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Secure Rural Schools Program
What We Do and How to Get Involved
The Greater Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Committee
The Greater Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) consists of 15 members of the public who represent a variety of interests and work together to review and recommend funding for projects across nine National Forests in the region. The RAC is chartered under the Secure Rural Schools & Community Self Determination Act of 2000 – Title II.
The RAC works in collaboration with natural resource managers, community officials, and others to fund projects that improve forest health and maintain infrastructure. Projects are located on National Forest lands or provide benefit to National Forest lands. The RAC also monitors projects, advises on progress and results of monitoring efforts, and makes recommendations for appropriate changes to the projects.
Spanning 29 counties, the nine National Forests represented on the Greater Rocky Mountain RAC include: the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, and the Arapaho-Roosevelt, Bighorn, Medicine-Bow-Routt, Pike-San Isabel, Rio Grande, San Juan, Shoshone and White River National Forests in Colorado and Wyoming.
Successes
In 2023, the Greater Rocky Mountain RAC recommended funding for 39 projects totaling over $4 M. Projects in the region have included meadow restoration in wetland areas, wildlife habitat improvements, improving aquatic habitat via installation of Aquatic Organism Passages to replace undersized culverts, and public education campaigns.
Get Involved – Apply to Serve on the Greater Rocky Mountain RAC
Updated October 2024: In 2025, we will be accepting nominations for the nine seats that will be expiring in 2026. Until then, the public is encouraged to submit nominations as a self-nomination or a nomination of any qualified and interested person at any time, on a rolling basis.
Any individual or organization may submit a nomination. To be eligible for membership, a nominee must:
1. Be a resident of the State in which the RAC has jurisdiction (CO or WY);
2. Identify which interest group they would represent and how they are qualified to represent that interest group;
3. Provide a cover letter stating why they want to serve on the RAC and what they can contribute;
4. Provide a resume showing their past experience as part of a working group related to forest management; and
5. Complete Form AD-755, Advisory Committee or Research and Promotion Background Information: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-755.pdf.
All nominations are vetted by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. Contact karley.o'connor@usda.gov with any questions or to submit your nomination package, and see more information about the committee below.
Apply for Project Funding
Updated October 2024: We are not currently soliciting project applications, please work with your local national forest units to prepare projects as the solicitation period will begin soon.
Project Checklist and Submission Form
Questions about the project application process can be sent to karley.o'connor@usda.gov
*Note: Prior to proposal submission, applicants must have a U.S. Forest Service staff point of contact/sponsor in order to apply for and receive funding, and approval from the local U.S Forest Service District Ranger, as any approved use of Resource Advisory Council funds must be awarded through a federal contract, grant or agreement.
• Federal agencies
• State and local governments
• Private entities
• Nonprofit entities
• Landowners
The purpose of the original 1908 legislation is to make additional investments and create employment opportunities via title II-funded projects that improve the maintenance of existing infrastructure; implement stewardship objectives that enhance forest ecosystems; and restore and improve land health and water quality. Title II funds made be used on Federal land and on non-Federal land where projects would benefit the resources on Federal land.
Competitive projects will have broad public support with objectives that may include road, trail, and infrastructure maintenance or decommissioning; soil productivity improvement; forest ecosystem health improvement; watershed restoration and maintenance; the restoration, maintenance, and improvement of wildlife and fish habitat; the control of noxious and exotic weeds; and the re-establishment of native species, among others. Planning and implementing the projects should help improve cooperative relationships among the people that use and care for Federal land and the agencies that manage the Federal land.
Committee Information
Members of the RAC must represent one of the following three interest groups:
Category One: Five members who represent energy and mineral development; the commercial timber industry; organized labor or non-timber forest product harvest groups; developed outdoor recreation; off-highway vehicle users, or commercial recreation; federal grazing or other land permits; or represent nonindustrial private forest landowners.
Category Two: Five members who represent nationally, regionally or locally recognized environmental organizations; dispersed recreation interests; archaeological and historical interests; or nationally or regionally recognized wild horse and burro interest groups, wildlife or hunting organizations, or watershed associations.
Category Three: Five members who are elected state officials; are county or local elected officials; represent federally recognized tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the Council is organized; are school officials or teachers with knowledge in natural resource management or the natural sciences; or represent the affected public-at-large and/or are employed by a state agency responsible for the management of natural resources.
*If you are unsure of the category in which you would fit, please contact karley.o'connor@usda.gov to discuss options.
RACs typically meet once per year to consider projects proposals for Title II spending and to review progress on funded projects.
The Secretary of Agriculture appoints a total of 15 citizens to four-year terms on the RAC.
Program Background
The Forest Service was established in 1905 with 56 million acres of land. By 1910, the amount of National Forest System land tripled to 172 million acres. Today, the agency manages approximately 196 million acres. Congress ratified The Act of May 23, 1908, as a measure to support rural counties whose tax base was limited by the growing amount of Federal land. A portion of Forest Service funds generated through multi-use activities, such as grazing, timber production, and special use permits, are distributed to eligible counties to help maintain local roads and schools.
The Secure Rural Schools program provides critical funding for schools, roads, and other municipal services to more than 700 counties across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Payments are divided into three distinct categories or Titles: Title I for roads and schools, Title II for projects on Federal lands, and Title III for county projects.
The Greater Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) provides recommendations specific to Title II funds expenditure. The 1908 Act defines a wide variety of activities that can be accomplished with Title II funds, most of which focus on restoration or maintenance of infrastructure. Most projects are on federal land, and if proposed projects are on private land, they need to benefit Federal lands or resources.
For more information about the Secure Rural Schools program and all payments, visit: Secure Rural Schools Program.
Past Projects
Public Education Campaigns: In 2022, the Greater Rocky Mountain RAC funded a project on the Rio Grande National Forest, in partnership with the San Luis Valley Get Outdoors coalition, to produce short educational films for the public about dispersed camping etiquette and interacting with multiple uses on the forest.