A land donation to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore that has been planned for years has now been finalized, with the Save the Dunes Conservation Fund donating three small lots along U.S. 12 near Beverly Shores.

Save the Dunes President Deb Chubb said that the parcels, totaling about one acre, have been in the National Lakeshore’s authorized boundaries, but that it has taken years for the land donation to become finalized due to the various procedures involved.

She applauded a bill authored by U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky that would ease the process for the National Lakeshroe to accept additional donations of land. The Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center Partnership Act, which passed the U.S. House this week and now moves to the Senate, would allow the Lakeshore to accept donations of parcels contiguous to the park if separated only by a right of way.

Chubb said the Save the Dunes Council supports the bill, since it would speed up the process and allow for more land to be added to the park.

The most recent land donation consists of three undeveloped parcels along U.S. 12, which the Save the Dunes Council hopes will be made into a federal scenic highway.

“We would like to see Highway 12 become a scenic highway and one way to accomplish this is to donate land to the National Lakeshore that will enhance the natural beauty of the protected area,” Chubb said.

The Save the Dunes Conservation Fund owns and manages more than 500 acres in Northwest Indiana. The lots near Beverly Shores represent the second donation the Save the Dunes has made to the National Lakeshore. The first was a parcel of just over six acres in Lake County that was donated in 1998.

“We hope we can protect and donate more land in the future as we work to protect the Indiana Dunes for future generations,” Chubb said.

Posted 9/10/2009