Traveler editor:

Although the Park Service has said that this issue on closing roads has been blown out of proportion in a recent interview, the road map they have been using was created by NPS employees in the late 1980s.  It is apparent this Road and Trail study they are using to select roads to be closed is erroneous and does not reflect current roads we use to access commonly visited places, for example the Twin Rock Road which travels to the Twin Rock formation on Current River and the Broadfoot Field loop, which many people use to access camp sites.

In our favor, the Shannon and Dent County Commissions have committed to not allow any County Roads to be closed, but the Ozark National Scenic Riverways administration feels that there is a need to close roads based on an outdated study based on the 1984 General Management Plan.

What should really happen is that a new road and trail study should be performed in conjunction with local interest groups and elected officials after the new General Management Plan is established.

Please review the attached letter from JoAnn Emerson, which will express her opinion on roads and trails.

John Mark Brewer
Eminence, MO