The designation would create the 60th national park in the nation and the first in Indiana, according to a press release from Visclosky\u2019s office. The intent is to capture all the tourism benefits and recognition of being a national park.<\/p>\n
The measure was introduced with the support of the entire Indiana delegation to the House of Representatives. It is pending in the House Committee on Natural Resources. . . .<\/p>\n
The lakeshore attracts an average of 2 million visitors a year, making it the No. 1 attraction in the state, said Lorelei Weimer, executive director of Indiana Dunes Tourism, adding 60 percent of visitors are from out of state.<\/p>\n
The lakeshore accounts for $76 million in new revenue to the region each year, as well as 947 jobs and $9.9 million in labor income.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe strongly anticipate the number of visitors and the national impact will increase if the new name of Indiana Dunes National Park is adopted,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople love to visit our national parks and many travelers include visiting all of the national parks on their bucket list.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Is this the right thing to do? \u00a0After all, there\u2019s virtually no cost \u2014 just that of reprinting the various brochures and signs.<\/p>\n
But is there really no cost?<\/p>\n
A national park designation communicates something \u2014 not just that the location is a part of the system of natural areas and heritage sites managed by the federal government, but that it is one of the most majestic, awe-inspiring natural areas in the nation. \u00a0When you think \u201cnational park,\u201d you expect it to be something grand, at a level much higher than just your run-of-the-mill state park; you expect far more than hiking trails and a visitor\u2019s center. \u00a0It\u2019s a brand.<\/p>\n
And by giving the name \u201cnational park\u201d to more and more sites, you really dilute the brand. \u00a0How many more additions to the \u201cnational park\u201d list does it take before tourists do not see it as something special, but are skeptical and study TripAdvisor before turning off the highway, in the same way as you would any other tourist attraction?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Image: \u00a0https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3AIndiana_Dunes_National_Lakeshore_(8741872906).jpg; By NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (3049) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You know, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is really not the best part of the Lake Michigan shoreline \u2014 that\u2019s along Michigan\u2019s \u201cwest coast\u201d (as they like to market themselves). \u00a0Instead, the National Lakeshore exists where is does because of the history of its creation, long after much of the shoreline was used for industrial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":5480,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[477,196],"class_list":["post-5478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-indiana-dunes","tag-national-parks"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n