FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 20, 2025
Contacts:
Kim Erndt-Pitcher, Director of Ecological Health, Prairie Rivers Network, kerndt-pitcher@prairierivers.org 618-534-0992
Amanda Pankau, Director of Energy and Community Resiliency, Prairie Rivers Network, apankau@prairierivers.org, 217-840-3057
Jacob Bushno, Wildlife Technician, Shawnee National Forest, 618-521-7841
Southern Illinois Businesses, Communities, and Organizations Call on Congressman Bost to Protect Funding and Staff for the Shawnee National Forest and other Public Lands
Shawnee National Forest – Today, 29 businesses, community leaders, and organizations from Southern Illinois delivered a letter to Congressman Mike Bost, urging him to oppose cuts to federal funding and staffing for the Shawnee National Forest and other public lands in Southern Illinois. The letter highlights the critical role these lands play in the region’s economy, environment, and way of life. The letter calls for continued investment in maintaining and protecting these treasured assets.
Southern Illinois is home to the Shawnee National Forest, three U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wildlife Refuges, and U.S. Army Corps-managed lands at Rend Lake. These public lands draw tens of thousands of visitors each year, generating millions of dollars in local economic activity and supporting jobs in tourism, hospitality, and retail.
In mid-February, federal workers with many federal agencies in Southern Illinois, including the USDA’s Forest Service, were impacted by an initial round of layoffs of probationary employees. Then on March 5th the Merit Systems Protection Board, a U.S. board that reviews the firings of federal employees, told the USDA that it must temporarily reinstate those probationary workers. Since then, two U.S. District Judges, ruling on cases in San Francisco and Maryland, have ordered the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate thousands of federal employees across multiple agencies.
Jacob Bushno, a Wildlife Technician in the Shawnee National Forest, was one of the USDA employees temporarily laid off through the probationary firings. Jacob is a disabled combat veteran who also does collateral duty for wildland fires in his role with the Forest Service. As of last week Jacob is back on the job, thanks to the MSP Board and the court orders, but he has had to go through the entire hiring process again making it slow to actually return to work. Jacob reached out to Congressman Bost’s office when he was unexpectedly let go. “I was promoted twice because of good performance, so it didn’t make sense that I was laid off for ‘performance reasons’ just because I was a probationary employee,” said Jacob Bushno, Wildlife Technician with the Shawnee National Forest. “I reached out to Congressman Bost when I was unfairly fired and I didn’t get any help. The Congressman should be advocating for veterans and other federal workers in Southern Illinois.”
Federal workers in Southern Illinois and across the country are now bracing for expected future cuts in staffing and the budget for federal lands. The administration directed federal agencies to prepare for large-scale reductions in force (RIFs) and to develop Agency Reorganization Plans by March 13, 2025. E&E News reported that the U. S. Forest Service, the agency in charge of the Shawnee National Forest, plans to shed as many as 7,000 additional employees nationwide in the coming months through reductions in force and early retirements. How these RIF plans and other budget cuts will impact the critical forest health, research, and recreational programs and site maintenance that is performed by Forest Service employees in the Shawnee National Forest and other federal agencies has yet to be announced.
It isn’t just federal workers who are worried about what staffing and funding cuts to federal lands mean for Southern Illinois. The letter to Congressman Bost was signed by businesses, community leaders, and organizations stating that “national forests and fish and wildlife areas are an investment in local businesses, jobs, and the long-term prosperity of Southern Illinois.”
Harrisburg, Illinois has increasingly embraced its role as the “gateway” to Illinois’ only National Forest, celebrating its proximity to the Shawnee. The city’s official Facebook page proudly bears the name “Harrisburg Illinois – Gateway to the Shawnee National Forest” and for the past four years the community has hosted the Shawnee Sasquatch Festival to boost tourism and attract visitors to both the town and the forest. “Southern Illinois businesses and communities depend on healthy and well-maintained public lands,” said John McPeek, Mayor of Harrisburg. “Visitors come here to hike, fish, camp, and experience the beauty of Southern Illinois, and they spend money in our communities while doing so. Cutting funding and staff puts these economic benefits at risk.”
The Art Gallery Off the Square, located in Vienna near the Hidden Springs Ranger District office of the Shawnee National Forest, offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the region’s artistic talent. The Gallery was one of the many local businesses that signed on to the Bost letter. Travelers can stop by the Forest Service office for trail maps and information before exploring local businesses. The Art gallery features over 40 artists, craftsmen, writers and poets who live and work within sixty miles of Vienna. “Tourists from across the country and around the world comment on the beauty of Shawnee National Forest,” said Joseph Emery, Owner of Art Gallery Off the Square. “The beauty of the Shawnee National Forest and the associated recreational facilities rely on federal workers and funding now and for future generations. Without the support of tourism to Shawnee National Forest we would probably have to close our business.”
Prairie Rivers Network (PRN) was one of the many organizations that signed the letter to Congressman Bost. PRN is an environmental nonprofit, working across Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest region to stop and clean-up pollution and build resilient communities. “The outdoor economy is a key part of collaborative efforts to strengthen and diversify the Southern Illinois economy in a sustainable way,” said Amanda Pankau, Director of Energy and Community Resiliency at Prairie Rivers Network, “Investing in public lands means investing in jobs, local businesses, and entrepreneurship, and ultimately in the long-term economic health of the region. Cutting funding and staff would undercut the very opportunities we need to move forward.”
Momentum is building around the outdoor economy’s potential to drive growth in Southern Illinois. Next week, on March 28th, Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center will host the inaugural Southern Illinois Outdoor Summit, an event designed to foster collaboration and growth in the region’s outdoor industry.
Proponents of federal lands and the workforce worry how past and future cuts will impact land management, including the maintenance of trails, campgrounds, and conservation projects. In addition to the economic benefits, the letter discussed how federal lands in the region also support “invaluable ecosystem services”, including clean water, flood control, and wildlife conservation.
“Our forests and wetlands don’t just provide a place to hike and recreate, they filter our water, protect against flooding, and give wildlife a home,” said Kim Erndt-Pitcher, Director of Ecological Health with Prairie Rivers Network and Southern Illinois resident. “When we invest in our public lands, we’re investing in clean water, healthier communities, and a future where people and nature can thrive together. Cutting funding and staffing puts all of that at risk.”
The Nature Conservancy of Illinois was another organization joining the letter. “The benefits of investing in our public lands are felt throughout Southern Illinois, which is home to a vibrant outdoor recreation community. Strong, consistent federal funding is critical in order for Southern Illinois to continue this proud tradition of our natural heritage,” said Tharran Hobson, The Nature Conservancy of Illinois’ Southern Illinois Program Director.
The letter signers urge Congressman Bost to oppose any reductions in federal funding and staffing that would harm public lands and the local economy. They say they are ready to work with policymakers to find solutions that balance fiscal responsibility with the preservation of Southern Illinois’ natural heritage.
At Prairie Rivers Network (PRN), we protect water, heal land, and inspire change. Using the creative power of science, law, and collective action, we protect and restore our rivers, return healthy soils and diverse wildlife to our lands, and transform how we care for the earth and for each other. PRN is the Illinois affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.
