ROGERS, Ark. -- The Army Corps of Engineers is hosting three drop-in public workshops March 15-17 in Fayetteville, Eureka Springs and Bentonville to discuss the Beaver Lake Master Plan and Shoreline Management Plan revision process and seek input from the public. All interested persons are invited.
The drop-in public workshops are from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fayetteville, Ark.; Wednesday, March 16 at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks Conference Center in Eureka Springs, Ark.; and Thursday, March 17 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Bentonville, Ark.
Corps’ master plans set the vision for all use and development of a project’s federal public lands and waters surrounding our reservoirs, recognizing the ongoing activities of others in the watershed; specifically, environmental stewardship and recreation related purposes.
The shoreline management plan establishes policy and furnishes guidelines for the protection and preservation of the environmental characteristics of the shoreline while maintaining a balance between public and private shoreline uses. The shoreline management plan allows individuals to apply for shoreline use permits such as vegetative modification, private floating facilities, etc.
At the drop-in public workshops, a short informational video will play continuously, providing the opportunity for the public to learn more about the master plan and shoreline management plan revision process.
Representatives from the Corps of Engineers will be present to answer questions on the master plan and shoreline management plan revision process and to explain the difference between a master plan and a shoreline management plan. Anyone with any interest in the future management of Beaver Lake is encouraged to attend and participate.
The moratorium on issuing new shoreline use permits will remain in effect until the completion of the master plan and shoreline management plan update process. For more information or to ask specific questions about the moratorium, contact the Beaver Lake Project Office at (479) 636-1210.
The public’s input may be provided at the workshops or at any time during the public comment period. The comment period will run from March 7 through April 8. Comments may be submitted via mail, email, or fax with attention to: Planning Branch, Planning and Environmental, USACE, Little Rock District, P.O. Box 867, Little Rock, AR 72203. Fax: (501) 324-5605, Email: CESWL-BeaverLakeMasterPlan@usace.army.mil .
For more information about the master plan revision process, please visit the following website: http://go.usa.gov/cUts9.