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Missoula Parks and Recreation Press Release www.missoulaparks.org 721‐PARK (7275) For more information: Morgan Valliant Conservation Lands Manager 552‐6263 Donna Gaukler Parks and Recreation Director 552‐6265 For immediate release, April 27, 2010 through May 5, 2010 Parks and Recreation seeks input on managing open space Missoula Parks and Recreation invites citizens to a Public Open House to present a draft of the City’s new Conservation Lands Management Plan on Wednesday, May 5, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at City Council Chambers, 140 W. Pine Street. City staff will present an overview of the plan and discuss proposed changes to current management practices. Citizens will be asked to comment on the plan’s proposals for recreational uses of open space, vegetation and wildlife management, trail routing, accessibility, seasonal closures and maintenance. The new plan sets the vision, principles, goals and priorities to help guide management of the City’s nearly 3500 acres of conservation lands for the next 10 to 15 years. Citizens are encouraged to attend to learn more about and comment on the City’s plans for the future for Mount Jumbo, Mount Sentinel, the North Hills and the other open space lands scattered throughout the city. Missoulians have made significant investments in open space through the 1995 and 2006 Open Space Bonds, and citizen input is vital to the City’s effective management of these lands. The planning process began in March, 2009 with a public open house to solicit citizen input on open space management issues. Parks and Recreation convened working and technical groups with citizens who had backgrounds and experience in wildland management issues. Along with consultants from Missoula’s Ecosystem Research Group, City staff and the working groups have drafted a plan which provides a framework of research and data to guide policy decisions throughout the City’s open space system. ---PAGE BREAK--- If you can’t attend the open house, please complete an online survey at www.missoulaparks.org from May 6 to May 31. (Hard copies of the survey will be available upon request, phone 721‐PARK.) Comments may also be mailed to Morgan Valliant, Missoula Parks and Recreation, 100 Hickory Street, Missoula, MT 59801 or [EMAIL REDACTED]. A draft of Conservation Lands Management Plan and more information can be found at www.missoulaparks.org. (end)