Indiana Dunes National Park Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1488) to retitle Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as Indiana Dunes National Park, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1488 would redesignate Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as Indiana Dunes National Park.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established by Congress in 1966. The designation of the national lakeshore as a unit of the National Park Service was the culmination of decades of work by conservationists, area residents, and elected officials.

The original law included 8,330 acres of land and water. The National Park Service conservation advocates continued to seek expansion of the boundaries, and five subsequent laws increased the size of the national lakeshore to more than 15,000 acres.

In October 1916, shortly after the National Park Service was established, NPS Director Stephen Mather held hearings in Chicago to gauge public sentiment on a Sand Dunes National Park. In a Department of the Interior report published after the hearings, Director Mather stated: ``No national park or other Federal reservation offers this phenomenon for the pleasure and edification of the people, and no national park is as accessible. Furthermore, the dunes offer to the visitor extraordinary scenery, a large variety of plant life, magnificent bathing beaches, and splendid opportunities to camp and live in the wild close to nature.''

Despite Director Mather's support, the national park proposal was abandoned at the onset of World War I, and

several years later, in 1925, Indiana Dunes State Park was established. Redesignation of the national lakeside as a national park would make Indiana Dunes the 60th national park in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman for yielding.

I want to begin by thanking Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva for all of their work on this legislation, as well as Chairman McClintock and Ranking Member Hanabusa and Mrs. Torres for their diligence.

Mr. Speaker, the legislation we are considering today represents a very small change--one word--but it would have an enormous benefit of rightly placing the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore where it belongs as the Nation's 60th national park and the first national park in the State of Indiana.

As mentioned, located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes are a natural wonder and home of a vast array of rare plants. According to the National Park Service, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is the seventh most biologically diverse National Park Service unit.

I believe the chairman and Mrs. Torres ably described the history of the dunes and its evolution. I thank them for that, and I would thank all of the citizens over that half century and more that petitioned for the creation of this great park.

The lakeshore currently does encompass about 15,000 acres of wetlands and marshes, beaches, oak savannahs, and sand dunes. It is clear that the title of the Indiana Dunes National Park is fitting for such a unique natural resource.

The American taxpayers, over a number of generations, have invested in the preservation of the park. It is incumbent that we do everything possible to encourage citizens and travelers from around the world to visit it, to learn about it, to recreate, and to simply enjoy the environment of northwest Indiana's lakeshore. H.R. 1488 helps to achieve this goal.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the act is supported in a bipartisan fashion by the entire Indiana delegation. I would also like to thank Senators Donnelly and Young, who have introduced a companion measure in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support passage.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on H.R. 1488, the Indiana Dunes National Park Act. This act seeks to rename the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to the Indiana Dunes National Park, one of the over 400 units of the National Park System.

Upon successful redesignation, the Indiana Dunes National Park would become the 60th national park, areas which are known for their variety of resources, for encompassing large land and water areas, and for providing protection of resources within their boundaries.

Designated in 1966, Indiana Dunes protects over 15,000 acres, 50 miles of trails, and provides both summer and winter recreational activities for over 2 million visitors who trek to the lakeshore each year.

When the lakeshore was admitted into the National Park System in 1966, it was through the hard work of President Kennedy in 1963-64 to create a compromise for the national lakeshore and a port to promote the industrial needs of the area.

Sponsors of this bill, including our esteemed colleague Representative Visclosky, believe that renaming the lakeshore as the Indiana Dunes National Park will capture the spirit and intent of the first National Park Service Director Stephen Mather.

Director Mather visited the area in 1916 and recommended the area be included as a national park within the newly designated National Park System. Sadly, the United States' entry into World War I precluded that addition. Now, 101 years later, this bill seeks to redesignate 15,000 acres of the Indiana Dunes National Park.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the recent passage of H.R. 1488, the Indiana Dunes National Park Act, which passed the House unanimously yesterday.

This bill renames the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as the Indiana Dunes National Park, creating the first national park in Indiana and the 60th in the country.

The Indiana Dunes are a treasured source of natural beauty where Hoosiers and their families can enjoy countless recreational activities. It is a diverse landscape consisting of dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests, creating one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country. The park contains over 2,000 unique animal and plant species.

Making the Dunes National Lakeshore Indiana's first national park will draw the attention of more Americans from around the country and give them an opportunity to enjoy one of the most beautiful places in our land.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to this bipartisan bill being quickly passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President.