Corps seeks input on Mississippi River master plan

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is revising its Upper Mississippi River Master Plan and is seeking the public’s input.

The master plan is a guiding document that governs how the Corps’ federal lands are managed for recreation and environmental stewardship. The strategic land use and recreation management document will guide the district’s comprehensive management and development of natural, recreational and cultural resources of the Upper Mississippi River basin for years to come. The master plan, while conceptual in nature, serves as the vision for both environmental stewardship and recreation as the Corps continues to serve the public in the 21st century.

The current master plan was approved in 1988 and was supplemented with a “Land Use Plan” in 2011, which was an interagency document that also included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands managed for habitat as part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Reviewing the Corps’ master plan affords the public the opportunity to provide input on refuge land use as well.

“We’re trying to get out in front and give the people who value the river a chance to help steer the direction of the updated plan,” said Megan O’Brien, lead planner. “We are asking, whether you use the river or not but value its existence, to provide us your input on the future of the river.”

_{Source: leadertelegram.com}