Saving the Dunes

The 40-odd miles of glacier-formed sand dunes that stretch along the Indiana shore of Lake Michigan are not only unique geologically but also a favorite recreation center. The dunes also represent prime industrial sites for steel mills clustered about nearby Gary. For eight years conservationists, led in Congress by Illinois Senator Paul Douglas, have been locked in battle with private developers and steel companies.

Last week, by a vote of 204 to 141, the House ressolved the bitter conflict by authorizing an 8,728-acre Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The Senate had already voted for an 11,292-acre park, thus ensuring that the dunes will remain primarily a recreation area, including eleven miles of beach front. A House-Senate conference will now mediate the differences. The new park can use all the land it can get; last summer weekenders arrived in such numbers that conservationists feared the dunes were in danger of being trampled down.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.