News Release

National Park Service Issues Marquette Greenway Trail – Salt Creek Connection Environmental Assessment

Date: February 25, 2022

INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK:  The National Park Service has released the Environmental Assessment (EA), for the “Marquette Greenway Trail – Salt Creek Connection” for Indiana Dunes National Park.   

The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing to grant a right-of-way easement to the City of Portage, Department of Parks and Recreation, to construct a trail through Indiana Dunes National Park in Porter County, Indiana.  This section of the trail will connect the Portage Marquette Greenway Trail to the Burns Harbor Marquette Greenway (which was recently funded and is now under construction).  The Salt Creek Connection will become part of the overall Marquette Greenway Trail; a three-state trail initiative to build a 60-mile-long trail from Chicago to New Buffalo, Michigan.  The route will allow several points of access to Lake Michigan, as well as connect two noncontiguous sections of Indiana Dunes National Park. 

The Action Alternative will allow the City of Portage to construct a fully Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant 10-foot wide asphalt trail with 2 ft. wide earthen shoulders through this area of the National Park.  Following completion of construction of the Salt Creek Connection the City of Portage will maintain the trail, including vegetation control, trash and snow removal, and maintenance of the trail surface.   

This Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluates two alternatives:  a No Action Alternative and an Action Alternative.  The No Action Alternative describes the current condition if the City does not construct the trail through the National Park.  The Action Alternative involves the NPS granting the easement for the City to construct this trail segment. 

This EA has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to provide the decision-making framework which 1) analyzes a reasonable range of alternatives to meet objectives of the proposal, 2) evaluates potential issues and effects to the Park’s resources and values, and 3) identifies mitigation measures to lessen the degree or extent of these effects. 

Beginning on February 25, 2022, a copy of the EA will be available online for public comment by visitng https://parkplanning.nps.gov/publicHome.cfm and selecting Indiana Dunes National Park from the park list. Comments must be submitted online.  The comment period closes on March 12, 2022. 

www.nps.gov/indu   

 Indiana Dunes National Park is part of the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.