Protecting the Nation's First State Dedicated Nature Preserve

Illinois

DUNESLAND

preservation society

Protecting the

Nation's First State Dedicated Nature Preserve

Our Mission

Since the 1910’s, the nature lovers who eventually founded Dunesland have lobbied extensively to preserve this valuable ecological setting for future generations. Legislative efforts to preserve its natural beauty began in the 1920’s. Many people were very concerned about the growth of industry, sand mining, and the encroachment of farming and homesteads.

Welcome to

The Dunesland Preservation Society

Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society is the environmental organization that co-founded Illinois Beach State Park in 1948, including the southern 900 acres that in 1964 became the first state Dedicated Nature Preserve in the United States. Dunesland’s organizational meeting was held in 1944; we received our state charter in 1950. The primary goal we have pursued for many years has been to protect the natural beauty and integrity of the park and its surrounding environment, which includes Lake Michigan.