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.
