Indiana Dunes Nat'l Park Restoration Project Underway

PORTER, Ind. (AP) — A spokesman for the Indiana Dunes National Park says crews have made considerable progress removing unwanted houses and structures a federal agency acquired in the 1990s for habitat restoration efforts. Park spokesman Bruce Rowe says a contractor has been working to remove 17 houses, a barn, an in-ground pool and six roads since September. Most of the houses are in a Gary subdivision and were acquired by the National Park Service in the 1990s. The former owners were given long-term leases, and with the leases expiring, the houses are being removed and the site restored to natural habitat.