A final plan for Chippewa Hills Pathway is now completed.

It may not be perfect in everyone’s eyes, but it is the result of discussion, debate and compromise and thus, in our opinion, it will be a successful plan.

We credit a lot of people for making this happen, from Department of Natural Resources officials who were willing to listen and revise their original concept, to trail users who became concerned that the “little slice of heaven” they love and enjoy was going to forever be altered and destroyed by the lumbering proposed for the area.

Last year the DNR announced plans for harvesting 569 acres in the Chippewa Hills area. The plan drew the ire of many trail users and concerned citizens in the region and eventually, was put on hold to allow for more study and public input. While the DNR could have moved forward and begun the harvesting process, officials chose not to, and we applaud them for that.

The newest plan reduces the harvesting to 280 acres and addresses some of the aesthetic concerns of residents such as how close the lumbering can come to the pathways and limiting the cutting to one side of the trails.

Mary Beth Stutzman, who headed a constituent group concerned about the harvesting, said in a story Friday that the eventual outcome should serve as a lesson for the community that individual voices still can be heard, and productive exchanges of information are valuable in any compromise or outcome.

“It’s important to let your voice be heard,” she said, “but if you’re not speaking into the right end of the microphone, nobody is going to hear you.”

We appreciate the way this potentially divisive issue was handled and the work everyone put into resolving it.

It is indeed a good lesson for everyone to learn from.