Shawnee National Forest
Attn.: Forest Plan Revision Comments
50 Hwy. 145 South
Harrisburg, IL, 62958

Dear Supervisor Nicholas:

Please include my comments in the official record of the proposed draft management plan for Shawnee National Forest (SNF).

I support the Forest Service proposal to ban ATVs, dirt bikes and other unlicensed off-road vehicles from the forest.

I also support requiring horse riders to ride only on the designated trail system. The Forest Service should designate enough trails to accommodate the horse and hiker traffic, but not more trails than the Forest Service can maintain. To aid compliance, the Forest Service should provide adequate maps of the designated trailS, plus make sure all designated trails are well marked.

I strongly oppose your proposal to resume commercial logging on SNF land.

I also oppose selling more oil, gas and mineral leases in the forest. The best, highest, and most valuable uses of Shawnee National Forest are for wildlife habitat and for quiet recreation. With urban sprawl greatly increasing, more species are dependent on our national forests for survival. Sprawl and highway proliferation also increases the value of our national forests as a place for quiet recreation and spiritual renewal. Logging, oil drilling and mining are incompatible with these uses, and spoil the aesthetics of the forest in large areas.

I especially urge you to give a higher level of protection to the highest quality natural areas, such as the 80 designated Natural Areas and Research Natural Areas. There are only a couple thousand such areas in Illinois, constituting less than 1% of the land area of the State of Illinois.

I also urge you to recommend Burke Branch, Camp Hutchins and Ripple Hollow for wilderness designation by Congress, and provide them wilderness level protection. Since SNF is so fragmented, we need to make sure these areas are protected from logging, drilling and mining.

I also urge you to recommend the following creeks for national Wild & Scenic River status: Lusk, Big, Bay, Grand Pierre, Barren and Hutchins Creeks.

Sincerely,

Your name and address

cc:

Rep. Mike Bost, District 115, (618) 457-5787; (217) 782-0387; 202-N Stratton Bldg., Springfield, IL 62706

Rep. John Bradley, District 117, (618) 997-9697; (217) 782-1051; 265-S Stratton Bldg., Springfield, IL 62706

Rep. Brandon Phelps, District 118, (618) 253-4189; (217) 782-5131; 292-S Stratton, Springfield, IL 62706

Rep. Dan Reitz, District 116, (618) 443-5757; (217) 782-1018; 200-9S Stratton, Springfield, IL 62706

Senator Dave Luechtefeld, District 58, (618) 243-9014; (217) 782-8137; 103B Statehouse, Springfield, IL 62706

Senator Gary Forby, District 59, (618) 439-2504, (217) 782-5509; M122 Statehouse, Springfield, IL 62706

Senator John O. Jones, District 54, (618) 242-9511; (217) 782-0471; 103D Statehouse, Springfield, IL 62706 °