WELLSTON — The U.S. Forest Service and a working group of community partners will develop an action plan that focuses on educating the public about the values and benefits of the “wild and scenic” sections of the AuSable, Manistee and Pine rivers instead of banning alcohol from those portions of the rivers as had been previously announced, the Forest Service said in a news release.

The working group will coordinate with the Forest Service, community groups, local businesses and other partners to develop and distribute content that promotes river safety and etiquette. Other planned actions include:

∫ Working with media partners to develop safety-oriented public service announcements.

∫ Organizing outreach and volunteer events in the wild and scenic river corridors

∫ Providing mesh bags and ties to river users at landings, liveries and other local businesses

“All Americans should have the opportunity to experience their wild and scenic rivers,” Huron-Manistee National Forests Supervisor Leslie Auriemmo said in a statement. “Our goal is to maintain a culture of respect and responsibility that preserves our natural resources, attracts visitors and benefits local communities.”

The Forest Service in February proposed an alcohol ban on the AuSable, Manistee and Pine wild and scenic rivers to address ongoing challenges associated with excessive alcohol consumption on those waterways, including visitor safety, illegal trespass, harassment of river uses and widespread littering.

The Forest Service ultimately decided it will not implement the alcohol ban this year. Instead it organized a working group to explore community actions to promote safe and responsible recreation on the wild and scenic rivers. The action plan is the product of those efforts.