The Nature Conservancy in Indiana - JWN

For More Information

Dune & Swale Fact Sheet provided by The Nature Conservancy of Michigan

The Chicago Wilderness Magazine's article on Ivanhoe Dune and Swale

Wikipedia's information on Dunes and Swales

National Park Service's Teacher information for the Dunes National Lakeshore including downloadable teacher program packets

John Mangimeli's article on the Geology of Sand Dunes

When we think of Northwest Indiana, oil refineries and steel mills quickly come to mind. Yet tucked away in the midst of a region known for its heavy industry and dense urbanization lies a globally rare and specie-rich natural community called dune and swale.

What are Dunes and Swales?

Dune: a hill or ridge of sand piled up by the wind
Swale: a low-lying or depressed and often wet stretch of land
From Merriam-Webster's Dictionary

Dune and swale complexes are a series of roughly parallel, sandy ridges and low, wet tracts of land. In Indiana, they are formed partly from the irregular cycles of high and low water levels of Lake Michigan. Past glacier movement, wind (eolian processes) and weather play an integral part of the formation of the dunes and swales as well.

According to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, there are four distinct zones within a dune and swale complex. They are: the beach and foredunes, open interdunal swales, forested dune ridges, and the forested swales. Each zone is characterized by the vegetation (or lack of) found and the amount of sand accumulation. A diverse mosaic of black oak savanna, prairie and wetlands can be found within a dune and swale community.

The size of the complexes can be quite expansive. In fact, the dunes along the Great Lakes are some of the largest systems of freshwater sand dunes in the world, ranging from high, forested dunes and linear dune ridges commonly backing sand beaches.

Globally Rare, Locally Found

Dune and swale complexes are known to be one of the more unique ecosystems found in the world. There are just as well-known for their high concentration of biodiversity in such a small area. Indiana is lucky to have such a natural treasure in our state. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Ivanhoe Dune and Swale are two incredible examples of these rare and beautiful natural communities.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of Indiana's popular summer destination. The warm sandy beaches and cool waters of Lake Michigan attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The Dunes has more to offer then a place to lay out and swim. Although hiking the great Mount Baldy - a moving sand dune - is now off-limits, there are a number of trails to explore. The Dunes also is home to more than 1,135 native plant species. Among all the national parks in the United States, it ranks seventh in plant diversity.

Ivanhoe Dune and Swale, Gibson Woods and Seidner Nature Preserve are part of the Tolleston Strand Plain, a series of smaller remnants of dune and swale that are embedded in the urban industrial landscape of Gary, Hammond and East Chicago.

The Ivanhoe Nature Preserve is one of the finest examples of the dune and swale ecosystem. Black oak savannas, prairies, sedge meadows, marshes and shrub swamps are some of the natural communities that make up the preserve. It also supports more than 270 species of native plants and 60 species of butterflies including the federally endangered Karner Blue. Another 23 species found are listed as rare, threatened, endangered or of special concern in Indiana such as the yellow-headed blackbird and white lady-slipper orchids.

What The Nature Conservancy is Doing to Help Preserve Dunes & Swales

Indiana's dune systems have been around for thousands of years, but may not last that much longer. The Nature Conservancy understands the importance of restoring the area and protecting the plants and animals that make this natural community so wonderful. Indiana's own Southern Lake Michigan Rim Project office is working with a variety of partners to help protect this national treasure and other natural areas throughout Northwest Indiana.

The Conservancy’s work within the Lake Michigan watershed is focused on the 15,000+-acre Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, the 500-acre Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve and the 1000+-acre Tolleston Strand Plain Macrosite. The Southern Lake Michigan Rim Project office restoration efforts has really paid off to one of its more popular inhabitants. The Karner Blue butterfly - a state and federally endangered specie - makes its home in one the Conservancy's nature preserve, the Ivanhoe Dune and Swale. After a brief disappearance, the Karner Blue is making a comeback. After years of hand-feeding caterpillars leaves of blue lupine (the sole plant their larval will eat) and planting an abundance of the pea-like wildflower, this beautiful butterfly has been successfully reintroduced. As it

What You Can Do to Help Save Indiana's Coastal Dune Systems

The Dunes National Lakeshore and Ivanhoe Dune and Swale are popular hiking spots in Northwest Indiana, and for good reason. Unfortunately, the thousands of people that pass through our dune systems every year may not be aware of how our interactions can negatively affect the dunes.

We can lessen our footprints on this rare natural community by following appropriate hiking practices:

Know the regulations and special concerns of the the preserve or state park you will be visiting.
Stay on the path; hiking trails are established for a reason.
Leave no trace behind. Picking up trash left by others is encouraged.
Pictures should be your only souvenirs. Rocks, plants and other natural entities should be left where found.
Wipe, wash shoes after hiking to avoid spreading invasive species.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Robert De Jonge/Michigan Travel Bureau (Lake Michigan Empire, Michigan); Photo © J. Paynter/National Park Service (Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore).