Lake Oversight Board Hears Public Comments On Future Of TRL
March 12, 2020
The Table Rock Lake Oversight Committee listens to a member of the public during the March 5 meeting of the federally organized group. A court reporter was present to document all comments, which will be made available online.
Isaac Estes-Jones
Solar powered boat docks and cedar trees along the lake dominated the discussion at the second public meeting of the Table Rock Lake Oversight Committee on Thursday, March 5.
The day-long public hearing was again held at the Dewey Short Visitors Center near Branson. Several public comments were offered to the group, along with presentations on solar power for docks, carrying capacity for the lake and the commercial remote service dock program.
This was the second of four planned meetings. The Table Rock Lake Oversight Committee (TRLOC) is tasked with representing the public users of the lake as the US Army Corps of Engineers finishes the years long update of the shoreline management plan. This document, along with the Table Rock Lake Master Plan, governs how lands around the lake can be used. The final versions of these documents will be revealed in July.
Vegetation management on Corps property, which encircles the whole lake, was the topic of several comments and a discussion amongst the board. In particular, members of the public expressed concerns with cedar trees growing along the shore, blocking their view and access to the lake.
Under the proposed changes, those with vegetative management permits would be allowed to remove cedar trees with a diameter of up to three inches, when measured at ground level. Some of the public comments, delivered both in person and online, indicate this may not be enough. Full transcripts of the public comments from Thursday’s meeting are not yet available, but should be online in the coming weeks. A court reporter transcribed the entirety of the meeting.
While the January meeting was cancelled due to forecasted bad weather, several land owners still came to the meeting place, not having gotten the cancelation news in time. One of those spoke during the open portion of last Thursday’s meeting, saying “About five of us came in January and had a meeting for ourselves. The number one thing that came up was cedar trees,” said LJ Plumlee, who owns lake property in Eagle Rock. “I have water front properties that I can’t sell because they have no view of the lake through the trees. Texas, Nebraska and other states have declared war on cedar trees. Just let us manage them,” he said.
Another attendee requested clarification on guidance concerning dead trees, reporting he had received conflicting information.
In response to these and other requests, members of the TRLOC requested more information on cedar tree management and asked for it to be included in the agenda for the next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, May 6.
The group will also discuss carrying capacity on the lake, cover more information about solar power for new docks, and look at some pieces of policy members see as affecting public access and use of the lake.
The May 6 meeting will begin with a presentation from the Corps of Engineers, covering more proposed changes to the shoreline management plan. Following that, three hours will be allotted for public comments, with each person limited to two minutes or less.
Because the January meeting was cancelled, the public comment period has been extended to April 28 for written and electronic comments. See https://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning/Table-Rock-Lake-Oversight-Committee/ to access an online comment form. Written comments have to be received by the Corps by April 28, to allow time for the comments to be distributed to all committee members. Written comments can be emailed to TableRockSMP_FAC@usace.army.mil, faxed to (501) 324-5950, or mailed with attention to USACE, Little Rock District, Natural Resources Management Section, ATTN: Table Rock Lake SMP Planner, P.O. Box 867, Little Rock, AR 72203.
Solar powered boat docks and cedar trees along the lake dominated the discussion at the second public meeting of the Table Rock Lake Oversight Committee on Thursday, March 5.
The day-long public hearing was again held at the Dewey Short Visitors Center near Branson. Several public comments were offered to the group, along with presentations on solar power for docks, carrying capacity for the lake and the commercial remote service dock program.
This was the second of four planned meetings. The Table Rock Lake Oversight Committee (TRLOC) is tasked with representing the public users of the lake as the US Army Corps of Engineers finishes the years long update of the shoreline management plan. This document, along with the Table Rock Lake Master Plan, governs how lands around the lake can be used. The final versions of these documents will be revealed in July.
Vegetation management on Corps property, which encircles the whole lake, was the topic of several comments and a discussion amongst the board. In particular, members of the public expressed concerns with cedar trees growing along the shore, blocking their view and access to the lake.
Under the proposed changes, those with vegetative management permits would be allowed to remove cedar trees with a diameter of up to three inches, when measured at ground level. Some of the public comments, delivered both in person and online, indicate this may not be enough. Full transcripts of the public comments from Thursday’s meeting are not yet available, but should be online in the coming weeks. A court reporter transcribed the entirety of the meeting.
While the January meeting was cancelled due to forecasted bad weather, several land owners still came to the meeting place, not having gotten the cancelation news in time. One of those spoke during the open portion of last Thursday’s meeting, saying “About five of us came in January and had a meeting for ourselves. The number one thing that came up was cedar trees,” said LJ Plumlee, who owns lake property in Eagle Rock. “I have water front properties that I can’t sell because they have no view of the lake through the trees. Texas, Nebraska and other states have declared war on cedar trees. Just let us manage them,” he said.
Another attendee requested clarification on guidance concerning dead trees, reporting he had received conflicting information.
In response to these and other requests, members of the TRLOC requested more information on cedar tree management and asked for it to be included in the agenda for the next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, May 6.
The group will also discuss carrying capacity on the lake, cover more information about solar power for new docks, and look at some pieces of policy members see as affecting public access and use of the lake.
The May 6 meeting will begin with a presentation from the Corps of Engineers, covering more proposed changes to the shoreline management plan. Following that, three hours will be allotted for public comments, with each person limited to two minutes or less.
Because the January meeting was cancelled, the public comment period has been extended to April 28 for written and electronic comments. See https://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning/Table-Rock-Lake-Oversight-Committee/ to access an online comment form. Written comments have to be received by the Corps by April 28, to allow time for the comments to be distributed to all committee members. Written comments can be emailed to TableRockSMP_FAC@usace.army.mil, faxed to (501) 324-5950, or mailed with attention to USACE, Little Rock District, Natural Resources Management Section, ATTN: Table Rock Lake SMP Planner, P.O. Box 867, Little Rock, AR 72203.