Indiana Dunes Administrative History

The Dunes Expansion Act of 1980

A deal in which U.S. Steel Corporation would donate most, but not all, of its lands included within the authorized lakeshore boundaries came to fruition in 1980. The proposed donation of 212 acres became controversial, however, when many feared the donation might result in de facto modification of the 1976 authorized boundary, i.e., that the remainder would not be acquired. Before he would sanction the donation, Congressman Phillip Burton, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Insular Affairs, demanded and received personal assurances from Director William Whalen. Burton asked that the Park Service continue to seek the remaining acres of U.S. Steel land. As for fencing to separate the two areas, Burton requested the fence construction and location not impair the area's environmental integrity. [36]

The donation of U.S. Steel land, adjacent to its Gary works in the Miller Woods area, did not include four tracts totaling ninety—three acres, forty—four of which were on the priority acquisition list. Three areas used for solid waste disposal were restricted under the 1976 act which stipulated the Secretary could not acquire them until he received assurances the land would be reclaimed at no expense to the government. For this remaining acreage, the company promised to protect the land and cease disposing of solid waste there. In a ceremony at Gary on May 28, 1980, U.S. Steel donated 212 acres to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Midwest Regional Director Jimmie Dunning accepted the deed on behalf of the National Park Service. [37]

Another land exchange occurred at Hoosier Prairie where the Park Service owned thirty—one acres and the State of Indiana held 305 acres. Because Indiana operated the National Natural Landmark as a State Nature Preserve, the state wanted to acquire the Service—owned area to continue its operations. In early 1980, Superintendent Whitehouse met with officials of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Department of Corrections to negotiate a land exchange. William Lieber, Chairman of the Indiana Dunes Advisory Commission, was instrumental in arranging the meeting. The proposal on the table involved the Department of Corrections transferring sixty-nine acres at Blue Heron Rookery to the Department of Natural Resources which in turn would then exchange the tract for the Service—owned land at Hoosier Prairie. The transaction would grant the Park Service complete control and protection of the Blue Heron Rookery while the state could utilize the Service—owned land to develop minimal visitor facilities at Hoosier Prairie. In no way did the agreement preclude the Service from seeking Indiana's donation of Hoosier Prairie and other state—owned tracts within the national lakeshore. [38

A new land acquisition policy in 1980 necessitated that each unit of the National Park System compile a Land Acquisition Plan. At Indiana Dunes, the Advisory Commission provided input and held public meetings to arrive at a draft plan. The plan provided five categories for acquisition. The highest priority encompassed land near Lake Michigan which could be used for recreational purposes while the lowest priority involved vacant lots not targeted for development. By June, the park's Land Acquisition Plan received official approval. [39]

By the fall of 1980 the Indiana Dunes Land Acquisition Office also assumed responsibility for completing the land acquisition program at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore because of the closure of the lands office in Frankfort, Michigan. [40]

While the Park Service had the right to acquire 20.18 acres of beach from Ogden Dunes because the land transferred to public ownership after passage of the 1966 act, Congress directed the Service to acquire the Ogden Dunes beach only after all other beachfront property had been purchased. On August 27, 1979, the lakeshore made provisions for public access to the Ogden Dunes beach by negotiating a Memorandum of Agreement with the town. The agreement did not preclude the future need for fee acquisition of the beach. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Advisory Commission concurred with this arrangement the following year. [41]

As previously discussed, the movement to expand the lakeshore boundaries intensified following the 1976 expansion act. It reached a peak in 1980, an election year. Senate and House versions differed considerably and much controversy surrounded the Beverly Shores Island, U.S. 12 parkway, and the NIPSCO greenbelt issues, none of which made it into the final bill. In early September 1980, Indiana Senators Birch Bayh, a Democrat, and Richard Lugar, a Republican, worked together to eliminate the controversial tracts. The Senate version provided for 1,014 acres—420 less than the House bill. Save the Dunes Council Executive Director Charlotte Read attributed the "gutting" of the House expansion bill to the influence of National Inholder Association founder Charles Cushman with conservative members of the Senate Interior Committee. Even the 182—acre golf course tract, proposed for use as a campground, was reduced to 150 acres.

According to one Senate aide, "The feeling is that we should get the best bill we can through. Everybody's sick of dealing with it." [42] The statement proved to be right on target as House—Senate conferees eliminated other controversial features, including the greenbelt and Beverly Shores Island, along with the portion encompassing U.S. 12—further delaying planning for the proposed parkway. In the waning days of his term in office, President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 96-612 on December 28, 1980. Only 488 acres were added to the lakeshore. The 1980 act effectively ended the debate over renaming* the lakeshore by dedicating it as well as a proposed environmental education center to the late Senator Douglas, a compromise first proposed by the national lakeshore staff and concurred in by the Advisory Commission. The bill also modified homeowner provisions and authorized a new transportation study. [43]

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*While it felt the move was appropriate, the Save the Dunes Council ultimately lined up with the Indiana Congressional Delegation in opposing the name change. Although its position disappointed Congressman Sidney Yates and the Douglas family, the Council recognized the political impossibility of the measure to rename an Indiana park for an Illinois senator. See Charlotte Read interview, 22 September 1987.

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Additions to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore under the 1980 act included significant tracts in Beverly Shores, Gary, and parcels for proposed developments in the East and West Units. In Beverly Shores, the golf course tract was identified for a future campground. In Gary, the lakeshore stretched westward towards downtown and incorporated significant wetlands and other undeveloped natural areas. Congress endorsed the Park Service's recommendations in the 1980 GMP by authorizing for inclusion land for the East Unit Transit Center and the West Unit access road. [44]

With the General Management Plan in place and the process of "rounding out" the boundaries a recognized concern, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore reached a milestone in its history. The lakeshore was on a solid footing with its future plan of development clearly defined.