NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Don Amador
Phone: 925.783.1834
Email: Damador@quietwarriorracing.com
Date: February 19, 2021
BIDEN ADMINSTRATION RESTARTS BLM RESOURCE
ADVISORY
COUNCIL MEETINGS
OAKLEY, CA (Feb. 19) – Quiet Warrior Racing’s, Don Amador, commends the Biden Administration’s relaunch of BLM Resource Advisory Council (RAC) meetings in California. In 2019, Acting Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, appointed Amador to serve on the BLM’s Central California RAC. The first meeting of the BLM Central California RAC is February 24, 2021 and is administrative only for RAC members. Regular RAC meetings are open to the public.
This particular RAC advises the BLM on public land issues
within the boundaries of the Bakersfield, Bishop, Central Coast, Mother Lode
and Ukiah field offices, which comprise the Central California District.
According to the agency website, the BLM maintains 37 chartered advisory committees located in the West. These include 30 statewide and regional Resource Advisory Councils; 5 advisory committees affiliated with specific sites on the BLM’s National Conservation Lands; and two others, including the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board and the North Slope Science Initiative Science Technical Advisory Panel.
RACs are sounding boards for BLM initiatives, regulatory
proposals and policy changes. Each citizen-based council consists of 10 to 15
members from diverse interests in local communities, including ranchers,
environmental groups, tribes, state and local government officials, academics,
and other public land users.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) established the RACs
in 1995. RAC members vote on recommendations related to public land management
and provide those recommendations to the designated Federal official who serves
as liaison to the RAC. The Designated Federal Officer is usually a BLM line manager,
such as the state director or district manager.
Although RACs are solely advisory in nature, the
contributions of RAC members are of great value to the BLM and have aided in
the development of balanced decisions that serve the interests of all public
land users.
Upon the request of the Designated Federal Officer (DFO)
the RAC may develop recommendations for BLM with respect to the land use
planning, classification, retention, management, and disposal of the public
lands within the area for which the advisory council is established and such
other matters as may be referred to it by the DFO.
The RAC can also make recommendations on programs and policies to increase outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans, expand access for hunting and fishing on BLM land in a manner thatrespects the rights and privacy of inholders, and implementation of the agency’s regulatory reform initiatives.
Don Amador, a trail recreation and forest health
advocate, states, “It’s great to get to see the Administration restart RAC
meetings. It is an honor to serve on
this RAC since most of my recreation and resource management career has been
spent on public lands within the RAC boundary.”
“Managed OHV recreation in the 21st Century is a
sophisticated activity and has many moving parts which include construction of
engineered trails, restoration of lands damaged by unauthorized use, law
enforcement, maintenance of existing trail networks, protection of cultural
resources, planning for new OHV areas, and education/safety programs,” Amador
continues.
“OHV is a significant contributor to the economy and an
important part of the California state-wide recreation opportunity matrix. OHV
recreation is also an important partner when it comes to addressing the growing
threat of intense wildfires on both public and private lands. I look forward to working with other user
groups on the RAC in support of access to, and resource management of, lands
within the RAC’s project area,” Amador concludes.
Don Amador, a former chairman of the California
Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission, represents the
interests of OHV enthusiasts who enjoy casual use or participate in permitted
motorized events.
# # #
Don is president of Quiet Warrior Racing, a recreation
consulting company. Don also serves as
the Government Affairs lead for AMA District 36. He served on the CA
Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He is president
and board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance, a national non-profit
organization, and since 2013 has served as Core-Team Lead for FireScape
Mendocino, a forest-health collaborative.
Don is a member of the Governor’s Forest Management Task Force Northern
Regional Prioritization Group. He is a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road
Motorsports Hall of Fame and recipient of the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don is also a contributor to Dealernews
Magazine.
