BLM welcomes new and reappointed members to Alaska Resource Advisory Council

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is pleased to announce the addition of four new and two reappointed members to the Alaska Resource Advisory Council (RAC), the 15-member body tasked with advising BLM on resource and land management issues for approximately 70 million acres of BLM-managed public lands in Alaska.  

The newly appointed members represent a wide range of interests and perspectives including reindeer grazing, Alaska Natives and Tribes, state natural resource agencies, energy and mineral development, and dispersed recreation.  Members, who represent a variety of interests that reflect the agency’s multiple-use mission and Alaska’s diverse population, serve three-year terms as RAC members. New members reinvigorate energy and ideas to the RAC’s work to benefit the BLM and the public the agency serves.  

“The Alaska Resource Advisory Council plays a crucial role in the BLM’s concerted effort to make informed management and development decisions based on the best available science, data and Indigenous knowledge across the state,” said Steve Cohn, BLM Alaska State Director. "Our members bring an invaluable, wide range of experience and perspectives to help keep our landscapes healthy and productive for multiple use, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.” 

Learn more about the new and reappointed Alaska RAC members below. 

New members: 

Nathan Baring joins the RAC representing the Grazing category. Baring is Program Director of the Reindeer Herders Association (RHA) for Kawerak, Inc., the Tribal non-profit corporation of Alaska's Bering Strait region. As director, he represents 21 Alaska Native reindeer herders on the Seward Peninsula in building a sustainable reindeer economy. The reindeer herders utilize public grazing permits in maintaining their way of life and providing a measure of food security for their local communities.      

Charles Lean joins the RAC representing dispersed recreation interests. Lean has extensive experience as a fish and wildlife biologist, especially in western and the Northwest Arctic Region of Alaska. Lean has worked for a variety of state and federal agencies applying his scientific expertise and has volunteered for 17 years as an advisor and eventual chair, to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Board of Fisheries. Lean’s also been involved with the Western Arctic Caribou Herd (WACH) Working Group.   

Doreen Leavitt joins the RAC representing the Elected Official category. Leavitt is an Inupiaq from Barrow, Alaska who has served in many capacities within the North Slope and has focused her career on public health issues for the region. Leavitt is currently employed as the natural resources director for Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS), a federally recognized regional Tribe in northern Alaska. Additionally, she has served on numerous boards nationally, statewide, and locally. In her current position as the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope Council Secretary, Leavitt represents ICAS on the Ilisagvik College Board of Trustees and the Inuit Circumpolar Council Food Sovereignty Workgroup, and is an advisory member of the Alaska Nannut Co-Management Council 

Robyn McGhee joins the RAC representing the Energy & Minerals category. McGhee has nearly two decades of experience working in environmental science for ConocoPhillips in Alaska and has spent considerable time in advisory roles for nonprofits and government. McGhee couples her servant style leadership with remarkable depth in relationship building, scientific and legal expertise including greenhouse gases, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and physical sciences such as permafrost. 

Reappointed members: 

Rod Arno returns to the RAC representing dispersed recreation. Arno brings to the RAC more than 30 years of experience as a professional wilderness guide in remote areas of Alaska and a strong understanding of federal land management laws, specifically the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. He has represented those interest groups in front of the Alaska State Board of Fisheries and Game, Federal Subsistence Board, Alaska State Legislature, state and federal courts, and during federally mandated NEPA processes.  

Jeff Bruno returns to the RAC representing a state agency responsible for natural resources. Bruno spent more than a decade working for the state’s Department of Natural Resources as a natural resource manager. Bruno now leads a team of 25 whose projects range from major pipeline proposals and remote infrastructure projects to land management policy and plans.  

With the addition of the new and reappointed members onboard, the BLM Alaska RAC has two remaining board member openings. A call for nominations is anticipated in the coming months. Interested members of the public should follow the nomination instructions provided online. For more information on the BLM Alaska RAC and how you can get involved, visit http://www.blm.gov/Alaska/RAC.