|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
July 31, 2002NPS to rework its park proposal- Preferred alternative called for limiting public access, eliminating species; letter says changes likelyBy STACEY SMITHRecord-Eagle staff writer EMPIRE - The National Park Service is backing off plans to limit road access to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and remove coho salmon from the Platte River, saying it needs to use common sense and rebuild the community's trust. In a "letter to the public" sent to the Record-Eagle, lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Shultz said the National Park Service is re-evaluating its management plan following a host of outspoken criticism of its preferred alternative. The management plan is meant to satisfy a federal mandate that federal parkland suitable for wilderness be managed as wilderness. The preferred alternative would have eliminated coho salmon in the Platte River and deer on North Manitou Island because they are "non-native" species. The plan also would have closed some county roads into the park, some of which would then be used as trails. Shultz emphasized in her letter how preliminary the planning is. The document describing the park service's preferred alternative for the 71,000-acre park was a "newsletter" and not the plan itself, she said. "We often find ourselves in a dilemma in a public planning process," Shultz said in the letter. "By naming a preferred alternative, we are viewed as having made up our minds; if we do not select a preferred alternative, we are viewed as not wanting to air our thoughts." Comments on the plan are being heard, she said, and the park service will release a draft of the general management plan for further public input this winter. She said as the park service re-evaluates its plan it will use "common sense" and try to rebuild "a sense of trust." Shultz said the park service has heard many comments from the public regarding the preferred plan, some of them positive. One of the public's main concerns is access and road closures. The plan calls for about 14 miles of road in Benzie County and 30 miles of road in Leelanau County to be closed, with some of the roads being converted to trails. "We are willing to re-evaluate the road closure issues," Shultz said in her letter. "We know that Benzie and Leelanau counties have most of the road rights-of-way which were proposed to be converted to trails or reclaimed. We realize that until such time as the roads become available, this particular proposal is beyond our authority. We will seek solutions, where our mandate allows, and be flexible where possible." In June, the Leelanau County Road Commission said it would retain ownership of the roads and not relinquish them to the park service. Earlier this month, the county board of commissioners agreed with the road commission. Another major concern among the comments was the elimination of coho planting in the Platte River, Shultz said. The National Park Service has set a goal to preserve and restore as much of the natural environment as possible, including the elimination of non-native species in the lakeshore. Fishing groups such as the Benzie Fishery Coalition have criticized the plan, saying it would be devastating to the economy in Benzie County where many of the seasonal businesses rely on spring and fall fishing to get them through the winter months. The Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Commission also have opposed the plan, saying they were not contacted prior to the plan being drafted regarding the salmon planting. Salmon at the Platte River Fish Hatchery provide eggs for coho programs throughout the state, said hatchery manager Chuck Pecor. "Before proposing the elimination of non-native fish in the preliminary preferred alternative, we should have consulted more extensively with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to determine the feasibility of such an action," Shultz said in her letter. "Based on what we now know and in consideration of the related environmental and economic impacts, it is very likely that the proposal to remove Coho salmon will be eliminated from future proposals." The superintendent's comments did little to reassure fishery coalition president Ed McIntosh. "They've got to do a lot more than that to regain the public trust," he said. Public comment on the management plan has been extended until Sept. 2. Shultz said there likely will be changes to the plan when the draft proposal is presented next winter. Written comments can be sent to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 9922 Front Street, Empire, MI 49630-9797, or can be posted online at www.nps.gov/slbe. Stacey Smith is the reporter for Leelanau, Manistee and Benzie counties. She can be reached at (231) 933-1408, or at ssmith@record-eagle.com |
|
