WAYNE NATIONAL FOREST — Founding father Gen. Anthony Wayne has a national forest named after him in Southeastern Ohio, but it may be renamed, according to AP News.
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Around 40 Native American tribes have ancestral ties to the forest, which is about a quarter-million acres.
A debate is underway for a Forest Service proposal to replace the name of Gen. Anthony Wayne as he was celebrated as an “Indian fighter,” by Americans of an earlier era, according to AP News.
Those seeking a name change want to make it something more neutral like the Buckeye National Forest, after the state tree.
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Forest Manager Lee Stewart said the various Native American tribes have been requesting a change in the name for decades, but the request was formalized last year as the Biden administration worked to review derogatory place names across the country, AP News said.
Since 2021, the names of about 650 places and geographic features across the country have been renamed, according to AP News.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will receive feedback until Monday and then make a final decision. If renaming the forest gets approved, it will be the first national forest to be renamed since 2007.
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