To help guide future planning for William C. Sterling State Park in Monroe County, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is asking for public input on a new general management plan for the park.

Visitors, community members, stakeholders and others interested in sharing their opinions, ideas and experiences are encouraged to participate in an online public survey, available through Friday, April 21. Links to both the online survey and the project website are available at Michigan.gov/Sterling.

The draft general management plan will be developed after public feedback is gathered.

The DNR uses general management plans to define a long-range planning and management strategy that protects the resources of the park while addressing recreation and education needs and opportunities.

“Public input is a critical component of the planning process," said Debbie Jensen, park management plan administrator with the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. "This survey is one of several opportunities for people to get involved, including apublic open house that will be held this summer."

Sterling State Park is the only Michigan state park on Lake Erie, located just a few miles from the Ohio border and approximately an hour from Detroit. The park is situated along 1 mile of sandy shoreline and is home to a modern campground, full-amenity cottages, a boating access site, trails and more. There are plenty of opportunities for shoreline and offshore fishing. The park's marshes are a biodiversity hot spot, hosting rare plants, including the state threatened American lotus and migratory and wintering waterfowl, and providing a nursery habitat for Lake Erie fish.

Additional information on the DNR’s general management plan process is available at Michigan.gov/ParkManagementPlans.

For more information about the public survey or the proposed plan, contact Debbie Jensen at JensenD1@Michigan.gov or517-230-6837.