October 21, 2025
Washington, D.C. – the Environmental Law & Policy Center commends U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) for advancing the Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act of 2025 (S. 2548) to passage in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee today.
Sen. Durbin’s bill, co-sponsored by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), will provide increased protection to three of the largest uninterrupted areas of southern Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest. The bill both establishes a new Wilderness Area within Camp Hutchins, and establishes the Camp Burke Branch, Camp Hutchins and Ripple Hollow Special Management Areas, protecting them from any commercial extraction activity while allowing for active management of these natural areas.
“Protecting these wonderful areas in the Shawnee National Forest, including the new Camp Hutchins Wilderness Area, will go a long way to preserving some of the most remarkable landscapes, biodiversity, and water resources in Southern Illinois,” said Howard Learner, ELPC’s Executive Director. “Illinoisans care about Wilderness areas in the Shawnee, and we now have a great opportunity to continue protecting these special places for hiking, camping, and wildlife. We commend Sen. Durbin for his leadership and appreciate the full Senate Agriculture Committee’s bipartisan support. ELPC looks forward to the legislation’s passage by the full Senate.”