December 8, 2012
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways protect two of Missouri's great treasures - the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers.The National Park Service is right now developing its new Roads and Trails management plan. The choice is stark. Right now trucks, cars and ATVs use illegal access points which damage the rivers and gravel bars. In addition, excessive horse traffic is causing e. coli contamination of both rivers. We need to stand up for the rivers!
The Park Service will use your comments to make decisions about the rivers that will affect actions for decades to come. They are giving people the option of choosing between three alternative plans. Of the three, the Sierra Club supports Alternative B as the best way to protect the rivers.
Below is a summary of the Sierra Club position for the Roads and Trails Management Plan. We recommend this information as a guide to your comments. Please add your own experiences on the river if you have personal experiences. The most important thing for you to do to support the Sierra Club position is to make sure that you start your comments by writing: I prefer Alternative B.
Please go to this link to comment.
Sierra Club Comment Guide
I prefer Alternative B.
1. Closing Roads - There are too many harmful and poorly managed roads that lead to unauthorized access points to the riverbank and gravel bars. Alternative B closes the most miles of roads which lead to unauthorized river access.
2. Trail Mileage - I support hiking only trails, like the new proposed section downstream from Big Springs Campground. I oppose combined biking and hiking trails because often those uses are not compatable. Mountain bikes already have space on public roads and some trails. New biking trails should be designed just for biking.
3. New Trail Projects - I am a member of the Sierra Club and our organization has provided volunteers to do trail building and maintenance on the Ozark Trail. We will continue to be willing to help with new these new trails too.
4. Horse trail river crossings - Large horse parties crossing the river pose a hazard for canoeists, and have caused dangerous levels of e. coli in the Jacks Fork River. It is vital to shut down the undesignated horse crossing points.
5. Recreation areas along the rivers - There are about 160 access points along the Current & Jacks Fork Rivers. The NPS should close all the undesignated accesses, and reduce the allowed accesses to the lower number in Alternative B.
6. Infrastructure for horses - I oppose developing any new horse camp, and oppose a second horse staging area, until the NPS develops a system to regulate the overuse of this resource by large commercial trail rides.
7. Vehicle access to gravel bars - motorized vehicles have no place on gravel bars in the rivers, and ruin the experience for the much larger community of floaters and swimmers who want to enjoy the Park. Watercraft access to gravel bars for camping is appropriate.