The Associated Press

GOLDEN POND, Ky. - The U.S. Forest Service is planning renovations to the Land Between the Lakes, a proposal that's offering hope to residents who want to see the area preserved.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy announced the 40-mile-long tract of land would be developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Residents ordered to move said they felt betrayed and outraged when the TVA built campgrounds and began selling ice, sodas and ice cream to campers, invited in dirt bikes and four wheelers, opened a small restaurant, and began renting bicycles and horses for trail riding.

Congress stripped the park from the TVA and gave it to the forest service four years ago following the public outcry that began when the cash-strapped TVA proposed golf courses and a resort to make more money off the property.

The forest service's plan recommends no large-scale commercial development but calls for upgrading more campground lots with electricity and water; possibly building more small stores; and clearing thousands of acres of forest for more wildlife viewing while continuing a controversial logging program.

It also predicts an increase in traffic for hunting, fishing and regular visits, with the goal of a 15 percent rise by 2015.

David Nickell, 47, an associate sociology professor who lived in the area when he was a boy, is optimistic about the Forest Service's proposal. "The Forest Service people keep assuring us they don't have a hidden agenda," said Nickell. "I hope that's the case. I think people are willing to wait and see."

Drafted during the past nine months, the 3-inch-thick Forest Service plan and accompanying environmental impact statement now goes out for three months of public comment.

The comments will be reviewed and officials will start making some decisions by early August, said Land Between the Lakes planner Barbara Wysock.

A final plan should emerge by December, said William Lisowsky, the park's area manager.

Land Between the Lakes, the state's most popular park with about 2 million single-day visits a year, now faces a more secure future with an $11 million budget. That includes an $8 million federal appropriation and $3 million collected in fees, concessions and permits, augmented by 100,000 hours of time donated by dozens of volunteers. It offers one of the broadest agendas available at any national recreation area, experts say.

"I would say LBL is probably one of the country's crown jewels," said Joe Baust, director of the center for environmental education at Murray State University.

The plan calls for the Forest Service to clear or thin 1,600 to 1,800 acres of the 150,000 acres of park timber annually, selling it for revenue. Timber sales traditionally have been controversial and sparked lawsuits.

Lisowsky said under the new plan, trees would be cut only to preserve forest health, to promote "scenery management," or to create areas favorable for certain types of wildlife such as wild turkeys and squirrels.

About 3.5 million board feet of timber would be cut each year, an amount Lisowsky said was consistent with past timber removal under TVA. Logging will include some clearing, some thinning and cutting selected trees and removal of unwanted species, according to the plan.

The plan also calls for upgrading some campground sites and extending utilities to more lots to serve visitors with motor homes and trailers. After a 10 percent drop after the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, Lisowsky said, visits to the park are on the upswing, due in part to campers wanting to stay closer to home to economize on travel costs.

The park also offers an outdoor zoo, a working replica of an old homestead, an elk and bison prairie and a planetarium for younger visitors.

Lisowsky said the public's passion for the park is overwhelming.

"The most impressive thing is seeing how much people care about this place," he said.