Poenetawa Ue) UU BeOeNe she iy is Bars Nn 15 
tional Park Service that the Ogden Dunes is worthy of protection by the 
federal government. However, to obtain passage of legislation in Congress 
would require mobilization of public opinion. Mrs. Buell immediately an- 
nounced that the Save the Dunes Council, in cooperation with other con- 
servation and civic groups, would conduct a drive for 1,000,000 signatures 
to present to Congressional leaders. 
The purchase of a considerable portion of the dunes land by the Beth- 
lehem Steel Co. and the National Steel Co. has added impetus to the drive 
of the Council. As an industrial site, not only would the area be drained of 
its scenic beauty and recreation value, but air and water pollution would 
create an adverse affect on the present State Park. 
For centuries the winds have been creating high dunes and moving them 
inland for one and one-half miles. Over 1,000 flowering plants, ferns and 
trees have been found here, including the orchid, trillium, prickly pear cac- 
tus, and a few rare white pines. Over 100 species of birds have been found 
nesting here. During the migratory season, over 150 other species have been 
recorded. Floyd Swink, naturalist for the Cook County Forest Preserve 
District, declared that the area is a “natural flyway.” 
Congressman Barrett O’Hara of Illinois warned the other day that, 
“agitation for building a harbor at Burns Ditch has been revived.” About 
25 years ago, a narrow channel called Burns Ditch was dug in order to 
drain some of the swamp land behind the dunes to make fertile farms. Now 
the Rivers and Harbors Lobby is seeking federal funds to create a huge 
harbor there. Many conservationists feel that an industrial harbor expan- 
sion at Michigan City would be more efficient and less costly to the public. 
For more data about the threats to our seashores, write to National Park 
Service, Dept. of Interior, Washington 25, D.C., for the booklet, “Our 
Vanishing Shoreline.” 
Here is a legitimate concern of the Illinois Audubon Society and other 
outdoor groups. There will be no dunes to climb, no lake shore line, unless we 
act. If a group of foresighted Indiana women had not acted to preserve the 
Indiana Dunes State Park, 30 years ago, this magnificent area would have 
been lost to bird life and to the people. You can help by circulating peti- 
tions to Congress. They can be obtained by writing to Mrs. James Buell, 
Box 1111, Dunes Acres, Gary; Indiana. Do it now, PLEASE. 
2315 N. Washtenaw Av., Chicago 47 
Please Notice Our New Address 
EFFECTIVE JULY 5, 1958, your Editor’s new address will be: 
22W681 Tamarack Drive 
Glen Ellyn, I[linois 
Mail addressed to us at our old address in Chicago probably will not be 
delivered. Mail addressed to us at the Chicago Natural History Museum 
is seldom delivered. So — please mark your records accordingly. Also mark 
your records not to write to your Editor for the next month. He’s going 
to be busy moving into that home of his dreams — a house on a hill near 
the Morton Arboretum. 
Paul H. Lobik 
