Having been involved in the Beaver Tailwaters Management Plan and a Focus Group for the Bull Shoals/Norfork, I have been asked to try to give you a little "heads up" about what you can expect at the public meeting on our upcoming Trout Management Plan.
First of all, I strongly encourage everyone who is passionate about our area waters to attend the public meetings on the Trout Management Plan. Not just because you want to hear proposed changes about our present management, but to witness personally the process required to affect modification.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has taken extraordinary steps to involve the public in the process by bringing in a professional, unbiased facilitator, Spencer Amend of Dynamic Solutions Group. Spencer has conducted Focus Groups made up of guides, fly and bait shop owners, and the general fishing public. His task is to listen to their important concerns regarding improving our fisheries, collect that information, and initiate a list of concerns to be addressed at the public meetings. I KNOW you will be very impressed by Spencer's professionalism in conducting these meetings. This will not be a "free for all" with people talking and arguing over each other.
We will all be asked to sit at tables of 6-8 and he will suggest that we not "group up" with people we know, our own organizations, etc, but to sit with someone whom you suspect thinks a little differently than you on certain issues. This way, there is a more "balanced" group to address the areas Spencer will ask us to consider. These areas of concern will be presented from information gathered at the Focus Groups and Workshops previously conducted.
A spokesperson from each table will write down the consensus of the table's comments and present them to the audience. There will be time limits on each process and comments, similar to presenting an issue before Congress. I can only imagine.
You may track progress and get information on the meeting and upcoming meetings at the AGFC website at www.AGFC.com/trout.
We value your involvement. Hope to see you at the meeting!
Sara Thorne
AGFC Trout Summit - Trout Management Plan for White and Norfork Rivers
The meetings are from 6:30 to 9:00 on May 14 and 15 at the Mt Home Ramada Inn.
