How can public opinion be valued if the final decisions are not up for consensus?
Public involvement is a vital element in park planning. Once a plan is released for review, the public is asked to scrutinize the plan’s factual content and environmental analysis while considering the legislative mandates that constitute the National Park Service mission. All responses are carefully reviewed and sorted based on issues and concerns. Those issues then form the basis for any revision to the plan. While it is not a consensus process, one comment can make a difference. For example, perhaps 300 comments are received on a given topic. If the comments do not fall within the scope of the plan, they cannot have a bearing on it. However, if even a single comment raises a significant issue not previously considered, it may prompt a re-evaluation of an element of the plan.
