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SHAWNEE TRAIL CONSERVANCY |
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Editor’s Message:
According
to the July 2004 Shawnee Quarterly, the
(Forest-wide) Forest
Revision Plan draft EIS document
is in preparation and scheduled for a September 2004 release.
The
Trails Designation Project (Phase I)
involving Big Grand Pierre Creek, Eagle Creek, Lusk Creek, and Upper
Bay Creek Watersheds analysis is underway and does not seem to have a
planned release date as yet. The
proposed actions in these subject watersheds is designation of system
trails, construction of trailheads, amend Forest Plan to increase
trail density in wilderness, and to restrict equestrian use to
system trails.
Included
in this newsletter
will be comments about the survey regarding the economic impact of
equine camping, a report on the Farm Bureau Legislative Ride held
August 10, 2004, a report on a Campground/Forest Service meeting
regarding the outfitters’ Permit, the “Ride to Ride” and the
“Roadless Initiative” issues before congress, information on the 1st
Annual
Shawnee
Rendezvous, information on the 1st Annual AITC Trail Ride,
results of the Judge Gilbert court date, and Sharon Buchanan’s
Cowboy Bean recipe that she served to the legislative aids and that
Garry Jenkins wanted.
And
a little idea I thought of: I
got tired of seeing mosquito larva in my horse tank, so I bought 3
goldfish and 2 algae eaters. Now
I have little, if any, mosquito larva being sucked up by the animals
and the inside of the water tank isn’t so green with algae.
Just don’t put the goldfish in your ponds in the fall. They are actually carp and will wreck your fish population.
If you have any horse related ideas, let me know. Economic Impact of Equine Camping in Southern Illinois
A Trail Riding Survey was
commissioned by the
Shawnee Forest Horse
Camp Association earlier
this year and written and analyzed by Kyungmi Kim, Ph.D. (Assistant
Professor of Hospitality and Tourism), Department of Animal Science,
Food and Nutrition, Southern Illinois University and Matt Smith,
Research Assistant, MBA Candidate, SIU.
The results were quite impressive.
The following includes comments from Dr Kim on the survey and
some of the key results.
“In
2003, the total economic impact from horse camping was
estimated at $16,134,919.
The total economic impact from horse camping stems from two
economic activities”: …“ visitor’s expenditure for horse
camping and visitor’s expense for off-site activity.
“Expenditures for
automobile travel and other en-route services are not assessed.
However, the one thing (that) must be taken into account is
that the total
value of tourism spending is usually greater than the sum of expenditures
made at the destination [Smith,
S.L.J. 1995, Tourism
Analysis (2nd), P.275, Longman, Great Britain.].”
Dr
Kim concluded, “…. tourism related businesses are vital
commodities to the government tax revenue, insuring a livelihood for
many southern Illinoisans, which in turn contributes to the general
economy of the region.
“Comparatively
speaking, the southern Illinois horse camps made a significant
economic contribution in 2003 by bringing $16,134,919
into
southern Illinois. By
comparison, the Southern Illinois Quota Zone Waterfowl Association
generates approximately $5,800,000 ….compared to the wine industry
of Illinois’ $19,900,000.
However,
the wine industry total is for the entire state of Illinois (or 102
counties), whereas, the horse camps include only the (8) southernmost
counties.
It is also important to remember that the wine industry
receives financial assistance from the government, …while the horse
camps receive none.
“…the
equine camper does not ride his/her horse exclusively.
It is noted that dining out (83%), shopping at malls (40%) and
antique shops (40%), and enjoying historical and cultural sites (47%)
are also a prominent part of the equine camping experience.
“Lastly,
it should be emphasized that this study was taken to determine the
economic impact of horse camping in southern Illinois, to understand
the characteristics and spending habits of the equine camper, and to
extract some directions for promoting horse camping in southern
Illinois.”
Our
thanks go to Mike Scott for heading up this equine survey for the
Campground Owners. Legislative VIP Ride in the Shawnee National Forest
-------------Garry
Jenkins
On
August 10, 2004, 9 legislative aids were guests at
the New Hope Hill Campground by invitation of the Illinois Farm
Bureau. Farm Bureau manager Garry Jenkins worked with campground
owners Bob and Sharon Buchanan to give the aids a first hand Shawnee
experience.
Information
was provided to the participants about the economic impact of the
Equine Industry to southern Illinois because of the Shawnee National
Forest. Discussion
followed on some of the problems in the Shawnee.
They,
then, were mounted on trusty steeds and enjoyed a beautiful ride up to
Rocky Top, where some photos were taken before proceeding on to One
Horse Gap, where they were treated to a lunch of Dutch oven Cowboy
Beans and open fire fried cornbread, courtesy of Sharon Buchanan.
From there, they rode back to the campground for some
relaxation before continuing their tour of southern Illinois.
Those present were: Terry
VanDoren, Senator Fitzgerald’s office;
Karl Maple, Congressman Costello’s office (12th);
Erin Doyle, Congressman Evans’ office (17th);
Matthew Jones, Congressman Johnson’s office (15th);
Jill Janovetz, Congressman LaHood’s office (18th);
Emily Chibnall, Congressman Lipinski’s office (3rd);
Torrey Babson, Congressman Weller’s office (11th);
Bill Olson, Congressman Shimkus’ office (19th);
and Ryan Tate, Speaker Hastert’s office (14th). Also attending were: Mark Palmer, Gordley Associates; Samantha Slater, Director of Public Policy National Corn Growers Association; Chuck Spencer, Illinois Farm Bureau; Rod Weinzierl, Illinois Corn Growers; Rebecca Richardson, Illinois Soybean Association; Garry Jenkins, Williamson County Farm Bureau Manager; Bob and Sharon Buchanan; Mike Scott; Darrel and Nancy Perisho; Sue Perina; Dorothy Arjes; Deb Charles; Sue Simmons; Todd and Jennifer Buchanan; Kenneth Buchanan; and Kendall Buchanan Several, including Garry Jenkins, requested Sharon’s Dutch Oven Cowboy Beans recipe. Here it is, Garry. Cowboy Beans
1
lb. ground Beef Shawnee
Forest Horse Camp Association/Forest Service Meeting --------------By Mike Scott On August 12th, there was a scheduled
meeting between the Forest Service and the Shawnee Forest Horse
Camp Association.
Also in attendance at this meeting was Congressman John Shimkus' aide,
Bill Olson. There were to be two parties for each side. When
Bart and I walked in the door, there were 7 forest service
representatives.
As
Supervisor Nicholas began the meeting, he handed out an agenda.
Before he could get to the agenda, I ask him for the
opportunity to speak. I
talked about the word "paranoia" and how the
campgrounds/riders have felt since 1992. I explained how riders
and campground owners felt about the promises...and lack of designated
marked trails. I also mentioned the lack of trails through the
Natural Areas...how there were no ATV trails made.... and how in 1995,
ATV's were no longer able to use the forest. Another
topic included the lack of "partnership" on the part of the
Forest Service. I also talked about how campers from all over the
U.S. did not feel welcome. They did
not appreciate the unprofessional antics of the Forest Service as they
patrolled Lusk Creek and the way they were giving tickets. I
also remarked to them about how they seem to be more worried about the
riders than the antics of the environmentalists. The
highlight of the meeting was when Bart Lane and I caught Mr. Nicholas
and Mr. Bloom Weaver in "untruths." Mr. Bloom Weaver had
stated in a document that he had consulted with certain members of STC.
Come to find out only one on the list (of several) had been
consulted. Secondly, we asked Mr. Nicholas why he told the judge
that he did NOT know why the campgrounds would not sign the
contract. We reminded him of our meeting of less than 30 days
prior to the court hearing in which it was made perfectly clear why the
campgrounds could not sign the contracts. He did not comment. Finally,
Bart Lane confronted Mr. Nicholas and challenged him to find in the
judge's order where it says that the campgrounds do not come under the
"established guidelines for the definition of outfitter/guide.
Bart asked him 3 times to find it. We told him that he cannot
change the definition of established guidelines.... but that is what he
is trying to do through his supplement. All
in all, we agreed to disagree. In the end, Mr. Nicholas stated
that we should have the campgrounds sign the contracts so that all would
not be in contempt of court. Actually, they wanted us to sign them
by the 20th, to get the judge off of their back! We again explained that we need a designated system of trails and that the campgrounds want to be treated like any other entity when it deals with the Forest Service. ATV Trails / Natural Area Boundary Dispute Lawsuit Ruling by the Court ---------------By
Linda Granneman On June 30, 2004, the Southern Illinois Federal Court, by Order by Judge Gilbert, ruled on the pending lawsuit filed by Shawnee Trail Conservancy, Illinois Trail Riders and IFOR. The court dismissed our case because the court did not have jurisdiction to rule on our claims under the rules we alleged. We failed to prove any alleged final agency action. The ATV trail issue is currently under an injunction by this same court from a prior lawsuit that specifically states that ….“the Forest Service can not issue any order or decision notice authorizing or permitting ATV/OHM use in the Shawnee National Forest.” The Natural Area changes come from changes of methods used to measure lands on the ground by global positioning readings as opposed by hand drawn estimates. As plaintiffs, we did not show any adverse affect by the action that impacted these areas according to the court. Right
to Ride Legislation ----------From the American Horse Council Representative George P. Radanovich (R-CA) has introduced legislation intended to preserve the use and access of pack and saddle stock horses on public lands. The legislation, H.R. 2966, known as the "Right to Ride Bill," applies to all federal lands managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service. H.R. 2966 currently has twenty-one cosponsors. Specifically the legislation mandates that public lands should be managed by the federal agencies "to preserve and facilitate the continued use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on such lands, including wilderness areas, national monuments, and other specifically designated areas, where there is a historical tradition of such use." H.R.
2966 was unanimously passed by voice vote in the full House of
Representatives Resources Committee, and was additionally discharged by
the House of Representatives Agriculture Committee. It is now on the
Calendar of the House of Representatives and ready for consideration on
the floor once the House leadership schedules it. We will let you know
when that occurs. Roadless
Initiative ----------From the American Horse Council Access to public lands for horseback riders is an important issue to the recreational segment of the horse industry. The industry must be constantly aware of any efforts, federal, state or local, to close public lands to horses. One of the programs adopted in the final weeks of President Clinton's Administration was the so-called "Roadless Initiative," which could have prevented recreational activities on 58.5 million acres of federal forests and changed the way land is managed in over 120 national forests. The Clinton Roadless Initiative would have prevented any road building or logging on those 58.5 million acres, essentially creating wilderness areas within national forests. The rule was scheduled to go into effect in May 2001, but the Bush Administration postponed the rule. It was also delayed through several lawsuits. The Bush Administration announced on July 12th that the Forest Service would reinstate the interim directive to conserve roadless areas that were protected under the 2001 rule. The interim directive will remain in effect for 18 months until the finalization of a new roadless rule, which was proposed by the Bush Administration. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on July 16th. The new rule emphasizes conserving roadless areas by working with the states on state-specific regulations. In essence, the responsibility to keep segments of the national forests "roadless" would be the responsibility of the states and particularly the state governors. The new rule would allow governors to petition the federal government if they wished to keep certain areas roadless. Under the proposed rule, a governor could also petition for less protection. If the Forest Service accepts the petition, it would negotiate a detailed plan with the state. Once the state finished its petition process, the Forest Service would publish a subsequent rulemaking for inventoried roadless areas within a petitioning state. Each state-specific rulemaking would go through the required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis as well as input from the public during the notice and comment period. Petitions would have to be submitted within 18 months of the effective date of the final rule. There
is a 60-day public comment period on the proposed rule, which ends on
September 14, 2004. Written comments on the proposed rule may be mailed
to: Content Analysis Team, ATTN: Roadless State Petitions, USDA Forest
Service, P.O. Box 221090, Salt Lake City, UT 84122; faxed to (801)
517-1014; or e-mailed to statepetitionroadless@fs.fed.us.
Comments also may be submitted from: http://www.regulations.gov.
The Forest Service plans to issue a final rule after it evaluates public
comments. STC Annual Membership Meeting
The STC Annual membership
meeting will be held the 3rd Thursday of October (10/21/04)
at 7:00 PM at Dolly’s Restaurant in Vienna, IL.
Come early and enjoy your evening meal with friends. There will be an election of officers and directors.
If you would like to be considered as an officer or director,
please call Betty Varnum at 618-524-9516, Lucy Walker at 618-672-5001 or
myself at 618-777-0296.
Late flash: Central IL Mountain Bicycling Association will be presenting a
trail building class on creating sustainable trails 9/4/04 at Lake
Shelbyville. For info
contact call Ashley (217-774-3951) at Lake Shelbyville or IMBA at www.imba.com.
Equestrians
could stay at Wolf Creek State Park on the east side of Lake Shelbyville
and mix an equestrian weekend with learning better ways of building and
maintaining single track trails. They could also make friends and
work together with bicyclists in an effort to have more trail space with
fewer conflicts. 1st Annual Shawnee Rendezvous On October 30th, at the "Trail
Riding Capital of Illinois, (Eddyville), the 1st Annual Shawnee
Rendezvous will be
held. The purpose is to show our appreciation to the many trail
riders who come from all across the states and ride the Shawnee. There
will be tack vendors, food/drink, live music and lots of giveaways to
the trail riders! Chances on the STC saddle will be available and we hope there
will be some "important folks" who will speak to the group.
Plan
on coming to southern Illinois that weekend to enjoy the beautiful fall
colors. Riders can camp at
their favorite campgrounds and just drive over Saturday afternoon and
evening. The festivities will be from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Annual Trail Ride Benefiting Ag in
the Classroom
The
IAA Foundation, in
association with the Quarter Horse Association, is presenting their 1st
Annual Trail Ride benefiting Agriculture in the Classroom.
The benefit ride will be held October 1-3, 2004 at 34 Ranch,
Herod, IL and will help raise funds for the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Agriculture
in the Classroom Program and Equine Education.
Agriculture in the Classroom helps teach students some of
the rural things that urban students and their teachers have no
knowledge about. Some of
the things taught include “where food comes from; how safe, abundant,
and affordable their food really is; how you protect the environment;
and how you use the latest technologies to farm,” explains a sheet
developed by the IAA Foundation. Riders
are encouraged to collect donations for Agriculture in the Classroom to
offset the meal and camping expenses they incur throughout the ride.
For more information visit www.iaafoundation.org
or call 309-557-2225.
STC wishes to thank Marvin
Lindsey of Bronson,
MI; Linda
Tankisley of
Corydon, IN; Barbara
Ferguson of Salem,
IN; Debbie
Davis of Rushville,
IN; and Pat
Clifford and Rick Bullock
of Battletown, KY for their monetary donations in helping us deal with
the problems in the Shawnee National Forest.
It is very important that we
have your continued membership and financial support, so
please send in your renewal today if your newsletter is marked with a
renewal notice. Please stay
informed through the STC Newsletters about the Shawnee. Responses from
all users are very important in the direction the FS takes regarding
trails, area closures and management policies.
And,
please, send comments to your representatives.
They won’t know what we want unless we let them know.
If you don’t have your representatives’ addresses, please
contact one of the STC directors and we will try to help with that
information.
You may go to www.shawneetrailconservancy.com
for information
on the Shawnee Trail Conservancy and its directors. PLEASE
SEND IN YOUR RENEWAL TODAY!! THANKS!!
DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE!! -----------------------------------------------------------cut
here-------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAVE
OUR SHAWNEE TRAILS!
1
YEAR MEMBERSHIP
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DATE ___/___/___ ________RENEWAL
________NEW
NAME
_________________________________________________ E-MAIL
ADDRESS ____________________________________________________ INDIVIDUAL
$10 ____, FAMILY
$20 _____, ORGANIZATION
$30 ____, Make
checks payable to: SHAWNEE
TRAIL CONSERVANCY.
Send
to: SHAWNEE TRAIL CONSERVANCY, PO BOX 44, EDDYVILLE, IL
62928 |
