February 4, 2019
Ohio's forests face many threats and we count on the agencies charged with managing them to care for these lands that provide us with beautiful scenery, wildlife habitat, clean air, and clean water. Unfortunately, these agencies don't always act in the public's best interest, and it is up to Ohioans to hold them accountable.
In 2009 during an ODNR prescribed burn in the beautiful and extremely biodiverse Shawnee State Forest in southern Ohio, a forest fire broke out burning 3,000 acres. Barbara Lund, a long time Ohio Sierra Club Forest Committee member and member of local grassroots group Save Our Shawnee Forest, led the charge to take action. Three verified complaints were filed with OEPA claiming violations of the agency's fire permission. OEPA has dismissed all three complaints, blaming the fire on arson, but providing no evidence to support this claim.
Now Barbara and other concerned forest advocates are appealing OEPA's decision with legal help from Fair Shake and Hunter & Hunter LLC, a firm started by a former Fair Shake intern.
Visit Save Our Shawnee Forest to learn more about how you can help!