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| The Friends of the Shawnee National Forest is a nonprofit organization that supports the Shawnee National Forest by promoting land stewardship, environmental education and responsible outdoor recreation.
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| The season of wither gives rise to the season of renewal. Here’s to getting out more and exploring the Shawnee National Forest. And there’s a lot going on. Read below to find out what Friends of the Shawnee has been up to and how your membership and donation dollars have benefited the Shawnee.
Find out more information about the Shawnee National Forest at https://www.fs.usda.gov/shawnee. |
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| Saturday, March 5, some hardy souls plunged into Pounds Hollow Lake during our first ever Shawnee Polar Plunge. This event benefited the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest and the Equality Fire Department. Teams and individuals raised over $600. It was a lot of freezin’ fun. Special thanks to Jennifer Lane from the Hardin County Independent for capturing some of the moments. |
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Friends Weekend at Rim Rock’s
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| Rim Rock’s Dogwood Cabins was ground zero for a weekend of celebration, networking and stewardship.
Friday, May 4, we celebrated Kelly Pearson’s retirement (she’s on the right wearing the gray vest) and years of devotion to the US Forest Service and the Shawnee National Forest.
Saturday, we were “Freezin’ For a Reason”, in the afternoon. That evening, we gathered to meet new and old friends who have a passion about the Shawnee.
Sunday was devoted to “Leaving it better than you found it.” Morning activities included an invasive species removal demonstration, followed by graffiti removal at the Golden Circle in the Garden of the Gods Wilderness. Later that afternoon, Rim Rock received some much-needed trail stewardship with more to come.
Special thanks to Steve and Tara Melville at Rim Rock’s Dogwood Cabins for their donations, time and effort in making this Friends of the Shawnee event happen. |
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Left it Better than We Found it
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| Photos courtesy of Jonathan Voelz.
Patrick Jones (Friends of the Shawnee board member), Patricia Powell (Master Gardener), Beckie Wisdom (Master Gardener), and Jonathan Voelz (Master Naturalist) worked with Extension Program Coordinator, Kimberly Rohling, to collect trash at Ripple Hollow last Friday, April 1. Participants removed 7 bags of trash, one stove, and 51 tires which collectively weighed 2,042 pounds! This clean-up event was supported by a partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; Friends of the Shawnee; and University of Illinois Extension.
We’ll partner again with the USFS and Illinois Extension on Friday, May 6 from 9-11 a.m. at Bell Smith Springs. Register for the Bell Smith Springs trash blast at go.illinois.com/SNFTrashBlast.
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| Friday, March 4, volunteers picked up 85 pounds of trash, and helped dismantle two illegal fire rings at Dutchman Lake. This clean-up event was supported by a partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; Friends of the Shawnee; and University of Illinois Extension.
We’ll partner again with the USFS and University of Illinois Agricultural Extension on Friday, May 6 from 9-11 a.m. at Bell Smith Springs.
Wear appropriate apparel, bring your water bottle, a snack and your hard work. Please register in advance so we can provide enough tools at go.illinois.com/SNFTrashBlast. |
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The next time you visit Rim Rock National Recreation Trail, you might notice several large fallen trees have been removed from the lower trail section. Special thanks to Jackson Bass from the USFS for clearing the path. Part of a day of educational/service events taking place last Saturday March 6 in the Shawnee.
Still more work to do at the rock stairs at Rim Rock. Invasive species removal will be a focus in the fall.
The Friends of the Shawnee National Forest works with the US Forest Service and others to keep the Shawnee beautiful.
Friends of the Shawnee Partner with Shawnee Saunterers
Friends of the Shawnee are excited to announce our first ever partnership with Shawnee Saunterers. We will again visit Bell Smith Springs Tuesday, May 31 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. to clean up after Memorial Day revelers. Please visit Shawnee Saunterers or Friends Facebook pages for details. |
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Become a Friends of the Shawnee National Forest Member
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This is where we live
Consider becoming a new Member of the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest or renew your membership.
All members receive:
- Our quarterly e-newsletter.
- Emails inviting them to stewardship events such as trash blasts and trail building.
- The satisfaction of knowing they are supporting the Friends’ mission in promoting land stewardship, environmental education, and responsible outdoor recreation in the Shawnee National Forest.
Membership Levels
Sapling – $25
Redbud – $40
New Redbud Members receive a T-shirt.
Dogwood – $75
New Dogwood Members receive a T-shirt and their choice of east side or west side trail maps of the Shawnee.
Elm – $100
New Elm Members receive a T-shirt, their choice of east side or west side trail maps and annual recognition in our e-newsletter.
Visit https://www.joinit.org/o/friends-of-the-shawnee-national-forest
or send to:
Friends of the Shawnee National Forest
P.O. Box 612 Carbondale, IL 62903
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, membership and donations are tax deductible. |
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Visit our online store for maps,
T-shirts and more
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Beanies and fishing shirts
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| Beanies available in forest green and orange. the perfect accessory to go along with your Shawnee hoodie. Only $18. |
| A great gift for the fisherperson in your life. This T-shirt is available in blue in S, M, L, XL and XXL sizes. Some sizes are limited. Only $15! |
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