Indiana Dunes Ecosystem Alliance Strategic Framework Written by Save the Dunes Conservation Fund In partnership with the National Park Service – Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, United States Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, National Parks Conservation Association, and the Northern Indiana Public Service Company. This project was made possible by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Lake Michigan Coastal Program. 0 Introduction The Indiana dunes are situated in Northwest Indiana along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Despite their name, the Indiana dunes are not limited to the shoreline and are home to a diverse range of habitats. The Indiana dunes are primarily comprised of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU), managed by the National Park Service (NPS); Indiana Dunes State Park (IDSP), managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR); and lands owned and managed by non-profit organizations such as Shirley Heinze Land Trust (SHLT) as well as municipalities and communities. The Indiana dunes are embedded within and intersected by a variety of land uses, such as industry, agriculture, residential communities, and utilities. Within this complicated landscape is one of the nation’s top ten most biodiverse national parks in the National Park System. The Indiana dunes are home to nearly 1,200 native plant species1, globally imperiled habitats, and state and federally endangered plant and wildlife, all within steps to a number of densely populated communities in Northwest Indiana. The urbanized and industrial setting of the Indiana dunes contributes to the prosperity, diversity, and quality of life in Northwest Indiana. While the variety of land uses is part of the regional identity, the complex landscape threatens high-quality natural resources and makes them more susceptible to the impacts of pollution, invasive species, habitat degradation, and other stressors. To better prepare to address these threats, a coalition of agencies and organizations formed to create a strategic framework for the nearshore Indiana dunes region. The Indiana Dunes Ecosystem Alliance (IDEA), comprised of members from Save the Dunes (SDCF), NPS, DNR, United States Geological Survey (USGS), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Shirley Heinze Land Trust (SHLT), National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), and Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), convened a series of strategic planning meetings to identify conservation priorities in the nearshore Indiana dunes, threats to those conservation priorities, and a set of strategies to address those threats. In this report, we will outline those conservation priorities, threats, and strategies. 1 Pavlovic, N. B., and B. Plampin. In Review. Draft Version (2016). Special Flora and Vegetation of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Natural Resource Report Series. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. Project Area: To allow for strategic discussion and decision-making, IDEA partners opted to limit the geographic scope of this planning project. While the definition of the ‘Indiana dunes ecosystem’ is subjective, IDEA partners decided to base the project boundaries on contiguously protected land in the nearshore region, which primarily includes INDU, IDSP, and any adjacent non-profit, utility, or municipality-owned land. IDEA refers to the project boundary as the upper X because the southern border is I-90 from Gary to Portage and I-94 from Portage to Michigan City. Within the project area, IDEA identified a handful of priority sites - Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes/Inland Marsh, Cowles Bog, Indiana Dunes State Park, and the Great Marsh. Conservation Targets and Supporting Systems: Conservation targets are ecosystems, habitats, and species that land managers are working to maintain, manage for, and restore. These targets exemplify natural communities characteristic of the Indiana dunes. IDEA focused on conservation targets at a habitat level with a tiered approach: • Lake Michigan • Dune and Swale Complex o Foredune o Interdunal wetlands o Forested dune ridges and swales o Lagoons • Savanna Complex o Oak savanna/openings o Woodland, forested dune • Prairie Complex o Mesic prairie o Wet-mesic prairie • Wetland Complex o Bog o Marsh o Fen o Shrub swamp o Sedge meadow • Forest Complex o Floodplain forest o Mesic Forest • Waterways within Indiana Dunes Focus Area o Deep River o Burns Waterway o Salt Creek o East Branch of Little Calumet River o Dunes Creek o Kintzele Ditch Identification of these conservation targets guided decisions on which priority sites IDEA would focus on for designing and implementing strategies to protect conservation priorities of the Indiana dunes region. There are a variety of habitat classification systems used across the Indiana dunes landscape. IDEA used a combination of several, including NatureServe, Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, and descriptions created by NPS and USGS staff. Following identification of these conservation targets, IDEA partners outlined the processes and systems that have the most impact on the structure and health of conservation targets. Strategies to protect conservation targets will most often correspond with the processes of these supporting systems. Sand movement, shoreline erosion and accretion At the southern end of Lake Michigan, natural processes such as wind direction and water current generally move sand from east to west. However, these processes are interrupted by manmade structures installed along the shoreline such as piers and harbors. On Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline, beaches to the east of these structures experience sand erosion while beaches to the west experience sand accretion. Shoreline erosion and accretion impacts habitat structure and successional gradient in beach and foredune communities. Fire Many woodland, wetland, and prairie habitats in the Indiana dunes depend on fire to maintain their structure and diversity. Historically, wildfires moved through our region, creating and maintaining the habitats we work to manage and restore today. Fire is a natural process that controls invasive and aggressive species, removes leaf litter to allow for plant growth, and top-kills woody vegetation such as shrubs and small trees that deprive native grasses and wildflowers of sunlight and water while allowing for continued growth of larger, established tree populations. Prescribed burns also reduce the intensity of wildfires that burn hot and out of control. In prairie habitats, our native vegetation populations are resilient against fires and often grow back stronger, while many invasive species are killed or controlled by fire. Similarly, fire is a critical process for maintaining healthy savanna habitats such as those in Miller Woods and Tolleston Dunes/Inland Marsh. Scattered oaks develop into large fire-resistant trees. The movement of fire through an oak savanna ensures that the understory does not become overgrown with shrubs and small trees that absorb sunlight, water, and other resources and out-compete wildflowers and grasses. Hydrology, water quality and quantity Within the waterways and wetland and dune and swale complexes, water quality and quantity are important factors in supporting conservation targets. Water quality impacts plant species composition because higher concentrations of pollutants favor generalist species and invasive species. Aquatic health and ecosystem function are also threatened by contamination. Additionally, drought and flashiness also impact the structure, health, and species composition of conservation targets. Wetland communities of the Indiana dunes have experienced a significant amount of hydrological modification over the last century through ditching, farming activities, and urbanization. Restoring hydrology is often a key action to support native habitats. Heterogeneity of habitats and species The diversity of habitats and species in the Indiana dunes supports healthy conservation targets. ‘Successional gradient’ refers to different stages of succession- the transition of species compositon in ecological communities following changes to the system- supporting a wide range of habitats in one area. The Indiana dunes demonstrate north to south ecological succession from Lake Michigan to the to forest habitats on the southern edge of IDEA’s project boundary. While the successional gradient once expanded beyond this, urbanization and placement of our highway system in Norhtwest Indiana disrupted further succesion. Many of the priority sites chosen for this project demonstrate in-tact succesional gradient and are home to a number of conservation targets because of the presence of multple habitats. Furthermore, the increased number of habitats within a site supports a larger range of species. Priority Sites: While the entirety of the Indiana dunes and surrounding managed lands are significant natural resources that provide ecosystem services, wildlife habitat, and respite for nearby communities, IDEA has highlighted a small number of sites based on their biodiversity, ecological significance, and presence of conservation targets. Biodiversity, the variety of plant and wildlife in an ecosystem, is the primary lens for this project because it is a critical piece of the identity of the Indiana dunes. While our park is relatively small compared to other national parks