U.S. Forest Service Seeks Applicants for Recreation Advisory Committee

From a press release dated March 22, 2019, the U.S. Forest Service is seeking nominations to fill seven positions on the Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee to serve national forests across the Southeast. The committee is tasked with reviewing fee proposals for the forests in 13 southern states and Puerto Rico and recommending fee changes.  The committee’s jurisdiction will cover the national forests in Virginia, as well as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Puerto Rico.

Potential nominees must represent the following forest-related interests:

Category One:  Five people who represent recreation users, one in each position:  camping, summer motorized, summer non-motorized, wildlife and nature viewing/viewing of interpretive sites and hunting and fishing. The target for recruitment for 2019 is for one committee member to represent hunting and fishing, summer motorized, and/or summer non-motorized recreation.

Category Two:  Three people who represent interest groups that include:  outfitter and guides (two positions), and local environmental groups (one position). The target for recruitment for 2019 is for one committee member to represent outfitter and guides and/or local environmental groups.

Category Three:  Three people, one in each [of the following] position:  State tourism official, a person who represents affected local government interests, and a person who represents affected Indian tribes’ issues.  The target for recruitment for 2019 is for one committee member to represent state tourism and/or affected Indian Tribes.

Members will be appointed for three-year terms based on the following criteria:

• Which interest groups they represent and how well they are qualified to represent that group.
• Why they want to serve on the committee and what they can contribute.
• Their past experience in working successfully as part of a collaborative group.

Nominees’ demonstrated ability to represent minorities, women and persons with disabilities will be considered in membership selections. U.S. Department of Agriculture policies regarding equal opportunity will be followed.

Committee members will receive travel and per diem expenses for regularly scheduled meetings; however, they will not receive compensation.

More information is available by calling Caroline Mitchell at 501-321-5318.  Her email and a link to the Forest Service’s website with more information will be available at the posting of this story at www.alleghenymountainradio.org.

Caroline Mitchell’s email:  r8_rrac@fs.fed.us

Forest Service website with more information:  http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r8/recreation/racs

Completed nomination forms are due by Friday, May 31, 2019 to: Recreation RAC Nomination, P.O. Box 1270, Hot Springs, Arkansas, 79102.