[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6291 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6291

 To retitle Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as Indiana Dunes National 
                     Park, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2016

 Mr. Visclosky (for himself, Mrs. Walorski, Mr. Stutzman, Mr. Rokita, 
Mrs. Brooks of Indiana, Mr. Messer, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Bucshon, 
  and Mr. Young of Indiana) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To retitle Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as Indiana Dunes National 
                     Park, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``The Indiana Dunes National Park 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Great Lakes form the largest freshwater system on 
        Earth. Lake Michigan, by volume, is the second largest Great 
        Lake and the only Great Lake located wholly within the United 
        States.
            (2) The southern shore of Lake Michigan includes some of 
        the most geologically and biologically diverse areas in the 
        United States.
            (3) The unique features that comprise the southern shore of 
        the Lake Michigan, also known as the Indiana Dunes, were formed 
        over the course of 12,000 years by natural forces, including 
        glaciers, wind, and water. Glacial melting and fluctuations in 
        the water level resulted in the formation of as many as 7 
        shorelines. This process resulted in the biologically diverse 
        beaches, sand dunes, and inter-dune wetlands that can be seen 
        today.
            (4) Native American peoples inhabited the Indiana Dunes 
        region for over 10,000 years, including the Miami and 
        Potawatomi Indian tribes.
            (5) Local conservation efforts to preserve the Indiana 
        Dunes began as early as 1899 when Henry Cowles, a botanist from 
        the University of Chicago who is known for being one of the 
        founders of contemporary ecological study and thought, 
        published an article entitled ``Ecological Relations of the 
        Vegetation on Sand Dunes of Lake Michigan'' in the Botanical 
        Gazette, bringing international attention to the intricate 
        ecosystems existing on the dunes.
            (6) On October 30, 1916, one month after the establishment 
        of the National Park Service, Stephen Mather, the first 
        Director of the National Park Service, held hearings in 
        Chicago, Illinois, to gauge public sentiment on a ``Sand Dunes 
        National Park,'' which would have established much of the 
        southern shore of Lake Michigan as one of the United States 
        first national parks.
            (7) Four hundred people attended this hearing and 42 
        people, including Henry Cowles, spoke in favor of the park 
        proposal. There were no opponents. However, plans for a ``Sand 
        Dunes National Park'' were delayed because the United States 
        entered World War I and national focus shifted away from 
        national parks to national defense.
            (8) Local conservation efforts to preserve the Indiana 
        Dunes persisted after World War I and culminated in the 
        establishment of the Indiana Dunes State Park in 1925 and the 
        Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in 1966, established by Public 
        Law 89-761.
            (9) The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was subsequently 
        expanded in 1976, 1980, 1986, and 1992.
            (10) The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the adjacent 
        Indiana Dunes State Park are comprised of over 15,000 acres of 
        dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, 
        and forests that are currently preserved for public enjoyment. 
        This includes 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, spanning the 
        distance from Gary, Indiana, to Michigan City, Indiana.
            (11) The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of the 
        most biologically diverse National Park Service units, 
        containing 2,336 unique species, including 896 animal species 
        and 1,407 plant species.
            (12) The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a cherished 
        cultural landmark, attracting millions of visitors each year.
            (13) The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is an especially 
        important feeding and resting area for migrating land and water 
        birds, boasting 350 unique species.
            (14) Institutions such as the Dunes Learning Center attract 
        youth and other community members to the Lakeshore and provide 
        them with insight on the biodiversity and historical 
        significance of the Indiana Dunes.

SEC. 3. INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE RETITLED AS INDIANA DUNES 
              NATIONAL PARK.

    (a) In General.--Public Law 89-761 (16 U.S.C. 460u et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``National Lakeshore'' each place it 
        appears and inserting ``National Park''; and
            (2) by striking ``lakeshore'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``Park''.
    (b) Nonapplication.--The amendment made by subsection (a)(1) shall 
not apply to the title of the map referred to in the first section of 
Public Law 89-761 (16 U.S.C. 460u).
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