SierraScape February - September 2012
Back to Table of Contents

By John Hickey
Chapter Director, Missouri Sierra Club

On December 13, the Sierra Club, along with a coalition of environmental organizations, submitted more than 5,000 signatures to the National Park Service (NPS) demanding a strong General Management Plan for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The copies of the petition were delivered to the NPS office in the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis.

The NPS is in the process of updating the management plan for the Park, which includes the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. A draft plan is scheduled to be released in early 2012, followed by a public comment period, with the Plan being finalized later in the year. This Plan will guide management of the park for the next twenty years or so.

Local Sierra Club members who participated in the event included Pat Schuba, Geri Friedman, Lisa Hollenbeck, Erin Hindalong, Michael Berg, Ron Coleman, and Greg Iffrig.

Earlier this year, American Rivers named the Ozark National Scenic Riverways as one of the ten Most Endangered Rivers in the country, due to "overuse and poor planning".

Coalition partners at the event included Friends of Ozark Riverways, LAD Foundation, Environment Missouri, Missouri Votes Conservation, the Alpine Shop and the Open Space Council.

To get involved in this critical campaign, please contact the Sierra Club office by phone at 314-644-0890 or by email at emg@missouri.sierraclub.org.