LWCF Funded Units in Indiana

Federal Program
Hoosier NF
Indiana Dunes NL
Patoka River NWR
Approximate Federal Total	$102,000,000
State Program
Approximate Total Stateside Grants	$82,000,000
Approximate Total Federal and State	$184,000,000

LWCF Success in Indiana

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped protect some of Indiana’s most treasured places. Indiana has received approximately $184 million over the past four decades, protecting places such as the Hoosier National Forest and the Pakota River National Wildlife Refuge.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is approximately 15,000 acres of beach and other lands on the shores of Lake Michigan. Located about an hour outside of Chicago, Indiana Dunes receives around 2 million annual visitors and is one of the most popular lakeshores on Lake Michigan. Recreational activities at the lakeshore include wildlife watching, picnicking, horseback riding, hiking, swimming, fishing and boating in the summer and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. The lakeshore also contains five houses from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Economic Benefits

Active outdoor recreation is an important part of the Indiana economy. Each year, 886,000 sportspersons and 2 million wildlife watchers combine to spend $2.2 billion on wildlife-associated recreation in Indiana. This is an integral part of the American outdoor recreation economy, which contributes $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supports 6.4 million American jobs (1 out of every 20 jobs in the U.S.), and stimulates 8 percent of all consumer spending, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.