A bill was introduced to designate Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore along Lake Michigan as a national park/NPS

While a recent survey found that nearly half of the current Congress regularly voted against parks legislation, a second member of the U.S. House introduced a bill last week to redesignate a park unit as a national park.

Rep. Pete Visclosky of Indiana on Thursday submitted legislation to rename Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to Indiana Dunes National Park, which would make it the first full-fledged national park in Indiana. The measure has been introduced with the support of the entire Indiana House delegation as co-sponsors, and it is pending consideration in the House Committee on Natural Resources.

“The recognition of being a national park is the final step of an effort that began a century ago. It is past time that the rest of the nation recognizes the environmental wonder and significance of the lakeshore dunes in Northwest Indiana,” Rep. Visclosky, a Democrat, said in a release, also noting that it would “stimulate our regional economy.”

Indiana Dunes protects 15 miles of Lake Michigan’s southern shore, with a biologically diverse 15,000 acres of dunes, wetlands, prairies, rivers, and forests. In 1986 and 1992, Congressman Visclosky introduced measures that expanded the boundaries of the national Lakeshore. Both were signed into law.

The move came two days after Rep. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican, introduced a bill that would rename Chiricahua National Monument in southern Arizona to Chiricahua National Park. Proponents of both requests noted the tourism benefits that national park status brings.

“The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a treasured source of beauty and recreation for Hoosier families,” said Rep. Jackie Walorski, an Indiana Republican. “Making it our state’s first national park will boost the Indiana economy by drawing more tourists from across the country who want to explore the dunes.”

Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, proposed designating the southern shore of Lake Michigan as the “Sand Dunes National Park” in 1916 to protect the vast biological diversity and geological features of the lakeshore. However, that proposal was abandoned at the onset of World War I. The national lakeshore was established in 1966, and it will celebrate its 50th birthday on November 5.

The bill is supported by Tom Conway, president of Save the Dunes; Speros Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority; Jack Arnett, executive director of the LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Lorelei Weimer, executive director of Indiana Dunes Tourism.

“The Indiana Dunes are a treasure of beauty and ecology," Mr. Conway said. "We feel the title of Indiana Dunes National Park will bring increased attention and appreciation to this amazing place."