Region 8

Contact Information

USDA Forest Service
Southern Region (R8)
1720 Peachtree Road, NW
Atlanta, GA 30309

Phone: (404) 347-4177
Fax : (404) 347-1781

Resource Advisory Committees

Recreation Resource Advisory Committee Seeking Members

The U.S. Forest Service is seeking nominations to fill four positions on the Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee to serve national forests across the Southeast. The committee is tasked with reviewing fee proposals for the forests in 13 southern states and Puerto Rico and recommending fee changes.

Potential nominees must represent the following forest-related interests:

Category One: Five people who represent recreation users, one in each position: camping, summer motorized, summer non-motorized, wildlife and nature viewing/viewing of interpretive sites and hunting and fishing. The target for recruitment for 2018 is for one committee member to represent camping and one that could represent non-motorized recreation.
Category Two: Three people who represent interest groups that include: outfitter and guides (two positions), and local environmental groups (one position). The target for recruitment for 2018 is for one committee member to represent local environmental groups.
Category Three: Three people, one in each position: State tourism official, a person who represents affected local government interests, and a person who represents affected Indian tribes’ issues. The target for recruitment for 2018 is for one committee member to represent local government.

Completed nomination forms are due by Monday, October 1, 2018.

Members will be appointed for three-year terms based on the following criteria:

Which interest groups they represent and how well they are qualified to represent that group.
Why they want to serve on the committee and what they can contribute.
Their past experience in working successfully as part of a collaborative group.

Nominees’ demonstrated ability to represent minorities, women and persons with disabilities will be considered in membership selections. U.S. Department of Agriculture policies regarding equal opportunity will be followed. Committee members will receive travel and per diem expenses for regularly scheduled meetings; however, they will not receive compensation. The committee’s jurisdiction will cover the national forests in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Puerto Rico.

For more information contact Caroline Mitchell at 501-321-5318 or r8_rrac@fs.fed.us. Completed nomination forms are due by October 1, 2018 to: Recreation RAC Nomination, P.O. Box 1270, Hot Springs, Arkansas, 79102.

The Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (Recreation RAC) will hold its next meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. The purpose of the meeting is to receive recommendations concerning recreation fee proposals on areas managed by the Forest Service in Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Texas and South Carolina. A summary of the proposals that may be discussed at this meeting is available here.

DATE: The meeting will be held August 27 and August 28, 2018, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. All Recreation RAC meetings are subject to cancellation. For status of the meeting, please contact Tiffany Williams, Southern Region Recreation RAC Coordinator by phone at 404-347-2769, or by email at r8_rrac@fs.fed.us

ADDRESS: The meeting will be held in Asheville, North Carolina. The morning portion of Monday, August 27 will be field based. The afternoon session will be from 1:00 – 4:00 at the Cradle of Forestry Conference Room, physical address: 11250 Pisgah Hwy, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768. Individuals wishing to join the field trip will be responsible for their own transportation- contact Tiffany Williams (above) a minimum of 5 days prior to meeting date for additional logistics and information. Tuesday, August 28 the meeting will be held at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel, 31 Woodfin Street, Asheville, NC 2880. The meeting will be available via teleconference at 1-888-844-9904, participant code 1482357, Monday 1:00- 4:00 and 8:30-5:30 Tuesday. Teleconference is not available for the field based portions of the meeting.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The meeting is open to the public. An agenda will be posted on this website 7 days prior to the meeting. Anyone who would like to bring related matters to the attention of the committee may provide written or oral comments. Written comments should be submitted to Chris Sporl, Designated Federal Official for the Southern Recreation RAC, US Forest Service, 1720 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, or r8_rrac@fs.fed.us at least 5 days prior to the meeting.

Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.