News

The Jellico Mountains Logging Task Force would like to officially thank and recognize Whitney Hamblin of Kentucky Heartwood for all the amazing artwork and documents she made for our cause. Thank you, Whitney and Kentucky Heartwood! The task force, citizens of Whitley and McCreary counties, and the wildlife and trees in the Jellico Mountains really… Continue reading Thanks to Whitney Hamblin for her Artwork

McCreary Voice – With the rugged beauty and history of the area, perhaps it is no real surprise that a local citizens’ group is opposed to the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed Jellico (& Little Rock Creek) Vegetation Management Project, which incorporates the use of clearcutting and variations of clearcutting to harvest approximately 5,000 acres of… Continue reading Citizens are eager to “stop the chop”

WTVQ — A group of Whitley and McCreary County citizens have banded together to protect thousands of acres of the Daniel Boone National Forest. This is in response to the U.S. Forest Services’ plans to clear-cut approximately 5,000 acres of the forest and log a total of 10,000 acres over the next 40 years, the… Continue reading Jellico Mountain task force formed to oppose Daniel Boone National Forest logging

March 15, 2023 Tim Reed, District ManagerDaniel Boone National ForestStearns Ranger District3320 Highway 27 NWhitley City, KY 42653 Subject: Citizens Alternative to the Jellico Vegetative Management Project #63037 Dear Mr. Reed, This letter is in response to U.S. Forest Service plans to log the Jellico Mountains of the Daniel Boone National Forest over the next… Continue reading Citizens Alternative to the Jellico Vegetative Management Project

Please sign and share our petition: No Clearcutting the Jellico Mountains in our Daniel Boone National Forest https://www.change.org/JellicoMountains

WILLIAMSBURG, Kentucky—Brandon Bowlin learned of the U.S. government’s plan for clear-cutting in the southernmost mountains of Daniel Boone National Forest only a few weeks after the hard summer rains of 2022, when the earth slid off a mountain beneath a slope he had once logged. Since age 14—when Bowlin first held a chainsaw—he has harvested… Continue reading Kentucky Residents Angered by U.S. Forest Service Logging Plan That Targets Mature Trees

The following letter was sent to the editor of The McCreary Voice and is shared below with the express permission of the author. Dear Editor, I am writing to you and the community in reference to two articles: Locals Express Views During Town Hall Meeting and Vigorous Response to Jellico Vegetation Management Proposal. The U.S.… Continue reading Letter to the Editor

The Revelator – The community at the base of the Jellico Mountains initiated an incredible public campaign to “stop the chop” in response to the Forest Service’s scoping analysis. Every decision we make today will leave generations of people growing into adulthood with questions about why we chose profit and extraction over protection.  While we… Continue reading Protect This Place: Jellico Mountains, Home of Magical Waterways and Unique Species

These are the top stories of 2022 as voted upon by the news staff of the News Journal. 6) Daniel Boone National Forest proposal Nearly 100 people turned out on Nov. 17 for a town hall style meeting over the U.S. Forest Service’s proposal to clear cut logging of about 1,000 acres in the Daniel… Continue reading Our Story is #6 for 2022

Proposed alternative to clearcutting the Jellico Mountains:JELLICO MOUNTAINS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA JMNRA

Check out the excellent feedback that Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) provided to the U.S. Forest Service regarding the Jellico Logging Project. View SELC Comments The mission of the Southern Environmental Law Center is to protect the basic right to clean air, clean water, and a livable climate; to preserve our region’s natural treasures and… Continue reading Southern Environmental Law Center’s Comments

The News Journal – Our founding fathers were some pretty smart folks. When they created this country, they did so with the idea of giving the people a way to peacefully address their grievances with the government. On Nov. 17, we got to see this in action locally as about 100 people gathered at the… Continue reading Glad to see open dialogue at town hall meeting on proposed logging

Thank you to everyone who submitted public comments to the U.S. Forest Service… for a total of 293 comments on the Jellico Project! The USFS values public participation and encourages comments on all forest projects to “help us make the right decisions for the good of the land and the public we serve.” We hope… Continue reading 293 Public Comments!

READ THE ARTICLE AT THE VOICE

WILLIAMSBURG — More than 100 concerned residents attended a meeting Thursday to discuss a proposed project that would affect nearly 10,000 acres of the Daniel Boone National Forest over the next 40 years. READ MORE AT THE TIMES TRIBUNE

News Journal – With the exception of forest service officials, there was a clear consensus from pretty much everyone else who spoke out at the meeting that clear cutting is a terrible idea. “I find it disgusting. Clear cutting on steep slopes should be outlawed,” said one person, who identified himself as a former logger.… Continue reading This will destroy this whole region for years,’ resident tells U.S. Forest Service

Thanks to the U.S. Forest Service, Kentucky Heartwood, and the hundred members of our community who turned out on November 17 for our town meeting on the Jellico Logging Project. And special thanks to the Whitley County Extension Office for allowing the community to use its space. Here are some photos from the event:

Kentucky Heartwood made a Facebook Live broadcast of the Jellico Project Town Meeting on November 17 at the Whitley County Extension Office. Turnout was excellent, with about 100 members of the community in attendance and many sharing their views. Special thanks to the U.S. Forest Service, Tim Reed, John Hull, and the others for their… Continue reading Video of the Town Meeting

WBIR 10 News NBC – “We are concerned about the amount of logging and the number of years the proposal is going to take. Forty years, that’s a long time,” said Lauren Kallmeyer, the executive director of Kentucky Heartwood. “We’re hoping for a lot less trees to be cut overall. Then, the amount of trees… Continue reading People who live near Daniel Boone National Forest are concerned about losing 10,000 acres of trees

“Our shared public lands provide the best, and perhaps only opportunity for the restoration and recovery of the great forests that once dominated eastern Kentucky. These lands need stewardship and care. But the agricultural underpinnings of traditional forestry too easily sideline other values and risk degrading and diminishing our public forests.” READ THE ARTICLE AT… Continue reading Daniel Boone Forest deserves better treatment than proposed logging project