Paving the road to improving recreational transportation in Southern Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest, the Illinois House recently approved HR 1269, a resolution to allow all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) use in the forest, spearheaded by state Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) and four additional lawmakers.
Reps. Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton), Daniel Beiser (D-Alton), David Reis (R-Olney) and Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) joined Phelps to support the bill for its potential to increase tourism in the region. Currently, only disabled individuals are permitted to operate ATVs in the forest.
If enacted, the measure would allow the use of ATVs within the boundaries of Shawnee National Forest, near Harrisburg. It would allow for expansion of existing horse trails and would sanction exploration of possible additional recreational pursuits in the future.
"One of the potentially biggest tourist attractions for Shawnee National Forest would be allowing folks to use all-terrain vehicles on some of the many trails in Southern Illinois," Phelps said. "There are other national parks that permit it, and it brings a lot of people to the region, so there is no reason for us to not do the same."
The proposed regulation has been sent to the Rules Committee for processing. Phelps called the forest a “Southern Illinois treasure" and said tourism should be encouraged.
"We should be trying to continually promote ways to encourage people to visit us, and I believe allowing other activities can make a huge difference," he said.
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