The Bureau of Land Management formed 29 Resource Advisory Councils (RACs) in the western States to provide advice on the management of public lands and resources. These citizen-based groups provide an opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds and interests to have a voice in the management of these lands, and to help improve their health and productivity. RAC recommendations address all public land issues, including: land use planning, recreation, noxious weeds, and wild horse and burro herd management areas.
Each RAC consists of 12 to 15 members from diverse interests in local communities, including ranchers, environmental groups, tribes, State and local government officials, academics, and other public land users. Each Council must include representatives of three broad categories:
- Commercial/commodity interests;
- Environmental/historical groups (including wild horse and burro and dispersed recreation);
- State and local government, Indian tribes, and the public at large.
The councils have been successful in bringing diverse and often competing interests to the table to deal with issues of mutual concern. This inclusive approach has shown great promise as a means to successfully deal with long-standing problems of public land management. The RACs have demonstrated that consensus-driven recommendations often lead to sustainable outcomes that benefit natural resources and often enjoy a high level of public support.
Recreation RACs
The U.S. Departments of the Interior and of Agriculture also manage a public advisory committee structure which provides recommendations concerning recreation fee proposals for public lands managed by the BLM and U.S. Forest Service. For more information on Recreation RACs click here.
Please contact the National RAC Coordinator for information regarding RACs in the BLM. For information on RACs in a State, please click the State on the list to the right.
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