WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Federal Government shutdown over President Donald Trump’s border wall has furloughed an estimated 320,000 federal employees. In Indiana, that includes the Hoosier National Forest, maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, which spans over 200,000 acres. Progression towards the end of the shutdown, now entering its third week, are stalled between Congress and the President.
The government shutdown comes after November’s announcement to consider logging some 4,000 acres of the U.S. Forest Service. The proposal also includes the clear-cutting of over 400 acres, south of Lake Monroe, in an area called Houston South. Environmental watchdogs, like the Indiana Forest Alliance and Friends of Lake Monroe have balked at the proposal.
Lake Monroe is Indiana’s largest reservoir. Dr. Rae Schnapp, The Indiana Forest Alliance’s Conservation Director, echoed concerns by the Friends of Lake Monroe, about the potential impact of clear-cutting within the Lake Monroe watershed. U.S. Forest Service’s proposal to log thousands of acres in the Hoosier National Forest have been put on hold, at least until the agency receives its federal budget allocation and resumes normal operations.
