Park Superintendent Mark Woods addressed a crowd of about 30 people who were on hand for the 1-3 p.m. meeting. Woods gave a brief history of the happenings in the park for the last 15 months and what direction the park is now going. He explained that the older master plan that was started in 1978 is now for the most part complete. This new plan that the park is working on will pick up where the older plan left off.
In August and September of 2004, public meetings were conducted to identify issues and ask for the public's concerns and ideas on the future of the National Park. The alternatives that were discussed during the meetings come from input received on the 2004 meetings.
The park has three prospective plans drafted for the park's development. “Alternative A” as it is being called is simply a continuation of what the park is already doing. Two other options, “Alternative B” and “Alternative C” explore several new ideas and options for the development. Both of these plans include Fern Lake - the water source for the city of Middlesboro and a piece of private property that the park has been trying to obtain for over a year now for a $7 million dollar price tag.
“A lot of people are probably thinking ‘Why are you even talking about Fern Lake when you don't even own Fern Lake?',” said Woods. “It's a good question. I think this is the appropriate time for us to hear from the public on how they would like to see that property developed should the park service acquire it, which I certainly hope the park service can do.”
Woods said it was authorized by congress for the park to acquire the Fern Lake watershed, which is estimated to be around 4,500 acres, from willing sellers only. He said the park is currently waiting for a final appraisal from the contractor who has completed the process for the park. That appraisal is being viewed by another agency in the federal government and when completed, he said, the area will be appraised and the next step will be to negotiate with the land owners.
Woods said if the park ends up not being able to purchase the lake, then that part of the plan would be deleted from the General Management Plan (GMP). As far as other areas of recreation and planning, he said some interest has been expressed for accommodating bicyclers and horse back riders.
“Horseback riding has been a big issue with the park,” he said. “We are trying to work with folks in the community who might want to operate a riding establishment outside the park and having guided tours inside the park.”
One local resident attending the meeting asked if fishing would be allowed at the lake if it was acquired. Woods said it would be but with some guidelines. He said one of the major desires the public expressed in 2004 was more access to the park.
Many in the meeting agreed it would be a shame for the park to acquire the lake and then to see a big lock on the gate keeping people out at certain times. Woods agreed and said more access to the park will play a big role in the GMP.
The next steps after the public meetings will be for the park to take those ideas brought to them and draft the GMP for the Spring of 2006. Then in the summer of that year, more meetings will be held for the public to gather input on the draft plan. If all goes well, the final plan will be put in place by winter/spring of 2007.
The park will be holding two more public meetings today, starting at 1pm at the park's visitor's center and another this evening from 6-8 p.m.
“It is your National Park so I encourage you to share with us your thoughts because, in my opinion, the plan that is ultimately done will only be as good as the input we've received from the community,” said Woods.
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