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Membership

Who should serve on the RAC?

Any individual who cares about the maintenance and improvement of communities in and around the national forests. Projects include roads, recreation, infrastructure, tourism, natural resource restoration, and job creation. Expertise in these areas is not required, but a commitment to attend RAC meetings and be an engaged participant in the project review process is essential. Anyone may apply to serve on the RAC and individuals representing minority, disability, veteran, urban, or low-income communities are especially encouraged to apply.

Why serve on a RAC?

  • RAC members will have an impact on how millions of federal dollars are spent by voting on Title II funding proposals and recommending proposals to the Forest Supervisor for approval.
  • Build your professional skills. The committee provides opportunities to work as a team, navigate complex conversations on project prioritization, and program organization following FACA policy.
  • Travel expenses are reimbursed during the voting meetings, which are virtual and in-person.

Membership Commitment

  • RAC members are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture for four-year terms.
  • The annual time commitment includes 1-2 one-day meetings per year, several administrative meetings, and personal time to review proposals. That may average around 40 hours annually.
  • Must abide by the ethics guidelines(training PDF) for Federal Advisory Committees 

Interest Groups

  • A RAC must have between 9 to 15 members representing various interests and areas of expertise. Interest groups are established by the national Charter and are divided into three categories- A, B, and C. Each category has 3-5 members. To hold a voting RAC meeting, at least 3 members from each category need to be present.
Category ACategory BCategory C
3-5 persons that represent:3-5 persons that represent:3-5 persons that represent:
  • 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;
  • the commercial timber industry;
  • hold Federal grazing or other land use permits, or represent nonindustrial private forest land owners, within the area for which the committee 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 a designee);
  • hold county or local elected office;
  • represent American Indian tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the committee is organized;
  • are school officials or teachers;
  • represent the affected public at large.

Requirements

  • Be a resident from the State of Alaska, from any borough.
  • Live at or adjacent to the Resource Advisory Committee (see maps on individual RAC pages).
  • Not currently serve in another FACA Committee.
  • Not previously served two (2) consecutive USDA RAC terms in a row (1 term is 4 years). If you are part of an inactive RAC, your time still counts towards your term. If you served two RAC terms outside of USDA, you can still apply to this USDA RAC.
  • Not work for a federal organization in the current position; past positions are okay.
  • Not be a retired teacher if applying under the "school officials or teachers" interest group, but can qualify under other interest groups with other experience.
  • If applying as an elected official, the applicant must provide a letter from their office stating they are a current elected official unless the applicant's status as elected official is readily available to the public via an official webpage from their office.
  • If applying as a tribal citizen, the applicant must attach a letter from the tribe stating that the applicant can act for and on behalf of the Tribe as a Tribal elected official or Tribal appointed official. This is per USDA Regulation 1350-002, bullet point 6.D.2. 

How to Apply

The Alaska RAC's are always accepting applications from prospective new members! Applications are accepted year-round, and those received outside a recruitment window will be stored and considered during future recruitment periods. To apply, complete the following items:

  • Fill out the background check Form AD-755  (outdated as of 2/4/25, new form to be posted soon)
  • Cover letter or email explaining your experience in the interest group(s) mentioned above. It’s encouraged to list more than one interest group.
  • Resume. This is only used to match your experience with the interest groups.
  • Online Form or PDF version. This is used to help complete the internal forms making the nomination packet. 

Please note that clearance procedures will not be instituted if the biographical data is insufficient to permit a background review.

Submit the packet to Carlos De La Torre at carlos.delatorre@usda.gov. or you can mail the packet to the address below:

ATTN: Carlos De La Torre
US Forest Service
161 E 1st Ave Door 8
Anchorage, AK 99501

If there are any urgent questions, he can be reached at 907-738-2758.

Thank you for your interest in serving on the Resource Advisory Committee!

Nomination Packet Approval Timeline

  1. Alaska RAC Coordinators - Recruitment and outreach: 3-12 months
  2. Alaska RAC Coordinators - Completion of nomination packet (14 forms) from the submitted applicant information: 1-2 weeks
  3. FS Headquarters - Make form corrections: 1 week
  4. FACA - Make form corrections, background checks: 1-3 months
  5. FS Chief's Office - Review and sign: 1-2 weeks
  6. NRE Undersecretary  - Review and sign: 1-2 months
  7. While House Liaison's Office, OSEC - Review and sign: 1-2 months
  8. USDA Secretary - Review and approve: 1-2 months
  9. At any point there's corrections needed, the review cycle starts over again.   

Member Tasks

  1. Once the applicants become members with the approval of the USDA secretary, the RAC Coordinator will provide guidance.
  2. Administrative meetings take place to discuss expectations, program process, and direct to training resources.
  3. Members vote for a RAC chair.
  4. Members discuss and finalize the RAC bylaws (optional).
  5. Members learn about Ethics, FACA, SRS Act, project submission process, and funding available - Payment information
  6. The chair and RAC Coordinator prepare the Request for Proposals announcements
  7. Members review the proposal files to rate for funding
  8. Members listen and ask questions during the presentations of applicants at the voting meeting

Chair and RAC Coordinator Tasks

  1. Chair facilitates meetings once they're selected by the RAC
  2. Chair works closely with RAC Coordinator to organize training materials and ensure members comply with their responsibilities
  3. RAC Coordinator prepares the Request for Proposals announcements to FRN and as News Release
  4. RAC Coordinator organizes and forwards proposal documents to the RAC
  5. Chair and RAC Coordinator facilitates administrative meetings and the voting meetings
  6. Chair organized provides the recommended projects to the Forest Supervisor
  7. RAC Coordinator works with project awardees to process contracts or agreements
  8. RAC Coordinator and Chair outreach for new members and promote the SRS program
Graphic with Cycle of Secure Rural Schools Program

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Last updated July 1, 2026

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