NE Game and Parks hosts open house to discuss proposed changes to Lake McConaughy

OGALLALA, NE - Possible changes to Lake McConaughy have caught the attention of several people.

During a Game and Parks Commission open house to discuss these changes, many voiced their concerns.

"The feedback's been all over," park administrator Jim Swenson said. "There have been a lot folks who are concerned about the impacts of the changes that were explained to them tonight. There's some folks that are very pleased to see that we're taking some action."

The changes would restrict the amount of campers and visitors at certain areas of the park. Nebraska Game and Parks wants to make the changes to better protect people. Over 1.9 million people have visited the lake each of the past two years- by far the most in the lake’s history. Officials say their infrastructure, staff and law enforcement are stretched too thin, especially on popular holidays like the 4th of July.

"Overall, the goal is to create a more safe, family friendly environment," Swenson said. "For first responders [to] feel safe, where our infrastructure is meeting the needs of the public and we have law enforcement present that is capable of dealing with the issues that come forward."

On the other side, residents and business owners from surrounding communities say the changes would hurt their businesses and livelihoods. They believe the changes are too drastic. Many wearing Please vote NO stickers.

Any proposed changes must be approved by the Game and Parks Commission. Those not able to attend can see a full list of proposed changes and leave feedback at http://outdoornebraska.gov/LakeMacChanges/

"So what we're hoping to accomplish here tonight is to come to a collaborative understanding with the users of the lake on how we best achieve that," Swenson said. "We're getting some good feedback on how we're going to go down that path."