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Indiana Dunes in Poor Shape

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is in poor condition, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Parks Conservation Association. The dunes are eroding, water pollution is contaminating the surrounding Lake Michigan and air pollution harms the air quality at the park, the report says.

It assesses the Great Lakes national parks based on data supplied by park managers and findings of researchers with the conservation association.

Indiana Dunes got its lowest score on air quality.

"Indiana Dunes was the only park in the Great Lakes that had a poor natural resource condition. They have a really low score on air quality, which stands to reason for where they're located," said Lynn McClure, Midwest regional director for NPCA. "That means our job to protect it becomes that much higher. We have to reinforce some of the laws we already have that govern clean air. They're borderline critical on air quality. It's a lot of traffic, a lot of industry."

It's pollution from ozone, sulfur dioxide, particulates and mercury from surrounding industrial facilities that harms the air quality in the park, according to the report. Nitrogen is also deposited, which causes non-native grasses to out-compete native plants.

"High priority projects such as threatened and endangered species protection, invasive plant control, historic structure and museum collection preservation, and dune protection remain unfunded," the report says.

The dunes are retreating because shoreline development nearby prevents the natural deposit of sand that replenishes them. As of Jan. 1 this year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had brought in more than a million cubic yards of sands to Mount Baldy near Michigan City, the park's largest active dune, to help counteract erosion.

Tom Anderson, executive director of Save the Dunes Council, said officials have discussed a permanent pumping system to bypass a break wall at Michigan City Harbor that prevents the natural movement of sand. The hydraulic system would move the sand quicker than trucks.

"There's been some talk about a permanent hose system so they just hook the pipe up when they dredge," Anderson said.

The report also says contamination from stormwater runoff, industrial pollution and sewage systems degrade park waters.

Although funding for the park increased from $5.1 million in 1996 to $7.7 million in 2007, 20 critical staff positions have been cut since 2000. Because of the lack of funding, the report says, several of the park's museum items are at risk of being damaged or destroyed because there's no fire suppression and climate control systems at the storage facility.

McClure said regular people can help protect state parks by staying on established paths, volunteering to help at parks, better cleaning boats to avoid spreading invasive species and writing legislators in support of bills to increase funding for the parks.

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On the Internet

To view the full report, visit http://www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/great_lakes/