The National Park Service (NPS) has released the “Plant Gathering for Traditional Purposes” Environmental Assessment (EA) for Indiana Dunes National Park.  The purpose of this EA is to evaluate the potential impacts of entering into an agreement with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians to allow traditional gathering of plants and plant parts at Indiana Dunes National Park.  The park and the Pokagon Band collaboratively prepared the EA which is available for a 30-day public comment period.  The EA is available on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website through July 28, 2022 (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/INDUPlantGatherEA).  Comments can be submitted online or by mail.  Comments submitted by mail must be postmarked by July 28, 2022, and should be sent to: 

Paul Labovitz, Superintendent 

Indiana Dunes National Park 

1100 North Mineral Springs Road 

Porter, Indiana 46304 

The Pokagon Band requested to enter into an agreement with the NPS to collect plants and plant parts within the park under 36 CFR 2.6, Gathering of Certain Plants or Plant Parts by Federally Recognized Indian Tribes for Traditional Purposes (Plant Gathering Rule).  The 2016 Plant Gathering Rule defines requirements for gathering and removal of plants or plant parts for traditional purposes by enrolled members of Federally recognized Indian Tribes.  It authorizes agreements between the NPS and tribes to facilitate continuation of tribal cultural practices on lands within areas of the National Park System where those practices traditionally occurred, without causing a significant adverse impact to park resources or values. 

The impacts of the proposed plant gathering activities are analyzed in this EA. The park evaluated two alternatives in the EA: Alternative A- No Action; and Alternative B - Plant Gathering for Traditional Purposes (Preferred Alternative).  Under Alternative B the Pokagon Band would carry out sustainable plant gathering activities, including only the target plant species.  The plants and plant parts would be gathered in the locations and maximum quantities outlined in the EA during the seasons indicated. 

This EA has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to provide the decision-making framework which 1) analyzes a reasonable range of alternatives to meet objectives of the proposal, 2) evaluates potential issues and effects to the Park’s resources and values, and 3) identifies mitigation measures to lessen the degree or extent of these effects.