SHAWNEE CLOSURES VIOLATE LAW, SAY GROUPS

A lawsuit seeking to set aside the closure of a number of public roads and trails in Shawnee National Forest pits horseback riders, bow hunters, campground owners and other users of the lands against the U.S. Forest Service.

The lawsuit was filed earlier this week by the Mountain States Legal Foundation on behalf of five organizations. They include the Shawnee Trail Conservancy, the Illinois Ranch and Campground Owners Association, Illinois Trail Riders, the Illinois Federation of Outdoor Resources and the Horsemen's Council.

Some who oppose closing the roads and trails use the forest for horseback riding, including trail ride businesses that have been affected by the move. But the order also limited to certain areas rappelling, rock climbing and camping.

The groups in the lawsuit claim to represent 60,000 members.

The Denver-based public interest legal center maintains that the Forest Service decision to close county roads for the purpose of restoring "natural conditions" goes beyond a local issue. The suit argues that the closure of county roads infringes on state sovereignty and violates Illinois law.

The boundaries of Shawnee National Forest include land that is owned both by the federal government and by private individuals.

In January 1997, the Forest Service decided to close nearly half the forest's natural areas to horses, rock climbing, camping, mountain bikes and all-terrain vehicles. The aim was to preserve fragile or unique plant life and geological features.

Environmentalists say soil erosion, the trampling of threatened species and even horse droppings can have negative effects on the habitat.

The Forest Service originally proposed keeping all but seven of the 81 natural areas open only to foot traffic. A protest resulted from tourism and horse camp operators, and U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard created a trails committee that forged a compromise.

The forest's 81 natural areas compose only 5 percent of its acreage, but recreationists say these are the places people most want to see. They claim the Forest Service has closed to them the most beautiful areas of the national forest.

All but seven of the 81 areas are expected to be closed eventually, and those closures won't be lifted once the natural conditions return, opponents say.

"Once areas are closed, it's very difficult to get them open," said Jan McVicker, a member of the board of the Shawnee Trail Conservancy.

McVicker said a group seeking a compromise on the closures walked 10 of the natural areas and found only one endangered species.

"We're saying, Show us these problems," McVicker said. "None of the interest groups wants to damage anything."

Only 32 percent of the land within the national forest boundaries is owned by the federal government. McVicker, who lives in Energy, Ill., argues that the Forest Service is trying to reclaim areas that were bought from farmers and include graveyards and roads that still belong to counties.

"None of this was a natural area," she said.