Coalition presents signatures for management plan for Ozark National Scenic Riverways

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A coalition of environmental groups presented more than 4,400 signatures Tuesday to the National Park Service asking for a strong management plan of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, which includes the Current and Jacks Fork rivers.

The signatures were collected this summer during a canvas of the St. Louis area, said Stuart Keating, a state advocate with Environment Missouri, which is part of the coalition.

Environment Missouri advocates for a management plan that creates a similar experience to what visitors would have had when the park first opened. With nearly 80,000 acres, ONSR was created 30 years ago and was the first national park to protect a river system.

A draft general management plan is expected to be released for public review in spring or winter of 2013, ONSR spokeswoman Faye Walmsley said. Portions of the draft are being clarified and will have to be reviewed at the regional and national level before it is reopened for public comment.

The park service began creating a new management plan more than three years ago. When completed, it is expected to guide the park for the next 15 to 20 years.

Initial proposals offered a range of options, from more development and access for the public, to tighter restrictions on boat horsepower and land use.

With nearly 1.4 million visitors in 2011, ONSR ranked 50th among 367 national recreation areas in terms of visitors.

The high volume of use requires plans in place to manage use and protect the rivers and land, according to Keating. Use of illegal roads by ATVs contributes to the degradation of stream beds and by horses to dangerous E. coli blooms in streams and rivers, Keating said.

The Ozarks Club, formed in Shannon County earlier this year, has countered there also needs to be protection for residents and their traditional ways.

John Brewer, president of the group, said they want assurances jet boats will not be banned from the rivers, and that access points, cemeteries and family home places will be protected. He does not believe there is conclusive proof erosion problems can be attributed to use and would like to see gravel mined from the river beds.

Brewer worries too many restrictions on use will prevent the elderly, very young or handicapped from using much of the Riverways.

When asked about the petition effort, he said, "The one great thing about it is that we have so many people who care about this."

There is something special about the Current and Jacks Fork rivers, Brewer continued.

Brewer believes the people who live in the area and who earn their livelihood from the rivers want to protect them, but do not need tight federal restrictions to do so.

The Ozarks Club also plans to hold public meetings throughout the area in connection with the management plan process, but none are scheduled at this time.

The petition coalition also includes Sierra Club Missouri Chapter, Friends of Ozark Riverways, American Rivers, Ozark Mountain Paddlers, St. Louis Adventure Group, The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region, Ozark Greenways, Audubon Missouri, James River Basin Alliance, and the Ozark Wilderness Waterways Club. Keating estimated membership of these groups is more than 10,000.