Southeast Oregon RAC
The Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council (RAC) provides advice and recommendations on all aspects of public land management to the BLM's Burns and Vale District Offices, and the Lakeview Resource Area, as well as the Fremont-Winema National Forest. Recent topics have included management options for off-highway recreation, sage-grouse habitat, and noxious-weed control.
The Secretary of the Interior appoints citizens to staggered three-year terms on the Council, so one-third of the member terms expire yearly. Each spring, the BLM encourages Oregon residents to apply, or nominate others to apply, for open positions they would like to represent.
Membership on the 15-member RAC is balanced to reflect the array of interests and users of Public Lands:
- Five members represent commodity interests such as grazing permittees, commercial timber, energy and mining, developed recreation and/or off-highway vehicle groups, and transportation & rights-of-way.
- Five members represent conservation interests such as environmental organizations, historic & cultural interests, conservation, and dispersed recreation.
- Five members represent community interests such as elected officials, Indian Tribes, State resource agencies, academicians involved in natural sciences, and the public-at-large.
The Southeast-Oregon RAC meets quarterly at various communities within the RAC's boundary, generally for two days. The RAC schedules field tours for specific projects or issues on their agenda. All RAC meetings are open to the public, and each meeting includes time for the public to present or comment on issues for RAC consideration. Among the issues regularly discussed are land management plans, including those related to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), recreation fees, and land restoration associated with wildfires.
Meeting minutes retained by the Designated Federal Official (DFO) after each meeting are posted on this website after their approval. The DFO role rotates between the Burns, Lakeview, and Vale District Managers every two years.