Resource Advisory Committee seeking new members

In a world of acronyms of organizations that overlap with similar names but have different goals, it helps to start in the correct hallway.

The Mineral County Resource Coalition is a diverse group of citizens who meet regularly to find resolutions to the complex issues facing natural resource management on public lands in Mineral County and other areas in western Montana. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. in the county commissioners conference room. 

The Mineral County Resource Advisory Committee is comprised of 15 representatives from varied interests and areas of expertise and are appointed for four-year terms. Members of this committee work to review project proposals and make recommendations for the expenditure of the Secure Rural Schools Title II funds allotted to the county that are used on projects that aim to improve federal lands. The money assigned to them is used for various projects people see and just assume that it is a Forest Service project on their to-do list. Not always, but sometimes that is the case. It is a multifaceted process. 

To be a member of any RAC, and most counties have them, is an honor. 

“We are soliciting applications for the Mineral County RAC,” announced Abby Lane, District Ranger for the Superior Ranger District on the Lolo National Forest. “There are six openings out of 15 seats and the selected members will serve a four-year term, which we anticipate beginning in late 2025.” 

The time commitment is not as consuming as it may appear because when the committee meets, they plow ground and get their work done. 

“Once the RAC is up and running and functional, we hold some orientation meetings and cover ethics and sign paperwork. They meet approximately three times a year and how they meet is predetermined by each RAC,” she said. “The RAC votes in a chair and a co-chair and then they have a designated federal officer that would be someone in my position as a ranger who oversees it and makes sure we are following all of the laws and regulations and policies, but I don’t vote as it would be a conflict of interest.”

Most have witnessed work being done with RAC dollars but probably thought it was Forest Service money or a conservation organization using private donations. 

“Past Mineral County RAC investments have funded the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) where the high school kids work in the summer with us," she explained. "They clear brush, install water-bars and help maintain foot bridges like the ones to Heart Lake. They work with silviculture on reforestation surveys. They might help the engineering department or go out with the timber crews. Heather Berman runs the YCC program and tries to give them a diverse experience in many resource areas.” 

There are several Forest Service employees today that licked their chops years ago as YCC employees after getting a taste of the work. 

“Weed spraying is a project that RAC has helped fund in the past," she said. "This has strengthened our relationship with the Great Burn Conservation Alliance as the RAC has helped fund the cost of material and supplies for interns spraying and pulling weeds in the high mountain lakes on the Superior Ranger District.” 

Lane said that some gravel road maintenance in the summer is often sponsored with RAC assistance. 

“Here is where an engineer would attend a RAC meeting and make a presentation of, say, a 10-mile stretch of road he determined needs blading and brushing which would cost ‘x’ amount of dollars. If RAC votes yes, then the engineer can obligate the funds, go find a contractor, and that’s how the job gets done and paid for.” 

She said there can be two and three, even four, parties involved on certain projects between private, county, federal and state contributing funding and resources for completion.

Recruitment activities will end on Feb. 15. People of all ethnicities, races, gender, disability status, and age are encouraged to apply. Applicants are required to live in Montana and must reside, or have a vested interest in, Mineral County. Officials say the committee should be made up of individuals who have balanced and diverse representation and include those who are recreation users, members of environmental organizations and elected officials. 

“You are a deciding factor in helping to directly fund projects in your backyard that have a net benefit through different avenues of natural resources be it a watershed improvement project, weed spraying or working with conservation and outdoor recreation organizations,” Lane said. 

Applications are available at the Superior Ranger District Office, 209 Riverside Avenue West or by contacting the Mineral County RAC Coordinator, at 406-329-3804. 

Additional information and a link to the application can also be found at fs.usda.gov/main/lolo/workingtogether/advisorycommittees.