Save the Dunes and DNR win grant to re-forest Dunes State Park campground

Accordng to a report by the Chesterton Tribune, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has been awarded a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant for a tree planting project in the Indiana Dunes State Park campground.

In recent years, a large scale die-off of trees has occurred in the campground “due to a lack of age diversity in the trees,” Save the Dunes said. “Through funding from the GLRI, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will re-forest the campground area with approximately 80 new trees of varying ages and species. While a number of species will be planted, predominantly red, white, and black oak, all species will be native.”

Replacing dying trees with healthy ones will do the following, Save the Dunes said:

• Help stabilize the nearshore habitat along Dunes Creek.
• Reduce erosion and resulting sedimentation loads in Dunes Creek and thus in Lake Michigan as well.
• Provide wildlife habitat.
• Help regulate temperatures in the campground.
• And enhance visitor experience.

“Providing the best experience possible at the State Park is crucial in attracting and maintaining visitors, and a comfortable, secluded, and aesthetically pleasing campground is an important component of visitor experience,” officials from Save the Dunes said.

Read the full report.