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MONTROSE, Colo. – Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the 2013 appointments to the Colorado citizen-based Southwest Resource Advisory Council, which advises the Bureau of Land Management on public land issues.

The Southwest RAC is comprised of 15 members representing a balance of public land resources and users. The BLM Colorado has three RACs, one assigned to each district.

Five members were appointed to advise the Southwest District (Uncompahgre, Gunnison and Tres Rios field offices) including:

• Mary Monroe Brown of Durango is a new member representing developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users and commercial recreation activities. Monroe is the Director of Trails 2000, a nonprofit that provides trail education, advocacy for connectivity and trail building and maintenance  in the Four Corners area. She has performed various roles from serving on the trails group with the San Juan Mountains to chairing the U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge and participated in the Wermosa Wilderness planning process.
• Jonathan Roeber of Paonia is a new member representing elected officials. Roeber is a Delta County Commissioner who served as the Colorado and National Cattlemen’s Federal Lands Chair, the ad-hoc planning group for Delta County, the Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative Stakeholders Group and board of director for the Partners Western Conservation Board. As a grazing permittee holder, he has a firm understanding of resource management on public lands.
• Ernest Williams of Dove Creek is a new member representing elected officials. Williams is a Dolores County Commissioner.  In this capacity, he served as the Co-Vice Chair of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Transportation Planning Regions, the U.S. Forest Service’s RAC for dispensing funds and the Legislative Group for the Lower Dolores River on the U.S. Forest Service Travel Management Plan for Bloggy Glade.
• Barbara Hawke of Montrose is a reappointed member representing a national or regionally recognized environmental organization. Hawke has worked on conservation issues in Colorado since 1999 with The Nature Conservancy, Black Canyon Regional Land Trust and The Wilderness Society.  Currently, she serves on the City of Montrose Planning Commission, Southwest RAC, Uncompahgre Field Office SubRAC and San Miguel Gunnison Sage Grouse Working Group Steering Committee.
• Eric Sanford of Ridgway is a reappointed member representing energy and mineral development interests. Sanford is employed by SG Interests I, Ltd. a natural gas exploration and production company. He is responsible for managing operations and land issues including permitting and regulatory compliance with the BLM.

For more information about this RAC, contact Shannon Borders at 970-240-5399 or go towww.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Resources/racs/swrac.html.