Oregon RAC
Members of Resource Advisory Councils in the field helping the BLM with its mission.

Steens Mountain Advisory Council

The 12-member Steens Mountain Advisory Council (SMAC) was a special feature of the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000 (Steens Act) (P.L. 106-399). The Steens Act provided long-term protection for the cultural, economic, ecological, and social health of the Steens Mountain Area.

This unique Act created several new management designations on public land on and around the Steens Mountain. The Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA) encompasses 428,156 acres of public land in Harney County, Oregon, including a no-livestock area of 97,229 acres of public land within the 170,084-acre Steens Mountain Wilderness Area.

The SMAC's members provide representative counsel and advice to BLM regarding: (1) new and unique approaches to managing the land within the bounds of the Steens Mountain CMPA; (2) cooperative programs and incentives for landscape management that meet human needs and maintain and improve the ecological and economic integrity of the area; and (3) preparation and implementation of a management plan for the CMPA.

Members of the SMAC are appointed for three year terms and serve without monetary compensation. Their travel costs are reimbursed, however, at current rates for Government employees. Each SMAC member must, as a result of training and experience, have knowledge or special expertise which qualifies them to provide advice from among the categories of interest listed below. In addition to these 12 voting members, there is also an additional non-voting member that serves as the State government liaison to the advisory council.

Interest Area Nominee(s) submitted by
A private landowner within the CMPA County Court of Harney County
Two persons with grazing permits on Federal lands in the CMPA County Court of Harney County
A person interested in fish and recreational fishing in the CMPA The Governor of Oregon
A member of the Burns Paiute Tribe The Burns Paiute Tribe
Two persons representing environmental interests; one representing the State as a whole, and one from local area of CMPA The Governor of Oregon
A person who participates in dispersed recreation activities The BLM
A recreation permit holder or representative of a commercial recreation operation in the CMPA County Court of Harney County and the BLM
A participant in “mechanized/consumptive” recreation The BLM
A person with expertise and interest in wild-horse management on Steens Mountain The BLM
A person with no financial interest in the CMPA to represent statewide interests The Governor of Oregon

The SMAC meets approximately four times per year, for 1-2 days per session. All SMAC meetings are open to the public, and the public may contribute during public comment sessions. Unless otherwise approved by the SMAC Chair, the public comment periods will last no longer than 30 minutes, and each speaker can address the SMAC for a maximum of 5 minutes.

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RAC Resources

Contact Information

Tara Thissell, 541-573-4519 or tthissell@blm.gov