Gov. Mike Braun is urging the United States Forest Service (USFS) to withdraw the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project, which would log 5,000 acres and burn more than 15,500 acres of public national forest land.
The land is between Paoli, French Lick and English in the Hoosier National Forest. Braun is insisting the USFS focus on the completion of the Hoosier National Forest Management Plan.
“The project area is treasured by Hoosiers and recreationists alike,” Braun said. “Its forests are a favorite destination for horseback riders, hikers, mushroom foragers, hunters and campers. Many Hoosiers have voiced concerns that these resources and their enjoyment of the area will be harmed by the project.”
The impacted area includes Tucker Lake, Springs Valley, Youngs Creek and Lick Creek Trails. Several commissioners and the Paoli Town Council have passed resolutions opposing the project.
In his letter to USFS, Braun expressed concern for the level of logging and burning proposed on lands that drain into Patoka Lake, threatening Hoosier drinking water.
Braun also expressed disdain for the Biden administration’s failure to modify the project “in a meaningful manner” despite public forums and comments that suggested alternatives.
Braun concluded his letter, saying, “As Governor of Indiana, I respectfully request that the USFS withdraw the Project, and that it instead focus on the completion of the long overdue Hoosier National Forest Management Plan.”
Several environmental leaders support Braun’s letter.
Heartwood founder Andy Mahler and former Indiana Forest Alliance executive director Jeff Stant issued a statement in response:
“We are grateful for Gov. Braun’s advocacy for conservation and his commitment to public participation in decisions about our public lands.
“We believe our publicly owned forests are far more valuable for their biodiversity, recreational opportunities, heritage and history, as well as their role in providing clean air and water, absorbing carbon and moderating weather extremes, than they are for commercial extraction.”
Buffalo Springs was coined by the USFS for Buffalo Trace, the roadway carved by buffalo and pioneers heading west, and the abundant freshwater springs in the area. After local activists and residents received word of the project, Mahler and others came together to prevent the project from proceeding.
Mahler, 73, was part of a group that successfully shut down commercial logging in the forest in the 1980s. Now diagnosed with stage IV cancer, Mahler is still standing up for the forest.
“The key to the decision in the ‘80s and the decisions being made now all center on citizens speaking out, and that is what the people of Orange County did,” Mahler said. “We all did this together, and we are showing that change is possible.”
This is an ongoing story that will be updated as new information comes to light.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
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Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
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