Got some land-use advice for the BLM? Agency seeks Utah advisory council members

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The Bureau of Land Management is looking for a mix of ranchers, environmentalists, elected officials, academics and everyday Joes to provide input on issues affecting Utah’s public lands.

A Bureau of Land Management office in Kanab, Utah, April 14, 2015 | File photo by Cami Cox Jim, St. George News

The agency has announced that it is reopening the public call for nominations for four open positions on its citizen-based Utah Resource Advisory Council, also referred to as a RAC. 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 in the western U.S.

Each council consists of 10-15 members from diverse interests in local communities, and they assist in the development of committee recommendations that address public land management issues. According to a press release issued by the BLM, RACs are critical in assisting the agency in continuing to be a good neighbor in communities served by the bureau.

“Their input enhances the BLM’s ability to manage these lands for current and future generations of Americans,” BLM Utah State Director Ed Roberson said in the press release.

The four positions open on the Utah RAC are in the following categories:

  • Category one (one position) – 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 (two positions) – Representatives of nationally or regionally recognized environmental organizations, archaeological and historical organizations, dispersed recreation activities and wild horse and burro organizations.
  • Category three (one position) – 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; representatives and employees of academic institutions who are involved in natural sciences; and the public-at-large.

RAC members serve three-year terms.

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 above, as well as a completed RAC application and any other information that speaks to the nominee’s qualifications.

As published in a notice in the Federal Register issued Monday, the BLM will consider nominations for 30 days. Nominations should be sent by the Oct. 31 deadline to the following address: BLM, Attn: Lola Bird, 440 W. 200 South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101.

Additional information and the application form are available on the BLM Utah website.

For more information, email Lola Bird or call her at 801-539-4033.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

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1 Comment

  • Mike P October 8, 2018 at 11:46 am

    I’d run but I wouldn’t have a chance. We all knw how it works here………..

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