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SHAWNEE FOREST FACTS AND INFO
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Over 15,000 acres of Shawnee National Forest which is designated as natural
areas have been closed off to equestrian, motorized, biking, camping, rock
climbing and repelling. These areas are some of the most scenic areas
of the forest and have been used by recreationists since this land was
acquired by the government. Before that time, it was privately owned
farms, ranches, and homesteads. Now it is sensitive, fragile, and
pristine.
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7 of these natural areas were to have horse trails through them and we
were promised that these areas would not be closed until these designated
trails were on the ground. However, all 81 natural areas have been
closed including those 7 and we don't know "when and if" these horse trails
will ever be built.
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ATVs were banned from the entire forest in 1995 as a result of a lawsuit
brought against the forest service by local radical environmentalists.
The judge ordered the forest service to complete and environmental impact
study concerning ATV use in the Shawnee. No study has been done to
date and none of the 286 miles of ATV trails which were to have been built
in 1992 forest plan have been constructed. As a result of the forest
service's complacency, hunters have been impacted by their inability to
use an ATV to get to campsites in the forests interior and to retrieve
the deer they kill. ATV riders are being denied what the forest plan
had promised them.
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The Shawnee Trail Conservancy seeks to help the local county government
reclaim jurisdiction on the old public roads which run through the forest
service. These old public roads which were never legally closed have
been used by equestrians as trails and could be dedicated as recreational
multi-use trails by the local counties. Many of these old public
roads go through the closed natural areas. We seek to re-open old roads which go across private
property, just the roads which go across the forest service land.
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The local economy has suffered significantly through coal mine closures
and job displacement. Tourism, because of the Shawnee National Forest,
is Southern Illinois' biggest asset. Trail riders alone bring in
$3.8 BILLION annually to the State of Illinois. Much of that money
comes to Southern Illinois which is the most popular trail riding area
in the central part of the country. Hunters, campers, fisherman,
bikers, ATV riders, and hikers all contribute MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to our
economically depressed region.
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This forest needs to be user -friendly and open to the public who supports
its management through our tax dollars. Large tracts should not be
shut down to recreational use to protect a plant, insect or animal.
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We support designated trails, a forest wide trail mapping and signing program,
a comprehensive continuing trail maintenance program and the funding and
manpower necessary to accomplish this task. A 1,000 mile trail system
which is 4 ft. wide encompasses only 485 acres of the 280,000 acre forest.
This is only 2/10 of 1%.
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