Western Oregon RAC

Bureau seeks nominees to help improve public land management in Western Oregon

Portland, Ore. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that it is seeking public nominations for positions on the Western Oregon Resource Advisory Committee. This citizen-based committee assist in the development of recommendations that address public land management issues.

The BLM maintains RACs chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and the Federal Policy and Land Management Act (FLPMA) across the West. Each RAC consists of 10 to 15 members from interests in local communities.

“The Western Oregon Resource Advisory Committees provide the BLM with vital feedback on current issues, concerns, and proposals, and enable us to engage local communities and stakeholders to improve our management of public lands,” said Elizabeth Burghard, Medford District Manager. “The Western Oregon RAC is responsible for distributing Secure Rural School Title II funding, reviewing recreation fee proposals, and more. Our goal is to ensure that the membership of the Western Oregon RAC encompasses a variety of perspectives and backgrounds to guide our work as effectively as possible.”

The BLM maintains RACs as a means of gaining expert advice, ideas, and diverse opinions on issues including land use planning, fire management, off-highway vehicle use, recreation, timber development, noxious weed management, grazing issues, and wild horse and burro herd management issues. The RACs support the Bureau’s commitment to building a shared conservation stewardship legacy in the communities it serves.   

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

The Western Oregon RAC has different 9 positions open in the following categories:

• Category One – Representatives of organizations associated with energy/mineral development; Federal grazing permit holders; the timber industry; transportation or rights-of-way; off-highway vehicles users; and commercial and developed outdoor recreation.
• Category Two – Representatives of archeological and historic organizations; dispersed recreation users; wild horse and burros organizations; and nationally or regionally-recognized environmental organizations. 
• Category Three – Representatives of state, county, or local elected office; Indian tribes located within or adjacent to the area for which the RAC is organized; academicians employed in natural resource management or natural sciences; employees of a state agency responsible for management of natural resources; and the public at large.

As published in a notice in the Federal Register, the BLM will consider nominations for 30 days until November 13, 2020.  For more information, please contact Kyle Sullivan, (541) 618-2340, ksullivan@blm.gov.  

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The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in the 11 Western states and Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In fiscal year 2018, the diverse activities authorized on BLM-managed lands generated $105 billion in economic output across the country. This economic activity supported 471,000 jobs and contributed substantial revenue to the U.S. Treasury and state governments, mostly through royalties on minerals.