Indiana Dunes

Indiana Dunes
State park and national lakeshore, southern shore of Lake Michigan, northern Indiana, U.S. The state park (founded 1925) comprises 2,182 acres (883 hectares) of shoreline, marshland, dunes, and forests.

At the Big Blowout in the eastern end of the park, lake winds drift sands over a wooded area, creating a "graveyard of trees"; the dunes may reach heights of 200 ft (60 m). The national lakeshore (founded 1966) encloses the state park on three sides. Now covering more than 12,857 acres (5,205 hectares), it includes beaches and wooded ravines.

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▪ state park and national lakeshore, Indiana, United States
  area of sand dunes, woodlands, wetlands, and other environments, located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan (Michigan, Lake), northwestern Indiana, U.S. Much of the region is within Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which includes Indiana Dunes State Park. The national lakeshore extends almost 25 miles (40 km) between Gary and Michigan City and consists of a discontinuous band of parkland interrupted by steel mills, power plants, small communities, and a major harbour.

      The state park, established in 1923 and opened in 1926, comprises 3.4 square miles (8.8 square km) of shoreline, marshland, dunes, and forests near Chesterton. In addition to a 3-mile (5-km) sandy beach, it has facilities for camping, picnicking, fishing, and hiking. An outstanding feature is the Big Blowout in the east end of the park, where lake winds have exposed a “tree graveyard” created by sands constantly drifting over a wooded area. Shifting dunes, such as Mount Tom, may reach heights of almost 200 feet (60 metres). Mount Baldy, 125 feet (38 metres) high, is moving inland at a rate of some 4 feet (1.2 metres) per year.

      The authorization of the national lakeshore in 1966 was the culmination of a 50-year fight to save the dunes from the encroachment of industrialization. It provided for the acquisition of 13 square miles (34 square km) of dunes and wetland. The national lakeshore—which is on a bird migration route and contains the state park on its three land sides—features long sandy beaches, high dunes, deep swales, wooded ravines, prairie remnants, and interdunal ponds and swamps; it also includes fens and bogs that are remnants of Ice Age glaciers. In the dunes is found a highly diverse flora ranging widely in climatic type from Arctic bearberry to tropical orchids and from wetlands loosestrife to desert cactus. The Bailly Homestead (1822) and the Chellberg Farm (1872) are preserved as historical sites. Botanist Henry Chandler Cowles (Cowles, Henry Chandler) formulated the concept of ecological succession after studying the dunes in the 1890s. Since the 1970s, further duneland has been acquired through the efforts of conservation groups, increasing the total combined area of the national lakeshore and the state park to 24 square miles (62 square km). It includes nearby Hoosier Prairie, Hobart Prairie Grove, Heron Rookery, and Pinhook Bog.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore — IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) …   Wikipedia

  • Indiana Dunes State Park — Indiana Dunes Designation(s) State Park; National Natural Landmark Location Porter County, Indiana, USA Address 1600 N 25 E Chesterton, IN 46304 Nearest City Porter, Indiana …   Wikipedia

  • Indiana Dunes State Park — Baumwuchs auf den Dünen Der Indiana Dunes State Park befindet sich in der Nähe von Porter, 76 Kilometer östlich von Chicago am südlichen Rand des Michigansees. Er verteilt sich auf 8.8 km². Der Park wurde 1925 eingerichtet und ist damit einer der …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Indiana Dunes — national lakeshore of Indiana …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

  • Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore — a shore area in N Indiana, on Lake Michigan: established in 1966 for recreation and conservation purposes; comprising shoreline, dunes, bogs, and forests. 14 sq. mi. (36 sq. km). * * * …   Universalium

  • Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore — a shore area in N Indiana, on Lake Michigan: established in 1966 for recreation and conservation purposes; comprising shoreline, dunes, bogs, and forests. 14 sq. mi. (36 sq. km) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mammals of the Indiana Dunes — Cottontail Thirty seven species of mammals have been identified at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Four other species are thought to inhabit the park, but have not been documented: the northern long eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis),… …   Wikipedia

  • Chronology of the Indiana Dunes — The Indiana dunes have been a cross road of activity since the glacier[clarification needed] receded. Great explorers such as Jacques Marquette and René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle traversed this area. As early as 1862, the area was noted… …   Wikipedia

  • Birds of the Indiana Dunes — The Indiana Dunes (State Park and National Lakeshore) protect over 15,000 acres of dunes and shoreline. From the barren sand beaches to the inter dunal ponds and the intervening forest, this area is inhabited by 271 identified species of birds.… …   Wikipedia

  • Indiana — This article is about the U.S. state of Indiana. For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). Hoosier State redirects here. For the passenger train, see Hoosier State (train). State of Indiana …   Wikipedia

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