Niobrara Announces River Management Workshops

Date: March 29, 2012
Contact: Dan Foster, 402-376-1901 x101

Niobrara NSR Announces River Management Plan Public Workshops

VALENTINE, NE - Niobrara National Scenic River is beginning the process of developing a River Management Plan and environmental assessment (RMP).The purpose of the RMP is to provide enjoyable visitor experiences consistent with the preservation of the river's outstandingly remarkable values (ORVs) as identified in the 2007 General Management Plan (GMP) and refined with input from stakeholders.

The major goals of this planning process are to establish guidelines to manage and protect the ORVs, define zones of visitor use and appropriate activities within those zones, and establish limits of acceptable change from human use and suggest appropriate actions to mitigate impacts.

Because the RMP process will analyze many important issues, your participation is encouraged and needed.Your ideas will ensure a better plan for management of this national treasure.

Please attend and participate in one of the upcoming workshops.They will provide an overview of the planning process and include small group discussions on resource monitoring and protection.Sign-in begins at 6:30 pm and workshops begin promptly at 7:00 pm.

·April 16, 2012 Valentine - NPS Headquarters, 214 W. Hwy 20

·April 17, 2012 Ainsworth - Elks Lodge, 111 East 3^rd

·April 18, 2012 Grand Island - Howard Johnson Hotel, 3333 Ramada Road

·April 19, 2012 Omaha - NPS MWR Headquarters, 601 Riverfront Dr.

Please review the ORV Workshop Report available at the park's website: https://www.nps.gov/niob/parkmgmt/index.htm and come prepared to discuss positive and negative impacts to the ORVs, how impacts can be monitored, how the impacts can be mitigated or improved, and what "zones" of use might look like to protect ORVs.

Your comments are important and can be provided to us until May 31, 2012.This can be done on the NPS Planning, Environment & Public Comment (PEPC) website (https://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/niob) or through mail to:

Superintendent Dan Foster
Attn: River Management Plan/EA Comments
Niobrara National Scenic River
214 W. Hwy 20
Valentine, NE 69201

Using public input from these workshops a draft RMP is expected to be produced by Spring 2013 followed by a public review period and public meetings.Input from that round of meetings will be incorporated in the Final RMP anticipated to be complete in Spring of 2014.

Documents prepared during this planning effort will be available online at the above PEPC website and at public libraries in the local area.Notices about the River Management Planning process will be posted on the park website, the PEPC website, and announced in local newspapers. Please take time to share your thoughts with us.

If you have questions, please contact Dan Foster or Pamela Sprenkle at 402-376-1901.

The National Park Service cares for special places so that all Americans may enjoy our shared heritage.

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