. Connell.  "By ensuring that RAC representation reflects a variety of perspectives, RAC members provide a valuable service to the BLM by delving into issues and proposing solutions on a wide variety of land and resource uses issues."

An individual may self-nominate or nominate others to serve on a Council. Nominees must be residents of the state or states where the RAC has jurisdiction and will be reviewed on the basis of their training, education, and knowledge of the Council’s geographic area. Nominees should also demonstrate a commitment to consensus building and collaborative decision-making. A letter of reference must accompany all nominations from any represented interests or organizations per the categories below, also a completed RAC application, and any other information that speaks to the nominee’s qualifications.

The open positions are in the following categories:

Category one – Public land ranchers and representatives of organizations associated with energy and mineral development, the commercial timber industry, transportation or rights-of-way, off-highway vehicle use, and commercial recreation.

Category two – Representatives of nationally or regionally recognized environmental organizations, archaeological and historical organizations, dispersed recreation activities, and wild horse and burro organizations.

Category three – Representatives of state, county, or local elected office; representatives and employees of a state agency responsible for the management of natural resources; representatives of Indian tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the RAC is organized, Alaska Natives as appropriate to the state of Alaska; representatives and employees of academic institutions who are involved in natural sciences; and the public-at-large.

A term on a RAC is for three years.  Following are the vacancies for each of the RACs.  Additional positions may also become open. Please send questions and nominations by Oct. 31, 2018, to the contact(s) listed below.

Eastern Washington RAC

• Open positions include two positions in category one.
• Contact: Jeff Clark, BLM Spokane District Office, 1103 North Fancher Road, Spokane, WA 99212, 509-536-1297.

John Day-Snake RAC

• Open positions include two positions in category two.
• Contact: Lisa Clark, BLM Prineville District Office, 3050 NE 3rd Street, Prineville, OR 97754, 541-416-6864.

Northwest Oregon RAC

• Open positions include one position in each of categories one, two and three.
• Contact: Jennifer Velez, BLM Northwest Oregon District Office, 1717 Fabry Road SE, Salem, OR 97306, 541-222-9241.

Southeast Oregon RAC

• Open positions include one position in category one.
• Contact: Larisa Bogardus, BLM Lakeview District Office, 1301 S. G Street, Lakeview, OR 97630, 541-947-6237.

Steens Mountain Advisory Council

• Open positions include:
  • One Statewide Interest Representative with No Financial Interest in the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA);
  • One Local Environmental Representative;
  • One Statewide Environmental Representative;
  • One Mechanized or Consumptive Recreation Representative;
  • One Private Landowner in the Steens Mountain CMPA
• Contact: Tara Thissell, BLM Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, OR  97738, 541-573-4519.

More information about RACs in Oregon and Washington, including a RAC boundary map, can be found online at https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/resource-advisory-council/near-you/oregon-washington.

As published in a notice in the Oct. 1, 2018, Federal Register, the BLM will consider nominations for 30 days, until Oct. 31, 2018. 

For more information, please contact the coordinator listed above or Greg Shine, the RAC membership coordinator for BLM Oregon and Washington, at 503-808-6303.