The rich and productive soils and moderate climate of Illinois have fostered farms, cities, towns and highways across a highly developed landscape. The land is so valuable for production that very few natural areas exist. In fact, the relatively small Shawnee National Forest accounts for about one-third of all public land in the state. Thus protection of the forest and its special areas, including Burke Branch, takes on great significance.
Burke Branch Roadless Area on the Shawnee National Forest represents the very best that the forest offers. Its incredibly diverse terrain ranges from large southern floodplain forests to steep hills, where dry forests and plant communities occupy the higher elevations and wetland communities and extremely rare seep springs are found farther down. The seeps harbor remnant populations of what are considered northern species such as cinnamon fern and sphagnum moss. Some ridge tops surrounding the seeps support remnant hill prairies, which create openings for many plants-blazing stars, big bluestem grass, narrow-leafed sunflowers and green-fringed orchids among them-that are not often found in the middle of a forest.
The area's large, contiguous blocks of high-quality hardwood forest are home to populations of uncommon forest birds, such as the black and white warbler and scarlet tanager, that bring joy to birdwatchers and other visitors to the forest. Just below the confluence of Burke Branch and Barren Creek, large bottomlands give rise to old-growth stands and oxbows and wetlands lush with plant life. The ridge overlooking Barren Creek contains Brasher Cave, where a modest population of Indiana bats (listed as endangered by the federal government) shares space with the southeastern myotis (listed as sensitive in the region). It is very unusual for these two species to inhabit the same cave.
The primary threat to Burke Branch is use of an illegally reconstructed road that runs through the area. Such use occurs regularly-even in the face of a court injunction against it. Any action such as weakening of the Roadless Rule that facilitates additional use of the road puts the extraordinary resources of Burke Branch Roadless Area at even greater risk.
