04/02/2024
The Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois is about 290,000 acres. A national forest is under the Department of Agriculture and part of their mission is resource extraction (logging, fracking). There's a initiative to redesignate the Shawnee to the Department of Interior, which is all about about education, preservation and recreation. They won't log or frack the Shawnee. Our goal is to make the Shawnee Illinois' first national park, and the nation's first Climate Preserve. It's proven that national parks attract much more tourism than national forests, and tourism is good for the local economy. This video highlights support for our initiative from local merchants in and around the Shawnee.
Southern Illinois business owners support the Shawnee National Park and Climate Preserve proposal