Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Watercraft Meeting

The National Park Service has scheduled public "scoping" sessions as part of its planning for use of personal watercraft at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan. This will be the second public meeting and is at Marquette Federated Women’s Clubhouse. Under National Park Service regulations, such watercraft are defined as those that are usually less than 16 feet long, use an inboard internal combustion engine powering a water jet pump as the primary source of propulsion and are intended to be operated by a person or persons sitting, standing or kneeling on the vessel. Some brand names are Sea-Doo, Jet Ski, and Wave Runner. "Scoping" is the first step to involve the public in the environmental impact analysis. It includes holding meetings and providing opportunities for public comments either at those meetings or through other means. The park service uses the comments to identify relevant issues and concerns and to ensure that it considers all possible alternatives for evaluating the effects of personal watercraft at the park. Comments may be submitted online at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/piropwc. They also may be mailed or faxed to: Superintendent, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Attn: PWC Environmental Assessment, P.O. Box 40, Munising, MI 49862. Fax to 906-387-4025. It's recommended that comments be submitted by November 9 for them to be most useful. Comments will not be accepted via email. For more information, contact Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore at 906-387-2607, or go online at www.nps.gov/piro.