Forest Service seeking advisory committee members

The Idaho Panhandle Resource Advisory Committee is seeking applicants to fill as many as seven vacancies on a 15-member Resource Advisory Committee.

The committee's duties include recommending projects and an average of more than a half-million dollars a year in funding to improve forest health, watersheds, roads and facilities on or adjacent to the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.

RAC committee members will be officially appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture for a term of two years, shall not receive compensation, and must be able to commit the time necessary to carry out the committee responsibilities of potentially several full-day meetings each year. Members must reside within Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, Shoshone or Benewah County to the extent practicable.

New advisory committee members will be appointed by the secretary of agriculture and must represent a wide variety of interests. These committees are to be balanced and diverse with equal representation from industry, environmental groups, recreation groups, elected officials, and local residents. One or more vacancies will be filled for each of the following categories.

Category A:

* Organized labor or non-timber forest product harvester groups

* Developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users or commercial recreation activities

* Energy and mineral development, or commercial or recreational fishing interests

* Commercial timber industry

* Federal grazing permit or other land-use permit-holders, or non-industrial private forest land owners within the area for which the committee is organized.

Category B:

* Nationally recognized environmental organizations

* Regionally or locally recognized environmental organizations

* Dispersed recreational activities

* Archaeological and historical interests

* Nationally or regionally recognized wild horse and burro interest groups, wildlife or hunting organizations, or watershed associations.

Category C:

* State-elected office holder (or a designee)

* County or locally elected office holder

* American Indian Tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the committee is organized

* Area school officials or teachers

* Affected public-at-large.

Applicants will be evaluated based on their training and experience working with the interest they represent, their demonstrated commitment to collaborative decision-making, and their contribution to the balance and diversity of the RAC. Currently there are vacancies in each category to be filled, including replacement members who would serve on an "as-needed" basis.

The Idaho Panhandle RAC has a proven track record of improving collaborative relationships, working across a wide variety of interests to successfully propose projects and associated funding for improvements which benefit the residents of north Idaho, as well as those who come to visit the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Past projects include noxious weed control, road realignment, trail construction and improvement, timber management support and the restoration of fish passage to restore native species.

If you are interested in serving on the Idaho Panhandle RAC, or would like more information about the responsibilities of the RAC, please visit the Idaho Panhandle National Forest website or contact Jason Kirchner, Idaho Panhandle RAC Coordinator at (208) 765-7211, or email [email protected]. Applications are being accepted until all positions are filled.