PUBLIC LANDS – Nominations for a citizen committee that advises the Bureau of Land Management on public land issues are being accepted by the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane districts through May 2.

Five positions will be vacated this fall on North Idaho's 15-member Resource Advisory Council (RAC), officials say.

The Coeur d’Alene District manages BLM lands in 11 counties -- Adams, Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Kootenai, Idaho, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce and Shoshone. 

 “As a land-management agency that carries out a multiple-use mission, the BLM seeks out and values diverse input from citizens who care about the stewardship of America’s public lands,” said BLM Idaho Director Tim Murphy. 

BLM Director Neil Kornze said that by assembling representatives with different land use perspectives, "the RACs give community members an opportunity to dig into local issues and explore possible solutions.”

Positions to fill for the Coeur d’Alene District RAC include:

• Category One (one opening) represents commercial timber industry, energy and mineral development, holders of federal grazing permits, OHV and transportation and commercial recreation.
• Category Two (three openings)  represents nationally or regionally recognized environmental organizations, dispersed recreation activities and wild horse and burro organizations.
• Category Three (one opening)  represents the public-at-large or academia.

The Eastern Washington RAC has openings for:

• Representatives of state, county, or local elected office.
• Representatives of Indian tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the RAC is organized.
• Representatives of organizations associated with energy and mineral development, transportation or rights-of-way, off-highway vehicle use or commercial recreation.
• The public-at-large.
• Private landowners.

All nominations must be accompanied by letters of reference for each represented interest or organizations, a completed and signed RAC application, and any other information that speaks to a nominee’s qualifications. 

Applications are online here:

• Here for North Idaho
• Here for Eastern Washington

Individuals may nominate themselves or others to serve on an advisory council.  Nominees must be residents of the state they are advising and will be evaluated on the basis of their training, education, and knowledge of the council’s geographical area.  Nominees should also demonstrate a commitment to consensus building and collaborative decision making.

Contacts:

• Coeur d’Alene District RAC Coordinator, (208) 769-5004, at the BLM CDA District Office, 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d’Alene. 
• BLM Spokane District RAC Coordinator, (509) 536-1297, 1103 N. Fancher Rd., Spokane Valley

By the way, the BLM:

• Manages 245 million acres of public lands.
• Manages more land than any other Federal agency.
• Has 31 RACs across the West, where most BLM-managed land is located.
• Manages public lands for multiple uses.