Steens Mountain Advisory Council
The 12-member Steens Mountain Advisory Council (SMAC) was a special feature of the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000 (Steens Act) (P.L. 106-399). The Steens Act provided long-term protection for the cultural, economic, ecological, and social health of the Steens Mountain Area.
This unique Act created several new management designations on public land on and around the Steens Mountain. The Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA) encompasses 428,156 acres of public land in Harney County, Oregon, including a no-livestock area of 97,229 acres of public land within the 170,084-acre Steens Mountain Wilderness Area.
The SMAC meets approximately four times per year, for 1-2 days per session. All SMAC meetings are open to the public, and the public may contribute during public comment sessions. Unless otherwise approved by the SMAC Chair, the public comment periods will last no longer than 30 minutes, and each speaker can address the SMAC for a maximum of 5 minutes.
Members of the SMAC are appointed for three year terms and serve without monetary compensation. Their travel costs are reimbursed, however, at current rates for Government employees. Each SMAC member must, as a result of training and experience, have knowledge or special expertise which qualifies them to provide advice from among the categories of interest listed below. In addition to these 12 voting members, there is also an additional non-voting member that serves as the State government liaison to the advisory council.
The SMAC's members provide representative counsel and advice to BLM regarding: (1) new and unique approaches to managing the land within the bounds of the Steens Mountain CMPA; (2) cooperative programs and incentives for landscape management that meet human needs and maintain and improve the ecological and economic integrity of the area; and (3) preparation and implementation of a management plan for the CMPA.
Membership
| Member | Interest | Term Start Date | Term End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cliff Volpe |
Dispersed Recreation Representative (appointed from nominees submitted by OR/WA SD) |
2023-11-20 |
2026-11-20 |
|
Tim O'Crowley |
Wild Horse Management on Steens Mountain Representative (appointed from nominees submitted by OR/WA SD) |
2024-05-20 |
2027-05-20 |
|
Pete Runnels |
Recreational Permit Holder / Commercial Recreation Operation in CMPA Representative (appointed from nominees submitted jointly by the OR/WA SD & Harney County Court |
2022-11-17 |
2025-11-17 |
|
Lee Foster |
State Liaison (non-voting) |
2023-09-06 |
2026-09-06 |
|
Stacy Davies |
Grazing permittee on federal lands in CMPA (appointed by nominees submitted by Harney County Court) |
2024-04-03 |
2024-04-03 |
|
Kali Wilson |
Grazing permittee on federal lands in CMPA (appointed by nominees submitted by Harney County Court) |
2023-09-06 |
2026-09-06 |
|
Mike Fox (Chair) |
Private landowner in CMPA (appointed by nominees submitted by Harney County Court) |
2022-11-17 |
2025-11-17 |
|
VACANT |
Burns Paiute Tribe (appointed from nominees submitted by the Burns Paiute Tribe) |
|
|
|
Terry Turner |
Fish & Recreational Fishing in CMPA Representative (appointed by nominees submitted by the Governor of Oregon) |
2022-11-17 |
2025-11-17 |
|
Butch Goette |
Mechanized or Consumptive Recreation Representative (appointed from nominees submitted by OR/WA SD) |
2022-11-17 |
2025-11-17 |
|
Jake Jakubik |
Statewide Interest Representative with No Financial Interest in CMPA (appointed from nominees submitted by the Governor of Oregon) |
2023-11-20 |
2026-11-20 |
|
Karen Withrow |
Environmental Representative - State (appointed from nominees submitted by the Governor of Oregon) |
2022-11-17 |
2025-11-17 |
|
Teresa Wicks |
Environmental Representative - Local (appointed from nominees submitted by the Governor of Oregon) |
2022-11-17 |
2025-11-17 |
Public Lands Access Subcommittee
The SMAC’s Public Lands Access Subcommittee was established in 2015 and serves to research, discuss and evaluate any public access issue in the Steens Mountain CMPA. Issues could relate to parking, hiking, motorized or non-motorized use, public to private land inholding routes and methods of travel, private to public land access by way of easement or other agreement, or purchase or exchange of public and private land for improved access and contiguous landscape. The Subcommittee reviews all aspects of any access issue, formulates suggestions for remedy, and proposes those solutions to the entire SMAC for further discussion and possible recommendation to the BLM.
Recreation and Visitor Use Subcommittee
The SMAC’s Recreation and Visitor Use Subcommittee was established in 2019 and serves to research, discuss and evaluate any recreation and/or visitor use issue in the Steens Mountain CMPA. Issues could relate to parking, hiking, motorized or non-motorized use, camping, access, signage, interpretation, restrooms/sanitation, trail development and maintenance, etc. The Subcommittee reviews all aspects of any recreation issue, formulates suggestions for remedy, and proposes those solutions to the entire SMAC for further discussion and possible recommendation to the BLM.