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Proposed Action United States Department of Agriculture Proposed Action Forest Service A Land-for-Land Exchange December 2011 between American Land Holdings of Illinois, LLC and the Shawnee National Forest Shawnee National Forest Gallatin, Pope, and Jackson Counties, Illinois The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Shawnee National Forest Land Exchange Proposed Action Table of Contents Background ...................................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Need for Action ........................................................................................................................1 Proposed Action ............................................................................................................................................2 Federal Parcel – Gallatin County ..............................................................................................................2 Non-Federal Parcels ..................................................................................................................................2 Non-Federal Parcel # 1 (Pope County)..................................................................................................2 Non-Federal Parcel # 2 (Jackson County) .............................................................................................3 Non-Federal Parcel # 3 (Pope County)..................................................................................................3 Decision Framework .....................................................................................................................................4 Alternatives ...................................................................................................................................................4 No Action ..................................................................................................................................................4 Proposed Action ........................................................................................................................................4 Purchase Alternative .................................................................................................................................4 Appendix A – Maps ......................................................................................................................................5 Appendix B – Legal Descriptions of Parcels Proposed for Exchange ........................................................10 Federal Land – Gallatin County ..............................................................................................................12 Non-Federal Parcel # 1 –Pope County ....................................................................................................12 Non-Federal Parcel # 2 – Jackson County ..............................................................................................14 Nonfederal Parcel # 3 – Pope County .....................................................................................................15 List of Maps Map 1. Shawnee Land Exchange Vicinity Map _____________________________________________ ii Map 2. Federal Parcel – Gallatin County ___________________________________________________6 Map 3. Non-Federal Parcel # 1 (Pope County) ______________________________________________7 Map 4. Non-Federal Parcel # 2 (Jackson County) ____________________________________________8 Map 5. Non-Federal Parcel # 3 (Pope County) ______________________________________________9 i Shawnee National Forest Land Exchange Proposed Action Map 1. Shawnee Land Exchange Vicinity Map ii Shawnee National Forest Land Exchange Proposed Action Background American Land Holdings of Illinois, LLC (ALHI) has approached the Shawnee National Forest with a proposal to exchange certain parcels of private land for an isolated parcel of National Forest System land in Gallatin County, Illinois.1 The National Forest System land adjoins private lands that ALHI currently owns or holds legal options to purchase. ALHI – a subsidiary of Peabody Energy – desires to acquire the Federal parcel to further the development of an economically viable surface-mining operation at the location. They intend to implement surface mining activities on the Federal parcel, along with adjacent private parcels, as part of a coal extraction operation. Purpose and Need for Action The purpose of this initiative is to exchange the federally owned parcel of land in Gallatin County for three parcels of non-Federal land located elsewhere within the Forest’s proclamation boundary. This action is needed so that the Forest might dispose of a relatively isolated parcel of land and acquire suitable replacement parcels near large, consolidated blocks of National Forest System land, a Forest Plan priority. This action responds to the goals and objectives outlined in the Land and Resource Management Plan of the Shawnee National Forest2 (Forest Plan), and helps move the project area toward desired conditions described in that plan (page 24): The highest priorities of the Forest’s land-ownership–adjustment program are providing for ecological restoration, protecting historic resources, reducing management costs and meeting the needs of the public. Acquisition of land that provides habitat for endangered, threatened, or sensitive species will continue to be a prime consideration of land adjustment activities. Land consolidation will be sought in order to improve public benefits and reduce administrative costs and is especially important in congressionally-designated areas like wilderness. Land-for-land exchanges will be considered when they meet the priorities for land ownership adjustment. Land exchanges involving isolated parcels of National Forest land will receive a higher consideration. Land adjustment standards and guidelines are provided on page 49 of the Forest Plan, which provides the following priorities: 1. Land needed to carry out programs specified, prescribed, or endorsed by acts of congress or department policy (e.g., wilderness); 2. Tracts needed to block-in or consolidate existing national forest land that is valuable primarily for watershed-protection, access, special-feature or sensitive-species management, or recreation; 3. Other land parcels desirable and suitable for Forest purposes that would also enhance management efficiency. 1 See Appendix A for detailed maps of all parcels included in this proposal. 2 USDA Forest Service. 2006. Shawnee National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/shawnee/landmanagement/planning 1 Shawnee National Forest Land Exchange Proposed Action Proposed Action The proposed action is the exchange of 384 acres of National Forest System land in Gallatin County (T. 10 S., R. 9 E., Sections 21, 27 and 28) for non-Federal lands located in Pope County (481 acres at T. 13 S., R. 6 E., Sections 9 and 10 and 80 acres at T. 11 S., R. 6 E., Section 25) and Jackson County (270 acres on the Mississippi River at T. 9 S., R. 4 W., Sections 35 and 36 and T. 10 S., R. 4 W., Section 1).3 Federal Parcel – Gallatin County The Federal parcel is approximately 384 acres in size and is located in Gallatin County Illinois, approximately 20 miles southeast of Harrisburg, Illinois. This parcel is located in the southeast corner of the state approximately two miles west of the Ohio River. The western edge of the parcel adjoins the Saline River, although approximately 20 acres of forested habitat is located across the river on the west bank. From the Saline River bottom, moderate, west facing slopes comprise the center of the parcel, whereas the upland portion in the east adjoins a large block of private agricultural land. The parcel is entirely forested, with bottomland hardwoods, including swamp chestnut oak, American elm, cherrybark oak, and red maple along the Saline River, and upland hardwoods, including mixed oak, sweetgum, maple, ash, and yellow poplar dominating the eastern two-thirds of the parcel. The river bottom and floodplain, which make up approximately 25 percent of the parcel, are seasonally flooded; forested wetlands are scattered throughout the bottom. The Federal parcel involved in this exchange proposal is located primarily within the Minimum Management Management Area (MA) identified in the Shawnee Forest Plan. The Minimum Management MA generally provides for the protection and maintenance of environmental values, but directs that management activities and investments be at a minimum level. Additionally, the Minimum Management MA directs that
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