Protect Bell Smith Springs: A National Natural Treasure

Help Us Protect Bell Smith Springs

Bell Smith Springs is more than just a scenic wonder — it’s a sanctuary of biodiversity, a classroom for future generations, and a sacred part of our shared natural heritage. Designated as a National Natural Landmark, it boasts over 700 plant species, pristine spring-fed pools, and rare ecological communities found nowhere else in Illinois.

But this treasure is under threat — again.

The Forest Service has revived a thinly veiled logging project in the headwaters of Bell Smith Springs under the misleading name “McCormick Oak-Hickory Restoration.” With little public notice and no proper environmental review, logging roads have already been reopened and damage has begun — all within one of the most sensitive and beloved ecosystems in the Shawnee National Forest.

We’ve stopped this before — and with your help, we can stop it again.

Friends of Bell Smith Springs is a grassroots organization founded to protect this extraordinary place. We are hikers, scientists, educators, and everyday citizens who believe in defending the wild beauty and ecological integrity of Bell Smith Springs. Every dollar you donate goes directly toward:

Monitoring and publicizing threats

Legal advocacy and environmental oversight

Educational outreach and stewardship

Building the movement to create a Shawnee National Park and Climate Preserve

Your contribution helps ensure Bell Smith Springs remains a refuge for wildlife, a sanctuary for quiet reflection, and a living, breathing legacy for future generations.

Donate today. Speak for the trees, the springs, the soil — and for all who can’t.