§460nnn–51 Establishment of Advisory Council

Summary

The Secretary must create the Steens Mountain Advisory Council to advise on managing the Cooperative Management and Protection Area and to help promote cooperative management. The council will have 12 voting members, all appointed by the Secretary from nominees sent by the Harney County court, the Governor of Oregon, the Burns Paiute Tribe, and the Oregon State Director of the Bureau of Land Management (sometimes jointly with the county). The members include a private landowner; two grazing permittees; one person interested in fish and recreational fishing; one Burns Paiute Tribe member; two environmental representatives (one statewide, one local); one dispersed recreation participant (hiking, camping, bird watching, etc.); one recreational permit holder or commercial recreation representative; one mechanized or consumptive recreation participant (hunting, off‑road driving, etc.); one wild horse management expert; and one person with no financial interest to represent statewide interests. The Secretary must check with each community of interest to be sure nominees have local support. Members serve 3‑year terms, but the first appointments include four 1‑year terms and four 2‑year terms to stagger service. Members may be reappointed and vacancies are filled the same way as the original appointments. The council picks its own chair and rules. Members are unpaid but must be reimbursed for reasonable travel and other official expenses. The Secretary must give the council administrative help and name a Bureau of Land Management officer as the Secretary’s liaison, and must also appoint one State government liaison nominated by the Governor of Oregon. The council must follow the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) and chapter 10 of title 5.