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Feature Packages

Life in Karbers Ridge

Velna Dobbs

Velna Dobbs, postmistress, lives in a small white house in Karbers Ridge with her dog Barney. But she's not alone... View Now

Elite-8 Landmarks

Natural landmarks

From the Little Grand Canyon to Lusk Creek Canyon, national natural landmarks abound around the SNF View Now

Saloon style root beer

Root Beer on tap

Thirsty? Take a trip beyond the boardwalk of Alto Pass into an eclectic establishment that serves a sweet form of stout. Cheers! View Now

Photo Stories

Make sugar

Instructor discusses maple trees

See how maple trees lead to yummy, gooey treats and join a group that learns how to tap into syrupmaking at a springtime event held at SIUC's Touch of Nature...View Now

Float along the Cache

Cache River guide Curt Carter in canoe

Take a trip back in time with Curt Carter to discover how the Cache River revived in this award-winning treat by photojournalist Emily Sunblade. View Now

Vulture culture

Balloon maker

Entertainment, vendors, and craftsmen gather around the Makanda boardwalk for the annual Vulture Fest, a celebration of art, music, and people... View Now

Textual Tales

The Refuge

craborchard3_thumb.jpgCrab Orchard Wildlife Refuge has housed industry since it was brought under control of the federal government in the 1940s.  Wildlife preservation and weapons manufacturing don't typically go together, and Crab Orchard has a history of environmental problems.

More...  

Chasing the Dream

o4_thumb.jpgAlex Mitrevskiis in the pursuit of the American dream in the Middle of the Shawnee Forest.  Serving ham and cheese sandwiches in the forest is his own slice of heaven. 

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Video Voices

History of unrest, legal challenges

Forest fighters buried in road

WSIU shares documentaries about the fight to save the Shawnee National Forest from timber interests. A major battle took place at the Fairview timber sale.

Were you involved? If so, send a note to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

View Now

Volunteers rebuild trails

Group drops log

Did you know that to rebuild a wilderness trail, no modern implements are allowed? Using only human power and traditional tools, volunteers tackle the task.

Watch this report by Ashley Parham about how people can and do make a difference in the Shawnee Forest...

View Now

About "Shawnee Forest: Illinois' Hidden Gem"
The Shawnee National Forest is wonderful place full of beauty and nature that most Southern Illinoisans believe to be a gift. The Shawnee contains a vast amount of secrets that are just waiting to be explored. As journalists, our job is to uncover those secrets. For the past few semesters at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, students from Journalism, Cinema and Photography, and Radio-Television have combined their skills to explore different areas of the forest in order tell the untold stories. Explore this website and learn about the Shawnee National Forest as we have...

Throughout the website is a variety of stories, slideshows and videos. Here is a little guide for you to fully enjoy our students' work.

  • A photo with a green border can be clicked to open a larger version of the photo, and it will also allow viewers to click through other photographs in the story.
  • A slideshow with four arrows in the right corner will open the slideshow to fullscreen.
  • A slideshow without play controls can be started or paused when you click on a photograph in the slideshow.
  • To see timelines in fullscreen, follow the links below the timelines.
  • Each slideshow has the option of sound and captions, please adjust to your liking.