The Army Corps of Engineers is drafting a plan to preserve the ecosystem around the Missouri River. Officials are travelling to cities across the Midwest to receive public opinion.
The Corps is creating a draft of the Missouri River Recovery Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. The plan assesses current regulations involving the river and the endangered species wellbeing.
The Corps is travelling across the Midwest, including South Dakota, to meet with citizens in February. Those attending can read over the draft and give feedback to officials. Aaron Quinn is an Environmental Resource Specialist. He says the public comments offer perspective to the plan.
“The public meetings are a really good opportunity especially at the draft EIS stage for the public to weigh in on a project. So at this point in the study we’ve got a preferred alternative selected or identified, so there are some pretty substantial things the public can comment on. A lot of times during the scoping stage early on in the study, there may be aren’t a lot of details that the public can kind of sink their teeth into. But at this stage we have some alternatives laid out, the impact of those alternatives on a variety of different interests on the river so folks can kind of weigh in on that,” says Quinn.
Quinn says they hope to have the final plan by early 2018.
Meetings:
Fort Peck, MT --Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Fort Peck Interpretive Center
Yellowstone Road
Fort Peck, MT 59223
Bismarck, ND --Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Bismarck State College-National Energy Center of Excellence (Bavendick Ballroom #415)
1500 Edwards Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58506
Pierre, SD – Thursday, February 9, 2017
Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center
Galleria B & C
920 W. Sioux Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501
Omaha, NE - Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Thompson Alumni Center – Bootstrapper Hall
6705 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68182
Kansas City, MO - Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Hilton - Kansas City Airport
Shawnee B
8801 NW 112th Street
Kansas City, MO 64153
St. Louis, MO - Thursday, February 16, 2017
Double Tree by Hilton Hotel – Chesterfield, MO
Ballroom A & B
16625 Swingley Ridge Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017