TWIN FALLS, ID -- The Bureau of Land Management recently announced new appointments or re-appointments of members to Idaho’s Twin Falls District citizen-based Resource Advisory Council (RAC), which advises the agency on public land management issues. The RACs are composed of members with diverse interests and backgrounds.
“Resource Advisory Councils are critical elements of our collaborative approach to public land management," said Tim Murphy, BLM Idaho State Director. “I appreciate the diverse perspectives we get from our Resource Advisory Council members, and thank all of them for volunteering their time and talents to help improve public land management at the local level."
The RACs, composed of citizen volunteers chosen for their expertise in natural resource issues, help the BLM carry out its nation-wide stewardship of 245 million acres - the largest land portfolio of any Federal agency. The BLM has established 29 RACs across the West, where most BLM-managed land is located.
Each RAC consists of 12 to 15 members who represent stakeholder interests in public land management, such as conservationists, outdoor recreationists, ranchers, industry officials, tribal leaders, state and local government officers, academics, and others.
The BLM, an agency of the Interior Department, is responsible for managing various uses - such as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production - while conserving the land’s natural, historical, and cultural resources.
Below are the newly appointed or newly re-appointed members of the Twin Falls District RAC and the interests they represent. The Twin Falls District RAC will meet March 15, 2017 at the Shoshone BLM Office, 400 West F Street.
* Mike Henslee, (returning) federal grazing permittee, Hagerman;
* Brad Ford, environmental organization, Soda Springs; Shell Howard, dispersed recreation, Twin Falls
* Tom Courtney, (returning) public at large, Twin Falls; Hunter Osborne, tribal interests, Pocatello
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
