The Central Montana Resource Advisory Council (RAC) is an official federal advisory committee that provides advice and recommendations on all aspects of public land management to the Secretary of the Interior through the BLM field managers within the council's jurisdictional boundary.

The intent of this (and every) RAC is to closely involve citizens in public resource management. The RAC operates on the principle of collaborative decision making and strives for consensus before making resource management recommendations to the BLM.

The RAC is composed of citizens appointed by the Secretary of the Interior to staggered three-year terms. A list of potential appointees is generated annually through a public nomination process and in consultation with the Governor's office.

Membership on the 15-member Central Montana RAC is balanced to reflect the various interests and users of public lands. The three categories represented by RAC members are as follows:

• 5 members representing commodity interests such as livestock grazing, timber, energy and mining, off-highway vehicle groups and developed recreation;
• 5 members representing environmental organizations, historic and cultural interests, wildlife organizations, wild horses and burros, and dispersed recreation;
• 5 members representing elected officials, tribes, state or other governmental agencies, academicians involved in natural sciences, and the public-at-large.
  
  The RAC meets approximately three times a year, and all meetings are open to the public. Meeting locations vary throughout central Montana to allow the public more convenient access to the meetings. Time is allotted at the beginning of each meeting for the public to address the council. Meeting minutes are available after each meeting and are posted on this website. Periodically, field trips are scheduled to various areas to afford the RAC members a firsthand look at locations pertinent to specific topics of discussion. The field trips are typically held in conjunction with a regularly scheduled meeting.