Mellencamps join fight to save Hoosier National Forest

• Other logging and tree thinning projects are planned for several thousand more acres.
• The Forest Service says the goal is to improve forest health, but activists argue that the project could exacerbate the effects of climate change and threaten the quality of drinking water for thousands of Hoosiers.

Driving the news: John Mellencamp and his son, Hud, have joined the battle with a new film.

• "Saving the Hoosier: The Fight for America's Forests" is a documentary about activists, including the Indiana Forest Alliance, fighting against Forest Service plans.
• Filmmakers will use John Mellencamp's music and Hud Mellencamp, founder of his own whiskey brand, has signed on as narrator.

What they're saying: "I'm excited to be part of this film, because the Hoosier National Forest is not only a place I love, it's where I live, where I grew up," Hud Mellencamp said in a release. "I don't want to see this area compromised by logging and burning."

What's next: Filmmakers have launched a GoFundMe, hoping to raise at least $10,000 for a professional editor to finish the project.

• Completed interviews include Gov. Mike Braun, who has publicly opposed the Forest Service plans.