WENATCHEE – The Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest will meet virtually on April 27 to discuss potential funding for 31 projects that benefit watersheds and forest-related resources on national forest lands in three counties in the central Washington area.

Chelan County, Kittitas County, and Yakima County projects will be reviewed on April 27, and Okanogan County projects on June 22. The meeting in April will be held virtually from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or until all committee work has been completed; the May meeting will be an in-person meeting.

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and Colville National Forest have submitted 11 project proposals requesting Title II funding for noxious weed control, road repair and stabilization work, guard station insulation and electrical repairs and trail and trailhead maintenance.

Twenty other projects were submitted by other organizations and include proposals from Chelan County and Okanogan County Noxious Weed Boards and Washington State University for noxious weed control, from Northwest Youth Corps and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance for trail maintenance projects, a puncheon restoration project from Pacific Northwest 4-Wheel Drive Association, a trail reroute project from Chelan County Natural Resources, two projects from Methow Valley Trails Collaborative for trail reconstruction and maintenance and for a trail suspension bridge and a trailhead accessible pit toilet. Other project proposals are for architecture and design of two campgrounds from the non-profit group TREAD, maintenance and repair of Fawn Creek Road from Edelweiss Maintenance Commission, a forest-wide crew leader project from Washington Trails Association, a recreation and aquatic improvement project by Conservation Northwest, a historic structure assessment project from Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, and Tread Lightly! open access campaign project.

Each RAC consists of 15 members who represent a wide variety of citizen interests and are residents of each of the four counties within the two national forests. The committee’s funding recommendations will be forwarded to the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Supervisor for final approval.

All committee meetings are open to the public; a block of time has been reserved for members of the public to comment on proposed projects. Please contact Resource Advisory Committee Coordinator Robin DeMario at 509-664-9292 or robin.demario@usda.gov by Monday, April 25 to register for a public comment opportunity of 3 minutes or less or for information on attending the virtual meeting. Written comments will also be accepted.

In December, seven vacancies will occur on the advisory committee. If interested in becoming a member of the RAC, please contact DeMario for the application form and additional information. For more information on Resource Advisory Committees, go to the Secure Rural Schools website http://bit.ly/2oa2Jay .