Glacial Heritage Area (GHA)
Master Plan Fact Sheet

Master planning is a process used to determine how a property owned by the Department of Natural Resources will be managed, used and developed, how it will look, and what benefits it will provide. The master plan identifies the property's goals and objectives and defines future recreational uses and habitat management practices. Put simply, the master planning process is used to determine the best niche for the property based on its capabilities and regional and local context.

Each property should be planned and managed to optimize its own inherent capabilities. Yet, no property is an entity in itself, each is a component of a larger landscape mosaic of pubic and private properties. The Department must consider the role of the property in the larger landscape and time frame and must evaluate how property management alternatives can best complement the regional landscape. Similarly, short-term recreational trends normally should not dictate long-term property development and management. Thus, a successful master plan will consider ecological, social, economic and institutional issues and must be considered on both regional and local scales.

Master plans and their planning process have the following purposes:

1. To provide a sound basis for decision-making by Department staff, administrators, and the Natural Resources Board consistent with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA).
2. To set a long-range vision and goals for the management and use of Department managed properties and associated public waters consistent with property capabilities and regional and statewide needs. And also to establish management objectives and priorities necessary to meet individual property goals.
3. To provide clear and specific direction on the management, development and use of the property for property managers, administrators, and the interested public.
4. To provide consistency in the management of individual properties without loss of continuity due to personnel change, and to establish and maintain management consistent with the public's expectations.
5. To give interested persons and other governmental units reasonable opportunities for involvement in the decisions on how properties will be managed and used.

The master planning process is an open process offering interested persons and other governmental units reasonable opportunities for the discussion of information, ideas and concerns related to the management and public use of a property. Public involvement in the development, revision or amendment of a master plan is guided by a public involvement plan. The key public involvement purposes include the identification of issues related to management and use of a property, involvement in the consideration management and use alternatives, and review of the draft plan and environmental analysis.