Have a Voice in the Rocky Mountain Great Outdoors

If you’re passionate about our Great Outdoors, have good ideas, and want to help the US Forest Service decide which projects to fund to improve outdoor experiences, a position on the Greater Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) is calling.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region is seeking six new volunteer members with diverse backgrounds and interests to serve four-year terms on the 15-member committee.

In June of 2023, the RAC was awarded over $4.2 million from Title II Secure Rural School (SRS) funds to use for projects on USFS-managed lands. A total of 38 projects across nine national forests were funded.

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Of those nine national forest projects, nine local projects were recommended, totaling over $1 million in funding. In Medicine Bow and National Forests alone, RACs have approved over $2.4 million in projects since the inception of SRS funding in 2008.

The Greater Rocky Mountain RAC recommends annual project funding and coordinates with land management agencies and county officials region-wide, including projects in Albany and Carbon counties in Wyoming and Routt and Jackson counties in Colorado.

The Forest Service seeks to have the Greater Rocky Mountain RAC represent as many interests as possible. The listed categories on their news release lists areas of representation:

Developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users, or commercial recreation activities
Energy and mineral development, or commercial or recreational fishing interests
Regionally or locally recognized environmental organizations
Archaeological and historical interests
State-elected office (or a designee)
American Indian Tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the committee is organized
Affected public-at-large

The USFS states, “Serving on the committee provides a great opportunity for citizens to have a voice in future management actions across the region.”

Applications must be received by December 1, 2023. Please contact Karley O’Connor at Karley.O’Connor@usda.gov for more information.