Indiana Dunes National Park Designation Act

Summary: Indiana Dunes National Park Designation Act This bill renames the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as the Indiana Dunes National Park. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Great Lakes form the largest freshwater system on 
        Earth;
            (2) Lake Michigan is--
                    (A) the second largest Great Lake by volume; and
                    (B) the only Great Lake located wholly within the 
                United States;
            (3) the southern shore of Lake Michigan includes some of 
        the most geologically and biologically diverse areas in the 
        United States;
            (4) the unique features that comprise the southern shore of 
        Lake Michigan, also known as the ``Indiana Dunes'', were formed 
        over a period of 12,000 years by natural forces, including 
        glaciers, wind, and water;
            (5) glacial melting and fluctuations in the water level 
        resulted in the formation of as many as 7 shorelines along the 
        southern shore of Lake Michigan;
            (6) the process by which the southern shore of Lake 
        Michigan was formed resulted in the biologically diverse 
        beaches, sand dunes, and inter-dune wetlands that can be seen 
        in the southern shore of Lake Michigan today;
            (7) Indian tribes, including the Miami and Potawatomi 
        Indian tribes, inhabited the Indiana Dunes region for over 
        10,000 years;
            (8) 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 on the Indiana Dunes;
            (9) on October 30, 1916, 1 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 establishing a large 
        portion of the southern shore of Lake Michigan as one of the 
        first national parks in the United States, to be known as the 
        ``Sand Dunes National Park'';
            (10) over 400 people attended the hearings in Chicago, 
        Illinois, of which--
                    (A) 42 people, including Henry Cowles, spoke in 
                favor of the proposal to establish the national park; 
                and
                    (B) there were no opponents to the proposal to 
                establish the national park;
            (11) 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;
            (12) local conservation efforts to preserve the Indiana 
        Dunes persisted after World War I and culminated in--
                    (A) the establishment of Indiana Dunes State Park 
                in 1925; and
                    (B) the enactment in 1966 of Public Law 89-761 (16 
                U.S.C. 460u et seq.), which established the Indiana 
                Dunes National Lakeshore;
            (13) the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was subsequently 
        expanded in 1976, 1980, 1986, and 1992;
            (14) 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 preserved for public enjoyment, including 
        15 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan that extend from 
        Gary, Indiana, to Michigan City, Indiana;
            (15) the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is--
                    (A) one of the most biologically diverse units of 
                the National Park System, containing 2,336 unique 
                species, including 896 animal species and 1,407 plant 
                species;
                    (B) a cherished cultural landmark that attracts 
                millions of visitors each year; and
                    (C) an especially important feeding and resting 
                area for migrating land and water birds, including 350 
                unique species of birds; and
            (16) institutions such as the Dunes Learning Center--
                    (A) attract youth and other community members to 
                the Indiana Dunes; and
                    (B) provide the youth and other community members 
                with insight on the biodiversity and historical 
                significance of the Indiana Dunes.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK.

    (a) Designation.--
            (1) In general.--The first section of Public Law 89-761 (16 
        U.S.C. 460u) is amended--
                    (A) in the first sentence--
                            (i) by striking ``National Lakeshore'' and 
                        inserting ``National Park''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``(hereinafter referred to 
                        as the `lakeshore')'' and inserting ``(referred 
                        to in this Act as the `Park')''; and
                    (B) in the second sentence, by striking 
                ``lakeshore'' and inserting ``Park''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Sections 2 through 24 of Public 
        Law 89-761 (16 U.S.C. 460u-1 through 460u-24) are amended--
                    (A) by striking ``Lakeshore'' each place it appears 
                and inserting ``Park''; and
                    (B) by striking ``lakeshore'' each place it appears 
                and inserting ``Park''.
    (b) References.--Any reference in any law, regulation, document, 
record, map, or other paper of the United States to the Indiana Dunes 
National Lakeshore shall be considered to be a reference to the 
``Indiana Dunes National Park''.