What will it be like in 20 years?
The park's General Management Plan (GMP) is the guiding document that will steer the management of the park for the next 20 years and more, providing direction to the current and future administrators of the park. The Wilderness Study is an evaluation of an area near Big Spring for possible designation and management as "wilderness."
A newsletter of Preliminary Alternatives was developed using public comments received on comment forms and on the park website, as well as during meetings in September 2006. The Preliminary Alternatives newsletter was made available in May 2009 for review and comment. An electronic version is posted on the internet and can be found via the link below.
The NPS received a tremendous response to the Preliminary Alternatives for the GMP. The turnout at the five June 2009 open houses was very large and a high volume of written comments was submitted. We understand that there is a high level of interest in these comments and to insure transparency in our process, we have posted the following documents on the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website. These documents can be downloaded and printed:
· Public Comment Summary
· Tables of Complete Comments that are sorted by:
o Order they were entered into the database
o Zip code
· Open House Flip Chart Comments (5 files)
· Maps showing distribution and density of public comments
Visit the PEPC website in order to review documents related to the General Management Plan/Wilderness Study process:
Given the variety of concerns and suggestions from the public, the NPS will be doing additional work in 2010 and 2011 to revise and refine the planning alternatives and develop the agency’s preferred alternative. Included in this process will be work to better understand the impacts of these alternatives on the natural, cultural, social, and economic environment of the national riverways. The park will also be seeking funding to complete studies in the areas of social and natural science to support agency decisions.
The revised alternatives, including the NPS preferred alternative, will be presented in a printed Draft General Management Plan/Wilderness Study/Environmental Impact Statement. Upon release of this document, there will be an extensive public review and comment period. The NPS Midwest Regional Director will not approve a final management plan until all comments on the draft plan are reviewed and considered.
We are always interested in hearing from you on any issue. To send general email to the park’s managers, click here.
or send written comments to:
Superintendent, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, P.O. Box 490, Van Buren, MO 63965
(Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.)
