WASHINGTON — After 203 years of statehood, Indiana has its first National Park.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore has been renamed Indiana Dunes National Park.
A provision renaming Indiana Dunes was included in the government spending bill signed into law Friday by President Trump.
Visitors to the nation’s newest National Park won’t notice too many changes, according to The Times of Northwest Indiana:
“The change to a national park is not expected to result in any immediate programming or facilities changes at the former national lakeshore, other than a lot of new signage The National Park Service will continue operating the park.”
Indiana Dunes State Park will not be affected by the name change. It is state-owned and will still be operated by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Efforts to preserve and protect the Indiana Dunes area date back to 1899. The Dunes became a state park in 1925 and earned the designation of “national lakeshore” in 1966. Today, the area spans more than 15,000 acres along the shore of Lake Michigan.
(Photo by Joey BLS/Thinkstock.)
