JEFFERSON CITY —Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville, and Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, will host a question-and-answer meeting from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Houston Storm Shelter (191 North First Street, Pine Street entrance) in Houston. The meeting, Sen. Cunningham said, will serve as an opportunity for constituents to ask questions and give feedback to legislators about the National Park Service’s proposed General Management Plan of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
“Although this is a federal issue we are seeking comment and input from local residents. This is an issue that affects all of us,” Sen. Cunningham said.
This meeting will follow two earlier meetings in which public comment will be allowed. Those meetings are at the Van Buren Youth and Community Center (1204 County Rd. D, Van Buren, MO 63965) on Dec. 10 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. From 8 p.m.-9 p.m., National Park Service (NPS) staff will detail its desire to turn over 3,430 acres for designation as wilderness territory. From 10 a.m.–noon on Dec. 11, another public comment session will be hosted by NPS staff at the Salem City Hall Auditorium (located on the corners of Washington and Second streets, main floor) in Salem.
The NPS is proposing a change to the General Management Plan of the Ozark National Scenic Riverway. Sen. Cunningham and Rep. Ross, along with 23 other lawmakers recently sent a letter to the director of the NPS, stating their concerns. Sen. Cunningham said that the riverways and the tourism they create impact local businesses, and more. “The citizens who are affected by these changes must be heard. It is their livelihood, their jobs, homes, and recreational futures that are being impacted by these decisions.”
To learn more about the upcoming meeting in Houston regarding NPS’s plans for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, please contact Sen. Cunningham’s Capitol office at (573) 751-1882. |
