The Manti La Sal National Forest is seeking applicants for the Secure Rural School Resource Advisory Committee (RAC). Castle Country Radio was able to sit down with Public Services Staff Officer, Andrew Orlemann to discuss how residents can apply.

“We are recruiting for new RAC members, Resource Advisory Committee members because our current group has fallen below the quorum needed for meetings. The total Resource Advisory Committee is 15 members, but we have to have at least nine to reach a quorum,” stated Orlemann. This is a great committee to be on as you will have a voice in what happens on your forest lands.

A RAC member would assist in advising how federal funding is spent on the Manti La Sal National Forest.  “So there’s funding, existing funding available from the federal government to be spent on federal lands within the counties where the Manti La Sal sits. Projects that we fund would be things that improve water quality, things that improve fish and wildlife habitat, and things that improve existing infrastructure such as roads,” said Orlemann. Currently, there is funding available for projects and that is why a RAC committee is being developed so that those funds can be used within the next two years.

The RAC committee works closely with the Forest Supervisor who is responsible for considering the committee’s recommendations. The RAC committee will meet as often as necessary to perform its duties, generally one to four times per year. Currently, the forest is seeking applicants in several specific categories. “The law does provide for certain categories of people, certain types of folks, and there’s roughly three groups of people that we are looking for. The first group is industry or user groups, the second group is recreation or conservation groups, and the last is tribal or elected officials,” explained Orlemann.

Interested individuals must be a resident of the State of Utah and submit an application by November 15. “There’s an application to be on the Resource Advisory Committee and that goes actually all the way to Washington for approval. But yea, they can fill out an application, there’s links on our website and then they can submit it to me and I can send it up for approval up the change,” said Orlemann. If you represent one of the above categories and are interested in applying for a position on the RAC, please contact Andrew Orlemann at george.orlemann@usda.gov or call (435) 636-3500.