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Platte River Recreation Planning Study

The Lower Platte River Recreation Master Plan’s key findings, goals, and recommendations are organized into four main themes.

1.  Improve Access and Camping Opportunities for the Public

                                                                               Key Findings

  • Existing camping facilities in the lower Platte River Corridor contain a wide range of services for recreationists.
  • Existing camping and access sites, including along the existing canoe trail, are not uniformly distributed.
  • Improvements to river access and camping are top priorities for the public.
  • The Venture Parks concept will increase amenities at Mahoney State Park, Platte River State Park, Schramm SRA, and Louisville SRA.

                                                                    Goals and Recommendations

  • Contribute to development of the canoe trail by providing upstream access and amenities for the public focusing on the Columbus to Fremont reach.
  • Contribute to development of the canoe trail by providing access and amenities for the public focusing on the Fremont to Louisville reach.
  • Contribute to development of the canoe trail by providing access and amenities for the public focusing on the Louisville to Missouri River reach.
  • Utilize state of the art take-out and launch designs for redeveloped and newly constructed paddle craft sites.

2. Use Recreation to Connect Nebraskan’s with the River

                                                                               Key Findings

  • There are over ten communities in the vicinity of the five mile wide corridor with relatively no trail connections to the river.
  • Residents of Lincoln and Omaha are interested in recreating on the lower Platte River.
  • The geographic extent of the river creates significant opportunity for partnerships, but also implementation challenges.
  • There is public demand for more trail access to the lower Platte River.
  • Trails that strategically connect recreationists to community features like shops and parks can spur economic activity.
  • The Venture Parks concept will increase amenities at Mahoney State Park, Platte River State Park, Schramm SRA, and Louisville SRA.

                                                                  Goals and Recommendations

  • Utilize the “Trail Town” concept to develop connector trails that link towns and cities to the river.
  • Develop a collaborative “Water Trail Partnership” to champion the improvements to the trail.
  • Identify sources of funds for trails.

3. Improve Maintenance at Existing and New Recreation Sites

                                                                             Key Findings

  • Inter-governmental operation and maintenance agreements are effective and efficient uses of public funds.
  • Existing recreation sites owned by the NGPC are not always properly maintained.

                                                                Goals and Recommendations

  • Improve maintenance operations at existing recreation sites.
  • Develop a plan with a regular maintenance schedule for regional recreation systems that cross jurisdictional boundaries.

4. Promote Recreation through Marketing and Public Education

                                                                           Key Findings

  • Currently there is not a unified recreation marketing message among local, state, and federal agencies regarding recreation opportunities along the lower Platte River.
  • Currently there is little collaboration between public sector recreation providers and private industry.
  • There is good information available to the public but certain aspects of the recreation potential of the river are not available to the public.

                                                              Goals and Recommendations

  • Create a comprehensive recreation “message” and educational resources for the lower Platte River that may be used by agencies across the entire Corridor to promote recreation.
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