Ozark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) Superintendent Bill Black announced Wednesday, Dec. 3, that the Final General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Final GMP) will be available online for public review on Friday, Dec. 12.

“The final General Management Plan establishes a new long-term vision for Ozark National Scenic Riverways and provides guidance that will help us fulfill that vision,” a press release announced.

Black said public involvement was a key element in the plan.

“The public helped us mold this General Management Plan,” he said. “Our entire management team is grateful and we look for continuing support and collaboration in the future.”

The Final GMP represents careful consideration of a wide range of public comments received following the release of the draft general management plan in November 2013. Black said public input drove several revisions that appear in the Final GMP. A summary of the public comments and National Park Service responses are included in the Final GMP.

The Final GMP will be available on the National Park Service website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ozarkgmp beginning Dec. 12.

Because the entire document is over 600 pages in length, the number of printed copies has been kept to a minimum. For convenience, CDs and an informational newsletter are available upon request by contacting the Riverways at 573-323-4236. For those who are already on the Riverways’ mailing list, the informational newsletter will be automatically mailed to the address on file and should arrive very soon after Dec. 12.

A 30-day, no-action period will follow the release of the Final GMP this Friday.

After that time, the National Park Service Midwest Regional Director will sign a record of decision that approves the final plan and documents the alternative selected for implementation. National Park Service approval does not guarantee that the funding or staffing needed for its implementation are immediately forthcoming.

As always, the staff looks forward to hearing from the public and encourages all to visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/ozar or the ONSR Facebook page for further updates. For more information, please contact Dena Matteson at 573-323-8028 or dena_matteson@nps.gov.

Source: National Park Service