BLM Seeks California Desert Advisory Council Nominations
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MORENO VALLEY, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management’s California Desert District is soliciting nominations from the public for five members of its California Desert Advisory Council to serve three-year terms. The council’s 15 members provide advice and recommendations to the BLM on the management of more than 10-million acres of public lands in eight counties of southern California.
As published in the Federal Register, the BLM will consider nominations until Dec. 4. The five positions to be filled are: one renewable energy industry, two public-at-large, and two elected officials.
The BLM's Resource Advisory Councils, including the California Desert Advisory Council, is composed of citizens chosen for their expertise in natural resource issues. Members help the BLM carry out its multiple-use mission and stewardship of 245-million acres of public lands. The Bureau has 36 RACs across the West, including the DAC, where most BLM-managed land is located. The diverse membership of each DAC member helps ensure that BLM land managers receive the varying perspectives they need to achieve their mission of managing the public lands for multiple uses.
"Restoring trust in the federal government and being a good land manager are two of my top priorities at Interior, and state and local input, particularly in communities surrounding public lands, is imperative to building trust," said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. "Nobody knows the land better than the people who live and work it. Council members provide a valuable service to the Department and offer a variety of perspectives that assist in solving land and resource use issues.”
The DAC meets in formal session three to four times a year throughout the California Desert District. Council members serve without compensation other than travel expenses. Members serve three-year terms and may be nominated for reappointment for an additional three-year term. The secretary selects council nominees consistent with the requirements of Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which require nominees appointed to the council be balanced in terms of points of view and representative of the various interests concerned with the management of the public lands within the area for which the council is established.
Nominees, who must be residents of the state or states where the DAC has jurisdiction, 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. All nominations must be accompanied by letters of reference from any represented interests or organizations, a completed DAC application, and any other information that speaks to the nominee’s qualifications.
Any group or individual may nominate a qualified person based upon education, training and knowledge of the BLM, the California Desert, and the issues involving BLM-administered public lands throughout southern California. Nominations must include letters of support. The nomination form is on the Desert Advisory Council webpage at https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/get-involved-rac-near-you-california-california-desert-district-DAC_Nomination.pdf.
For more information on the California Desert Advisory Council, contact Stephen Razo, Bureau of Land Management, at 951-697-5217, or srazo@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.