Indiana Dunes Administrative History

A Future Course: The General Management Plan, 1977—1980

Recognizing that the succession of Master Plans prepared in the late 1960s were inadequate, the expansion bill of October 1976 called for the National Park Service to complete a General Management Plan (GMP) for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore within two years. The first public meeting took place at the Tremont visitor center on August 30, 1977, when the Denver Service Center (DSC)—led GMP team introduced themselves to the public, explained the planning process, and solicited initial input. [7]

In early 1978, GMP Team Captain Terry Savage transferred to the North Atlantic Regional Office and was replaced by David Laux. [8] In addition to Savage and Laux, the remainder of the GMP team is listed as follows:

Principals

Contributors

Recalling the fiasco over the initial West Beach Development Concept Plan which engendered deep distrust of the Denver Service Center, the Save the Dunes Council insisted that a coordinator to handle public involvement be added to the lakeshore's staff. [10] Beginning January 1, 1978, team member Barbara Lavert, Urban Planner and Public Involvement Specialist, was reassigned to Indiana Dunes for the next two years. In his annual report, Superintendent Whitehouse explained the need for the change in Lavert's duty station:

Due to the complexity of the Indiana Dunes project, the overwhelming suspicion and lack of credibility, in general, towards the Denver Service Center by the Lakeshore community, a comprehensive public involvement program was adopted as an integral part of the GMP planning effort. A team member was stationed at the National Lakeshore and contact with individuals, organizations and agencies, either interested in or affected by, Lakeshore management, was initiated. [11]

The level of public involvement during the GMP processes was intensive. Public meetings with the same agenda were held in Chicago, Gary, Chesterton, Michigan City, and South Bend. It represented the first time that the National Park Service attempted to formulate a blueprint for the national lakeshore from public aspirations. [12]

Phase one of the GMP planning process involved twenty—eight public workshops with more than 1,000 participants between January 16 and May 13, 1978. A wide range of issues were identified including the overriding concern of development and use. One side called for slight use in order not to harm the natural ecosystem. A sizeable group, however, called for at least moderate park use with resource preservation implemented as much as possible. Facilities would be placed at the edge of the lakeshore boundaries and only in disturbed areas and with adaptively—reused structures if feasible. Utilizing public input, the team analyzed the data against environmental and visitor use concerns, management needs, political considerations, and legal constraints. From this planning process, four preliminary alternative plans were formulated.

During phase two, five public workshops and numerous meetings resulted in the participation of more than 700 citizens between October 23 and November 6, 1978. The sessions analyzed the four preliminary alternative plans which were featured in a special October edition of the Singing Sands Almanac. Five hundred written responses were tabulated via computer with an aim toward identifying which parts of the four alternatives would be incorporated into the fifth, or preferred alternative. [13]

A sizeable delegation of ORV owners attempted to "pack" the public meetings in order to get ORV usage sanctioned in the park, primarily at the Inland Marsh area. Their arguments were successfully rebuffed by environmentalists like Herbert Read who reminded the planning team of the clause in the 1966 authorization act asserting that dunes preservation—not devastation—was their preeminent responsibility. [14]

The Park Service's preferred alternative plan emerged during phase three between July 27 and August 23, 1979. Five public meetings saw more than 600 people participating and reviewing the two documents, "Assessment of Alternatives" and "Review of Alternatives." In the "Assessment," the team considered the environmental, economic, and social consequences of implementing the initial four alternatives and formulated a preferred alternative for the approval of the Midwest Regional Director. The "Review" outlined the decision—making process involved for the selection of the preferred alternative over the original four alternatives. Public response favored the level and type of development in the East Unit of the lakeshore. Substantial criticism focused on transportation, access, circulation, and the proposed developments in the West Unit. Features proposed in the east were favored for the west: a visitor facility, transit terminal, shuttle system, and South Shore Railroad stop.* No one wanted the continued use of the West Beach access road via County Line Road while most wanted to connect both ends of the park via a shuttle system and bicycle and foot trails. Other concerns involved a marina and the need to emphasize interpretation and environmental education in the West Unit. Because the GMP team considered the concerns valid, it requested and received an extension of the planning and public review process beyond the Congressional deadline of October 1, 1979.

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*Perhaps the most controversial part of the draft GMP involved West Unit development. The only facilities proposed were several small parking areas and some trails. Unanimous public opinion held that the west was being ignored. Some believed that the motivation was racial, to segregate the park's black and white populations, although there was no proof to substantiate the charge. The result was that a special task force reworked the proposals and endorsed a marina, an environmental education center, and a new access road. See Dale Engquist interview, 16 September 1987; and Charlotte Read interview, 22 September 1987.

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To ensure an opportunity for maximum public input, phase four involved thirty meetings with more than 500 people participating. West Unit planning alternatives were the focus of debate in the final GMP formulation. To address the concerns raised during phase three, a task force formed and met frequently during September and October. Members of the task force were the Gary Planning Department, Northern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Miller Citizens' Corporation, and Save the Dunes Council. With the combination of the task force and numerous public meetings, a consensus emerged and the GMP team incorporated the proposal into a new draft which received final public review ending February 8, 1980.

It would be impossible to overestimate the time and energy the national lakeshore and DSC staff devoted to the GMP process, particularly in the waning months. By the end of February, the exhausting two—and—a—half—year process concluded with Midwest Regional Director Jimmie Dunning's signature on the document, well before the new March 15 submittal date to Congress. To help carry out the GMP provisions and to provide continuing liaison with the area's active planning commissions, the national lakeshore received authorization for a new park planner/landscape architect. [15]

The preferred alternative, Alternative A, provided for a prime regional recreation area with day—use activities including swimming, interpretation, and environmental education. The remaining four alternatives are summarized as follows:

Alternative B proposed a high intensity use area involving many structures including a marina, ORV area, a cultural village setting, and campgrounds. The environmental impacts, however, were incompatible with the Resources Management Plan as well as established Service policies.

Alternative C proposed a low intensity use area which preserved and/or restored large areas for light recreation and nature study. The alternative was rejected because of the severe limitations imposed on visitor access to the park's resources.

Alternative D closely resembled the preferred alternative in that it proposed a medium intensity usage with daytime programs and facilities located throughout the lakeshore. The alternative proved unacceptable because several specific elements were based on insufficient information, pronounced environmental impacts, and proposals contrary to Service policies. Alternative E, the no-action proposal, provided for the status quo. It was unacceptable because of its denial of many lakeshore areas to a limited number of visitors. [16]

Two principal themes characterize the 1980 General Management Plan. The first is for the Park Service to safeguard the resources which Congress mandated it to protect and to promote the duneland's natural evolution. The second is to provide facilities which compliment the environment to the greatest degree possible to provide a variety of quality park experiences to a large regional urban population. [17]

The GMP set forth the National Park Service's interest in engaging in cooperative arrangements with other public agencies to provide mass transit service to the national lakeshore. The transportation service, primarily railroad and bus, would link—up to the in—park shuttle service. Utilizing the major U.S. highways of the area and the South Shore Railroad, the GMP proposed lessening traffic congestion and encouraging energy savings by providing an alternative to the privately—operated automobile. Establishing parking areas on the lakeshore's periphery, a visitor shuttle service would run from the satellite parking areas and railroad stops throughout the park. The Kemil Road rail stop would be redesigned to a full—service stop and the municipal bus systems of Gary and Michigan City would operate to the lakeshore's shuttle terminals. Visitors could only drive their automobiles along the shuttle routes in low—use periods and commercial traffic would not be permitted. Two new park entrances would be featured. In the East Unit, the entrance would be at County Line Road with access facilitated by a new interchange on Interstate 94. In the West Unit, the entrance would be at Tolleston Dunes with Highway 51 extended into the area. [18]

Addressing the issue of development adjacent to the park, the report stated:

The General Management Plan recognizes the need for additional residential development adjacent to the park. However, the National Park Service is concerned about additional pressure for commercial strip development. This development will occur as Lakeshore development and recreational use increase and will result in greater demands for goods and services. It is imperative that adjacent municipalities recognize the possibility of these demands and initiate proper land use controls to minimize unwanted development. The National Park Service encourages proper development outside the National Lakeshore to provide necessary support facilities for Lakeshore visitors and residents alike. Lakeshore managers will cooperate with adjacent municipalities to ensure compatibility of planning and development efforts. [19]

Problems with land management within the lakeshore hinged largely on the circuitous boundaries:

The authorization pattern for Indiana Dunes has resulted in an extensive roving, twisting boundary that causes the National Lakeshore to weave in, out, and around a variety of lands with different uses. These are primarily rural and suburban residential development and industry. Adjacent land uses include three residential communities that are completely surrounded by the National Lakeshore boundary and major industrial complexes that physically divide the National Lakeshore and flank it on both the east and the west. [20]

The GMP divided the lakeshore into four separate land management zones: Natural, Historic, Park Development, and Special Use.

The Natural Zone involves three subzones: Natural Environment, Outstanding Natural Feature, and Protected Natural Area. The Natural Environment Subzone encompasses most of the lakeshore with 7,636 acres, or 57.3 percent. It includes beaches, dunes, wetlands. Its management strategy is to "provide quality nonconsumptive, resource—related recreation consistent with the protection of the natural ecosystem and with respect to private property rights; promote understanding and appreciation of park values; and to enhance recovery of lands to natural conditions." [21] The Outstanding Natural Feature Subzone includes the natural landmarks with heavy visitation like bogs, forests, Lake Michigan's shoreline, dunal ponds, and the large moving dunes. It is composed of 1,892 acres, or 14.2 percent of the lakeshore. The Protected Natural Area Subzone is the Heron Rookery Unit where minimal human intrusion is necessary for resource preservation. It involves 320 acres, or 2.4 percent of the park.

The Historic Zone, involving most of the lakeshore's historic properties and subjects, includes two subzones. The Preservation Subzone includes the House of Tomorrow and provides for restoration and interpretation of its architectural significance. The Preservation/Adaptive Use Subzone includes the Bailly Homestead and Cemetery, Florida Tropical House, and Rostone House. The total acreage is forty, or 0.3 percent of the park.

The Park Development Zone includes visitor use, administration, and maintenance facilities as well as roads and parking lots. Its three subzones, Recreational Development, Access/Circulation Development, and Educational/Interpretive Development, total 266 acres, or two percent of the lakeshore.

The Special Use Zone includes all areas of non—Federal lands where National Park Service interests are secondary only to another party such as state and local governments or commercial organizations. The Service, however, will continue to monitor land management practices within the zone to prevent damage to park values as well as the implementation of park policies in other zones. This includes 3,172 acres, or 23.8 percent of the park. The three subzones are Non—Federal Public Land, Industrial Lands, and Transportation. [22]

In the realm of natural resources management, the GMP committed the Service to learning more about the lakeshore's hydrological system through contracts with U.S. Geological Survey and its own staff in order to react to potential threats in an informed, timely manner. One goal is to close some of the drainage ditches to reestablish wetland conditions on Federal land. If studies reveal lowering of the groundwater table by NIPSCO's construction of Bailly I, the "Service will instruct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to use whatever measures are necessary to obtain relief from the effects of the drawdown." [23] Shoreline management involved continued cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate shoreline erosion caused by the Michigan City harbor installations. Erosion prevention measures center at Mount Baldy while the Beverly Shores problem remains relatively unchecked.

Natural resource management of the dunes ecosystem will entail a prescribed burning plan which will be fine—tuned once the role of fire at Indiana Dunes is understood. Management of plant and animal communities entail compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and a program to reestablish native species like the beaver. Monitoring wildlife populations like deer and raccoons will determine whether population increases will threaten vegetation or health. Exotic species (like wild cats and dogs) will be eliminated from natural zones.

Restoration of the natural landscapes once buildings, roads, and utilities are removed, involves regrading with soil appropriate to the surrounding area. Revegetation takes place with local varieties of plants situated in natural patterns. [24]

In the area of cultural resources management, the GMP provided for preservation of cultural properties through restoration and adaptive reuse, but no reconstructions. Plans for the Bailly Homestead are to restore the interior for interpretation and environmental education. The 1933 World's Fair houses and three Lustron homes would be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places (accomplished five years later) as will the South Shore Railroad route and equipment. The Chellberg Farm, although failing to meet National Register criteria, will be one of the focuses of the park's interpretive program. Although an inventory of archeological resources remains to be conducted, archeological sites will be protected and all known sites will be evaluated against National Register criteria. [25]

Visitor use will continue to increase and development of facilities will have to keep up. Shoreline availability will double with easy access to seven miles of lakefront. Recreational and interpretive opportunities will also increase in the inland areas with hostels, trail systems, and environmental education centers. Intensity of visitor usage predicted in the GMP is based on a 1977 contract study for the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. Parking availability is based on less than carrying capacity in order to safeguard the lakeshore's environmental quality. Because of the concern for conflict between the increasing number of visitors and reservations—of—use holders, the GMP proposed introducing new visitor facilities in phases. Developments which directly affect reservations—of—use will not be initiated until the reservations expire. The Service will use available structures, developed sites, and roads to provide additional facilities. Facilitating access will be performed with as little impact on the natural environment as possible. The intrusion of automobiles will be minimized by public transit and confining parking areas to the park's perimeter. [26] The GMP specifically states, however:

This proposal is predicated on Congressional authorization for the Service to acquire the Beverly Shores Island. The Park Service endorses this action because it would allow optimum access to be developed for the largest area of federal beach in the National Lakeshore and would help the Park Service to pursue a policy of allowing natural shoreline processes to proceed. [27]

Coordination of transportation planning in the West Unit will be coordinated with the emerging Little Calumet River recreation project and area railroad companies. A cooperative staging area for both the national lakeshore and the Little Calumet park will be at the Dunes Drive—in Theater on Highway 51 south of Highway 20. Designed to increase park access from Interstates 65, 80, 90, and 94, there will be as many as 1,000 additional parking spaces. When completed, parking at the West Beach bathhouse will be reduced to a number compatible with low use periods.

Planning for the proposed marina will proceed once feasibility/suitability studies are completed. A favored location is between the U.S. Steel breakwater east to Montgomery Street.

In the West Unit, a transportation terminal and information center will provide up to 800 parking spaces and will develop under four phases. An environmental education/interpretation center will be east of Grand Boulevard with a laboratory, classrooms, display area, auditorium, fifty—slot parking lot, and bicycle and cross—country ski rental space. The Miller Woods area will be designated a national environmental study area.

In the East Unit, the transit terminal and information center will be at Woodlawn Avenue and U.S. 12. Parking, shuttle service terminal, South Shore Railroad stop, and bicycle and cross—country ski rental will be tied into the complex. Cresent Dune will accommodate boat anchorings, but the remainder of the shoreline will be reserved for swimming. (Note: This tract was not added under the 1980 bill.) Hiking trails in the unit will follow former trails. The Bailly Unit is a national environmental study area.

The Bailly interpretive station will serve as the central information and orientation facility in the unit. Goodfellow Camp will be redesigned to be a residential environmental education camp. While the lodge will be renovated, other outbuildings will be removed in favor of tent platforms. The Coronado Lodge will become a hostel and canoe livery. Foot trails will connect all of the facilities, including links to the Little Calumet River developments.

The Cowles Unit, composed principally of the national natural landmark, will feature regulated access for safety considerations as well as to minimize adverse impacts. A small boat launch, restrooms, and parking will be at the end of Waverly Road near Porter Beach.

The Heron Rookery Unit will be accessible by permit only. Development in the fragile area will be limited to a small gravel parking area. Interpretation of the rookery will take place at the Tremont interpretive center.

The Pinhook Bog Unit will have an interpretive center at the existing ranger residence adjacent to the national natural landmark. Guided walks will take place on boardwalks and existing foot trails.

The Indiana Dunes State Park Unit will continue under state stewardship until Indiana decides to donate the park. The Park Service will consult with the state to extend the national lakeshore's shuttle service and trail system into the Dunes State Park.

The Hoosier Prairie Unit likewise will continue under Indiana's management. The GMP committed the Park Service to working with the State so that thirty—three acres of Service—owned disturbed land could be used by the State for the national natural landmark's development.

Visitor information and orientation will occur at the west and east entrances to the national lakeshore. Displays and personnel will inform visitors of available transportation options. On—site interpretive programs will occur throughout the park with environmental education and human interaction with the natural processes an integral theme. Also parkwide will be backpack camping conducted under close supervision with the goal of teaching environmentally sound camping skills. [28]

Management objectives for Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, clearly established in the GMP, are as follows:

Identify, inventory, and monitor the scenic, scientific, geologic, archeologic, and historic features and the unique flora, fauna, and physiography of the lakeshore, and provide for their protection and use.

Secure, through acquisition or other means, a land base adequate to ensure long—term protection and environmentally compatible public use of lands within the park's legislatively authorized boundary.

Assure that all lands and waters within the lakeshore boundaries, whether owned by the National Park Service, the State of Indiana, or local governments, are managed in a compatible and consistent manner to achieve park purposes.

Restore natural processes and conditions of the shoreline using the techniques available now and in the future and allow natural erosion and dynamic beach building processes to proceed unimpeded. Where it is not possible or feasible to restore the natural processes, as in the case of erosion caused by the Michigan City harbor structures, mitigate the effects of the unnatural or disruptive influences to the extent possible, by means most closely approximating natural forces.

Maintain native plant and animal interrelationships and protect, re—establish where appropriate, and manage native prairies.

Remove developments which are not necessary for area management and public use in order to reduce intrusion on the natural and historic scenes and to facilitate restoration to the natural or desired conditions.

Identify, provide for, and regulate appropriate recreational uses of the lakeshore in a manner consistent with the protection of the scenic, natural, and historic resources and existing private rights, and provide access and facilities within the lakeshore to permit and manage such uses.

Coordinate planning and development of the lakeshore with other affected governmental, political, and private entities and the surrounding communities in such a fashion that the provision of necessary visitor services not required within park boundaries may be identified and provided for in the surrounding region.

Interpret the natural, cultural, and historical significance of the lakeshore as an interrelated, dynamic, evolving environment.

Portray the drama of the forces, social as well as natural, that have produced the distinctive features of the lakeshore and help visitors understand and appreciate those processes and features.

Provide interpretation for various depths of interests, including general concepts, in—depth interpretation, and environmental education, particularly in regard to the diverse visitation—a large number of repeat local and regional visitors and an increasing number of national visitors.

Explore and interpret the park's function as a natural area within a heavily industrialized and urbanized region, with increasing urban visitation.

Assist park visitors to the lakeshore and surrounding region by providing adequate information and orientation on visitor uses and services; provide basic visitor services required to encourage year—round use; insure the safety of visitors and residents; provide fire protection; and protect the rights of homeowners.

Plan, develop, and interpret the lakeshore to promote maximum energy efficiency, including mass transit and alternative transportation for park visitation.

Serve the recreational and informational needs of special populations found in the lakeshore's visitation area, including programs for the economically, disadvantaged, physically and developmentally handicapped, non—English speaking, and youth and senior citizen groups. [29]

Implementation of the General Management Plan will take place in four phases and will be subject to Congressional appropriations. Management actions and objectives will be accomplished in ways which minimize conflicts between visitors and reservations—of—use holders. The following is a list of phased development actions arranged in priority order.

Phase one began immediately following GMP approval and includes development of information services and alternative means of transportation for access to and circulation within the national lakeshore. The list of phase one provisions is as follows:

1. Conduct marina feasibility study.

2. Acquire land for West Unit entrance.

3. Construct access road to West Beach and shuttle access road from environmental education/inter pretation center to Miller Woods trailhead.

4. Acquire and develop lands for east end transit terminal/information center; initially provide 300 parking spaces.

5. Construct west end environmental education center; provide 50 parking spaces.

6. Construct west end transit terminal/information center; initially provide 300 parking spaces.

7. Initiate development of west and east South Shore Railroad transit stops.

8. Initiate shuttle service from west and east transit terminal/information centers.

9. Implement Bailly environmental education camp program.

10. Complete Bailly administrative area development (includes maintenance facilities, YACC facilities, and utilities for administrative area and Bailly Unit). [30]

Phase two will take place on Service—controlled lands that either are presently accessible or will have been made accessible through phase one actions. Phase two will primarily provide development to support expanding programs and activities. The list of phase two provisions is as follows:

1. Develop Miller Woods kiosk, trail system and trailhead.

2. Stabilize historic resources to prevent further deterioration.

3. Improve roads in the Bailly Unit.

4. Develop State Park Road beach access.

5. Develop Central Avenue beach access.

6. Improve East Unit roads.

7. Develop Inland Marsh trailhead and trails.

8. Develop Chellberg farm interpretive facilities.

9. Develop Pinhook Bog trails and interpretive station.

10. Develop Calumet canoe livery and hostel.

11. Develop Mount Baldy dune access and kiosk.

12. Develop Furnessville Road trailhead and warming hut.

13. Develop Cowles Bog interpretive station and trails.

14. Develop North Miller Woods kiosk.

15. Develop one Edgewater hostel.

16. Develop Miller Woods lagoon warming hut. [31]

Phase three will augment interpretive programs, provide additional hostel facilities, make more inland areas accessible, and continue cultural resource development in the Bailly Unit. The list of phase three provisions is as follows:

1. Develop Waverly Road beach and boat launch.

2. Refurbish Tremont visitor center.

3. Provide Tremont family hostels.

4. Adapt Bailly homestead for interpretive use.

5. Expand and improve Bailly Unit trails.

6. Provide Bailly Unit family hostel.

7. Improve Tremont Unit roads.

8. Develop second Edgewater hostel.

9. Expand east and west transit terminal/information center parking (300 spaces each).

10. Expand parkwide shuttle system.

11. Develop trail links with Little Calumet River Regional Park.

12. Relocate Florida Tropical House and adapt for hostel. [32]

Phase four will necessitate the completion of land acquisition and the phasing—out of reservations—of—use prior to implementation. It will complete the shuttle system, hostel system, entrance developments, and provide for the West Unit marina. The list of phase four provisions is as follows:

1. Improve shuttle route and extend to serve new developments and Indiana Dunes State Park.

2. Provide new signs at Dune Acres South Shore Railroad stop.

3. Complete parking (200 spaces) at east and west end transit terminal/information centers.

4. Complete House of Tomorrow restoration.

5. Develop Broadway Avenue beach access.

6. Develop Lakeshore County Road beach access.

7. Develop Mount Baldy beach access.

8. Complete road improvements.

9. Complete Heron Rookery improvements.

10. Complete East Unit hostel system.

11. Complete East Unit trail development.

12. Remove up to 500 West Beach parking spaces.

13. Complete implementation of parkwide shuttle system. [33]

The GMP, citing additional costs for archeological survey work, estimated the total national lakeshore development costs in net 1979 dollars at $30,179,000. Personnel requirements for the GMP implementation are as follows:

Congress received the approved General Management Plan before the extended March 15 deadline with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) made by the Midwest Regional Office. Almost immediately, the lakeshore began to prepare its requisite forms (10—238s) to initiate funding from Congress. Indiana Dunes' priorities were entered into Regionwide and Servicewide priority lists. However, as had already become commonplace, the national lakeshore clearly did not fit into any ordered project funding program. Local Congressmen were adept at inserting line—item funding for park developments into annual appropriations bills. [35]