THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU
Local residents and river enthusiasts from across the country recently spoke up for the Shawnee National Forest by submitting thousands of comments urging the Forest Service not to let Peabody Coal turn part of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois into a strip mine. According to the Shawnee Forest Plan, the guiding land use planning document for the Shawnee National Forest: “Lands adjacent to streams and rivers are rich in biological diversity and especially important for recreation and wildlife.”
Perhaps that’s why everyone was so surprised last December when the U.S. Forest Service announced it was considering a proposed land swap with a subsidiary of Peabody along the Saline River in Gallatin County, IL that would turn Shawnee National Forest land into a strip mine.
The 384 acres of Forest Service land Peabody wants to strip mine includes over 50 acres of wetlands, and has high quality mature forests that are home to federally endangered Indiana and Gray Bats. Furthermore, the Illinois Natural History Survey has for the first time discovered that the Saline River system is home to the endangered Fat Pocketbook mussel. Strip mining this unique natural area would destroy this crucial habitat and reduce water quality in the Saline River, posing a threat not just to wildlife, but also to the local residents who rely on clean and healthy rivers for hunting, fishing and recreation.
Now that the initial comment period is over, the Forest Service will begin the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.
How can you help?
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SIGN OUR PETITION
- Sign the petition and tell the U.S. Forest Service not to proceed with the land swap with Peabody Coal.
- Check “Keep me informed” if you want to receive alerts and updates from Prairie Rivers Network.
- Click “Submit”. Then share it with others!
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