# 119-s-2548: Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act of 2025

119-s-2548, Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL); status in_committee (as of 2026-09-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2548
- As of: 2026-09-27
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2548
- Congress: 119
- Title: Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act of 2025
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-07-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-27

## Summary

**Creates new conservation protections** in parts of Shawnee National Forest by designating the Camp Hutchins Wilderness and three Special Management Areas to conserve habitat, guide restoration, and limit extractive uses. It would require maps, management plans, and annual reporting to steer public use, research, and restoration. - Visitors and private landowners: People who use the forest get a new Camp Hutchins Wilderness of about 750 acres and three Special Management Areas totaling about 12,700 acres. Roads would be closed to public vehicles in the wilderness and motor vehicles would be generally prohibited in SMAs except for administration, emergencies, access to trailheads, inholdings, cemeteries, and campgrounds, and the Secretary must seek to acquire private inholdings from willing sellers. - Forest managers and restoration partners: SMAs must have a comprehensive management plan within 3 years and are managed to conserve biodiversity and control invasive species. The Secretary could use prescribed fire, herbicides, insect control, mechanized equipment, and selective thinning, while commercial timber harvest would be barred except for fire, insect, disease control, or safety. - Resource and legal effects: All federal land in the new wilderness and SMAs would be withdrawn from public land entry, mining claims, and mineral and geothermal leasing. Maps and legal descriptions would be filed with Congress, have the force of law, and the Forest Service must publish annual updates on progress toward management objectives.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-09-08T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New Camp Hutchins wilderness protections: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would set aside about 750 acres in Shawnee National Forest as the Camp Hutchins Wilderness. The Secretary would manage it under the Wilderness Act and file maps with Congress as soon as practicable. The bill would also block mining, mineral leasing, and public-land disposals on…
- Shawnee Special Management Areas: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would create three Special Management Areas of about 2,953, 3,445, and 6,310 acres in Shawnee National Forest. The Secretary must file maps with Congress, post them online, and adopt a long-term management plan within 3 years and report progress each year. Motor vehicles would…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2548 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2548)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2548 (as of 2026-09-27).