US House Backs National Park Designation For Indiana Dunes

PORTER, Ind. (AP) — A push to make the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore the country's 60th national park has cleared a big step in Congress.

The U.S. House approved the bill in a unanimous voice vote Wednesday, sending it to the Senate for consideration. It would put the national park designation on 15,000 acres along the southern tip of Lake Michigan.

Bill sponsor Rep. Pete Visclosky says the change would build interest in the Indiana Dunes and help draw more visitors.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports the area was first suggested as a national park in 1916 because of its biological diversity and geological features. A section became a state park in 1925 and the national lakeshore was established in 1966.

Indiana Sens. Joe Donnelly and Todd Young are both supporting the plan.