March 05, 2009
Thursday

Alaska needs resource advisory committee members to advise the Forest Service on spending over $3 million under the 2008 Secure Rural Schools Act. This money represents up to 15 percent of the $21 million the Act provided to Alaska for roads and schools for this first year of the Act.

RAC areas, Title II received to date Ketchikan RAC- $498,681.00 for Title II Ketchikan Borough Prince of Wales Island RAC- $486,008.00 for Title II Craig Hydaburg Klawock Coffman Cove Kasaan Thorne Bay Lynn Canal/Icy Strait RAC- $304,639.00 for Title II Haines Borough Angoon Gustavus Pelican Hoonah Juneau RAC- $168,134.00 for Title Juneau Borough Wrangell/Petersburg RAC- $784,342.00 for Title II Wrangell Borough Petersburg Kake Sitka RAC- $297,953.00 for Title II Sitka Borough Tenakee Springs Port Alexander Chenega Yakutat RAC- $75,811.00 for Title II Yakutat Borough Prince William Sound RAC- $846,394.00 for Title II Cordova Valdez Whittier Tatitlek Kenai Peninsula RAC- $177,002.00 for Title II Kenai Borough Anchorage Borough

Under the Act, communities in unorganized areas and boroughs that receive Secure Rural Schools money must elect to use 15% of their allocation for one of two separate titles in the Act, or that 15% will revert to the
federal government.

Title III funds may only be used to carry out the Firewise Communities program, develop community wildfire protection plans, and reimburse for emergency services paid for by counties and performed on national forest
systems land.

Title II funds may be used for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, and other resource objectives consistent with the Secure Rural Schools Act on national forests. Those funds may also be used on non-federal land where projects would benefit the resources on national forests. Resource advisory committees (RAC) propose and monitor projects under Title II.

RACs from past Secure Rural Schools acts are functioning in Yakutat and Petersburg/Wrangell. New RACs will be forming to service Ketchikan, Prince of Wales Island, Sitka, Juneau, Icy Straits/Lynn Canal, Prince William Sound, and Kenai Peninsula/ Anchorage areas.

Each Resource advisory committee (RAC) will consist of 15 members, and any Alaska resident may apply to sit on any of these committees. However, a person may only sit on one committee at a time. RAC members will serve four years and must represent one of the following interests:

• Organized labor or non-timber forest product harvester groups
• Developed outdoor recreation, off highway vehicle users, or commercial recreation activities
• Energy and mineral development interests; or commercial or recreational fishing interests
• Commercial timber industry
• Federal grazing or other land use permit holders or represent non-industrial private forest land owners, within the area for which the RAC is organized
• 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
• Hold state elected office or their designee
• Hold borough or local elected office
• Represent American Indian tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the committee is organized
• School officials or teachers

Submit applications for RAC memberships by March 31. Contact the designated federal official for the RAC of your choice to apply for a membership. The name and contact information for a RAC's designated federal official is located under the RAC link at https://wwwnotes.fs.fed.us/wo/secure_rural_schools.nsf.

Applicants may download a RAC application form (AD-755) from the same site. Additional information may be obtained from Chugach National Forest RAC Coordinator Heather Gott at (907) 743-9505 hgott@fs.fed.us or Tongass National Forest RAC Coordinator Phil Sammon at (907) 228-6201psammon@fs.fed.us or Julie Speegle at 9907) 789-6246 jspeegle@fs.fed.us .

Very detailed information concerning the makeup, functions and responsibilities of resource advisory committees under the 2008 Secure Rural Schools Act is on the Web at http://www.fs.fed.us/srs/racs.shtml.

Source of News:

Forest Service
www.fs.fed.us

 

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