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[Little Freckles]

per High Knob on Face Book:  PLEASE READ
To all High Knob and Shawnee Forest trail riders, the National Forest Foundation, as of last night, has offered a 100% matching grant to reroute and improve the River to River trail. Improvements will begin at the Overlook west of High Knob, to Buzzard’s Roost, then continue to the Golden Circle Trailhead parking area, across the road, then connect back to the River to River trail towards Garden of the Gods.  The Shawnee Trail Conservancy will facilitate the grant.  The DEADLINE for the commitment of matching funds is January 10, 2026.  Yes, this is short notice BUT your donation will not be payable until           June 1, 2026.  We need the dollar commitment now to guarantee we get the grant.   
You have seen the many trail improvements the last couple of years.  The Forest Service viewed the work that has been done but realized the trail is beyond repair and needs to be rerouted next to the bluff area.  This will be a prettier ride and will eliminate the current mud and erosion problems.  The reroute will be completed by the end of 2026.  The project has been moved to the TOP of the priority list to be completed, BUT we need your commitment NOW to make this happen.
We need to raise $20,000 to get the grant.  If each person would make a commitment of a few dollars, or more, we can do this.  You will be making a huge difference for the present and the future of trails in the Shawnee. This is a tax deductible 501c3 donation.
We have never had an opportunity like this before.  PLEASE help us reach the goal and the National Forest Foundation will match it 100%.
Please make your sincere donation  commitment to Terry Wheeler of the Shawnee Trails Conservancy by texting or calling (618-925-6960). Please provide your name, phone number and the dollar amount of your donation. Once the grant is approved, your payment will be due by June 1, 2026.
Thank you for your commitment to the Shawnee National Forest and all trail riders.

[Laurie]

FYI..SJ (Sandra Jackson) shared this on her facebook page. If you ride this area you might like to know about this new venture.

From: Jill Jenkins Thompson's facebook page....

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So…Mark and I are in the process of doing a thing...a REALLY BIG thing, and after several months of keeping it quiet, we’re finally ready to tell everyone!! We’re buying High Knob Campground in Southern IL where we’ve been camping and horseback riding for over 20 years. This is an equestrian campground on 45 acres that borders the Shawnee National Forest on two sides, with 150 permanent and overnight campsites, 10 rental cabins, covered horse stalls, a camp store/office, shower house, a house and a shop. We’re planning to close on the campground at the beginning of Jan and will be moving down there shortly after. We can’t wait to be living there full time and to be within 15 minutes of the breathtaking Garden of the Gods.

Since we started dating almost 35 years ago, we’ve dreamed about owning and running a resort or campground. We’ve looked at several places over the years and came close to buying a couple of them, but none of them were exactly what we were looking for, until now. We both feel this is the absolute perfect fit for both of us. No doubt we’re going to end up working harder and longer hours in our “early retirement” than we do now, but we can’t wait! This is truly a dream come true for us!! We can’t thank JoJo enough for choosing us to sell the campground to and for trusting us to take care of it and continue making it the best horse-riding destination in IL.

If you have horses and are looking for a beautiful place to trail ride, come stay with us!! If you’re going to be traveling through the area and need a place to sleep for a few nights, plan to stop by and rent a cabin from us!! We are beyond excited to start this new chapter in our lives!!!!
— with Mark Thompson.

[kckc]

oh congratulations !!  I wish I was close enough to come visit and ride...

[NoBite]

We wish the new owners much success! New owners at High Knob and new owners at Bay Creek (entering their second season in the Spring). It's a good time to come ride in the Shawnee!

[Walkin45]

Little freckles. Sent pm.

[Little Freckles]

from a face book post:
Shawnee Trail Conservancy
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THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your support for the River to River Reroute at Shawnee National Forest.
There were 104 individual donations, from 15 states.
IL, IN,MN,MI,TN,WI,ME,OH,IA,FL,MO,GA,VA,KY and TX.
Larger donations were made from Shawnee Trail Conservancy, Midwest Equine Trail Foundation,
Friends of Shawnee National Forest, Westwood Trail Riders (IL), Tennessee Walking Horse Pleasure Club (MO), High Knob Ranch Campground and McKinney’s Western Store.
Several individuals from permanent sites at High Knob Ranch Campground, Hayes Canyon and Double M Campground also contributed.
DRUM ROLL, the goal of $20,000 was exceeded with a grand total as of now of $26,000.
With the National Forest Foundation matching those dollars, this is a total of $52,000 for the reroute.  This is amazing and so generous of everyone. This shows the commitment that horse and mule trail riders have to leave a legacy of trails for the future.
There is still time to donate if you missed your chance earlier.
For all those who made a pledge, please mail your donation to:
Shawnee Trail Conservancy
P.O. Box 44
Eddyville, IL 62928
And add a note of River to River Reroute fund.
We will be posting updates as work progresses on the trail.
Thank you, Terry Wheeler for organizing all the phone calls, texts and emails from everyone. 
A Heartfelt Thank you to all the Trail Riders who donated.

[NoBite]

Wonderful response!!

[kckc]

That's wonderful...