Steens Mountain Advisory Council meets September 27, 28
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HINES, Ore. – The next Steens Mountain Advisory Council meeting is set for Thursday and Friday, September 27 and 28, at the Frenchglen School, Highway 205 South, in Frenchglen, Oregon. The schedule for the two-day meeting is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday for a field tour on Steens Mountain, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday for a regular business session. The public is welcome to attend all portions of the meeting.
Planned agenda items at the meeting include: a field tour to various areas on Steens Mountain; the annual recreation program report; review of one or more sections of the Steens Act; a personnel, projects, and litigation update from the Designated Federal Official; discussion of the Nature’s Advocate, LLC, inholder access Environmental Assessment; a report on the BLM’s outcome-based grazing initiative; follow-up on member work between meetings on issues for private land inholders in the Steens area; a review of land exchanges, sales and purchases; information sharing about water rights and how they are issued, prioritized and processed; and regular business items such as approving the previous meeting’s minutes, member round-table, and planning the next meeting’s agenda. Any other matters that may reasonably come before the SMAC may also be included.
A half-hour comment period, during which the public may address the SMAC, begins at 2:00 p.m. on September 28. Depending on the number of people wishing to comment and time available, the amount of time for individual oral comments may be limited.
Resource Advisory Councils are critical in assisting the Bureau of Land Management in continuing to be a good neighbor in the communities we serve. The 13-member Steens Mountain Advisory Council provides advice and recommendations to the BLM on resource and land management issues within the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area.
The BLM welcomes and values your diverse views. Plan to attend! This is a great opportunity for you to participate in public land management in Harney County.
For more information about the upcoming SMAC meeting, please contact Tara Thissell at the Burns District BLM Office at (541) 573-4519.
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.