The National Park Service\/Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) has announced that there will be no further public meetings planned concerning the disposition of the Coldwater Spring property. A further meeting had been announced for mid-April, but that meeting will not take place. The decision appears to be the result of what happened at the Open House on February 23, 2009, at which some of those attending insisted on speaking publicly on the various issues involved in front of all those gathered, rather than speaking individually to the officials present. The decision was announced in an email to several of those interested in what happens to the Coldwater\/Bureau of Mines property.<\/p>\n
Email from Steven P. Johnson of MNRRA, April 7, 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks, both of you [Waziyatawin and\u00a0Wicanhpi Iyotan Win\u00a0Autumn Cavender-Wilson], for asking about the future of public engagement on\u00a0the Coldwater site (former Bureau of Mines).<\/p>\n We have received considerable public input concerning restoration of the\u00a0site and spring, and are proceeding to plan accordingly. You had asked\u00a0about another public meeting. When we first began working on site\u00a0restoration planning in November, we contemplated having two public\u00a0meetings on that topic. As we got further into the issue, it seemed clear\u00a0that one meeting would be adequate. That meeting (February 23) and the\u00a0subsequent 30-day comment period provided us with ample public input about\u00a0site restoration alternatives.<\/p>\n I know both of you are primarily interested in the future of ownership\/management of the site. We are working on completion of the\u00a0Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which will be based on the\u00a0preferred alternative identified by the property owner, the Department of\u00a0the Interior. That preferred alternative, as you recall, is that the site \u00a0and spring be restored and that the Department of the Interior retain ownership, assigning management to the National Park Service. As was\u00a0described to you in February, we hope to complete the FEIS and publish it\u00a0about mid-June.<\/p>\n When it is published, we will notify you and many others of its\u00a0availability. I have email addresses for the many people who have already\u00a0submitted comments directly to us on this topic, and will notify each of\u00a0them.<\/p>\n Publication of the FEIS triggers a 30-day written comment period in which it will be appropriate for individuals and organizations to comment on the\u00a0Department of the Interior’s preferred alternative for future management of\u00a0the site. Autumn, you will want to resubmit your petition at that time.\u00a0All comments received during that 30-day period will be forwarded to the\u00a0Department of the Interior, which will evaluate the FEIS and the comments\u00a0received before making a final decision. The Department of the Interior’s\u00a0final decision will be announced in a document called a Record of Decision.\u00a0I would hope that Record of Decision would be issued in Fall 2009 so that\u00a0we can move toward site restoration.<\/p>\n Steven P. Johnson Email: Steven_P_Johnson@nps.gov<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The National Park Service\/Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) has announced that there will be no further public meetings planned concerning the disposition of the Coldwater Spring property. A further meeting had been announced for mid-April, but that meeting will not take place. The decision appears to be the result of what happened at … Continue reading No more meetings about the Coldwater\/Bureau of Mines site<\/span>
\nChief of Resource Management
\nMississippi National River and Recreation Area
\nNational Park Service
\n111 E. Kellogg Blvd., Suite 105
\nSt. Paul, MN 55101<\/p>\n