(1)
(a) There are created five regional advisory
councils which shall consist of at least 12 members and not more than 15
members each from the wildlife region whose boundaries are established for
administrative purposes by the division.
(b) Regional advisory councils shall be
established as follows:
(i) two members who
represent agriculture;
(ii) two
members who represent sportsman;
(iii) two members who represent
nonconsumptive wildlife;
(iv) one
member who represents locally elected public officials;
(v) one member who represents the U.S. Forest
Service;
(vi) one member who
represents the Bureau of Land Management;
(vii) one member who represents Native
Americans where appropriate; and
(viii) two members of the public at large who
represent the interests of the region.
(c) The executive director of the Department
of Natural Resources, in consultation with the director of the Division of
Wildlife Resources, shall appoint additional members to the councils, up to a
total of 15 per region, if deemed necessary to provide adequate representation
of local interests and needs.
(d)
Members of the councils shall serve a term of four years, except members may be
appointed for a term of two years to ensure that the terms of office are
staggered.
(e) Members may serve no
more than two terms, except:
(i) members
representing Native Americans may serve unlimited terms;
(ii) members filling a vacancy under
Subsection (3) for two years or less will not be credited with having served a
term; and
(iii) members who have
served two terms may be eligible to serve an additional two terms after four
years absence from regional advisory council membership.
(f) Members' terms expire on July 1 of the
final year in the appointed term.
(2) The executive director of the Department
of Natural Resources, in consultation with the director of the Division of
Wildlife Resources, may remove members of the councils from office for cause,
but may not do so without a public hearing if requested by the
member.
(3) If a vacancy occurs,
the executive director of the Department of Natural Resources, in consultation
with the director of the Division of Wildlife Resources, shall appoint a
replacement to serve the remainder of the term from a list of nominees
submitted by the respective interest group, agency, or the public at
large.
(4)
(a) Each council shall appoint:
(i) a chair to conduct meetings and present
council recommendations to the Wildlife Board; and
(ii) a vice chair to conduct meetings in the
absence of the chair.
(b) The chair and vice chair shall serve for
a two year term of office, the regional advisory council may re-appoint the
chair and vice chair to serve a second two year term.
(i) neither the chair nor the vice chair may
serve more than two term.
(5) Regional supervisors of the division
shall serve as executive secretary to the councils and shall provide
administrative support.
(6) Each
new member shall attend an orientation course provided by the division to
assist them in the performance of the duties of the their office.
(7) Any member who fails to attend two
consecutive, previously scheduled meetings without contacting the chair shall
be considered to have resigned and shall be replaced as provided in this
section.
