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The Shawnee rests between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. It has more than 286,400 acres, which include early Native American archaeological sites, some of the most pristine streams in the state and habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife. The forest protects at least seven federally listed threatened and endangered species, 33 or more species listed as regionally sensitive, and over 114 federally listed species of plants and animals such as the Whorled Pogonia Orchid, the Indiana Bat and Scarlet Tanager.

The Shawnee offers a plethora of recreational opportunities, including hiking, horseback riding, hunting, camping and bird watching. There are 135 miles of hiking trails, including the River to River Trail, American Discovery Trail and Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

The Shawnee provides the majority of the pre-European landscapes left in the State and deserves to be protected. Yet several obstacles stand in the way. Currently, off-road vehicle (ORV) use is illegal and slated to remain illegal in the Draft Forest Plan.

However, evidence of ORV use is everywhere, and the Forest Service is not enforcing the law. Some commercial equestrian outfitters have trespassed into closed areas and fail to ride responsibly. And while there is no commercial logging in the Shawnee, the proposed Forest Plan calls for cutting about 1,000 acres for each of the next 10 years.

Within the Shawnee are seven existing Wilderness Areas and three additional areas that qualify for wilderness. To protect these highest quality portions of the Shawnee the Sierra Club is asking the Forest Service to recommend them for Wilderness designation. We are also pushing for more law enforcement for both ORVs and commercial horse outfitters.

For more information, please contact Douglas Chien at doug.chien@sierraclub.org.