FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Contact: Julie Lowe, Conservation Committee Chair: j_lowe66@yahoo.com
Robyn Skuya-Boss, Chapter Director: robyn.skuya.boss@sierraclub.org
Statement of support for the Hessville Dune Dusters and their opposition to the Governors Parkway new terrain proposal that would destroy Briar East Woods in Hammond, Indiana.
The Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter supports the Hessville Dune Dusters and their grassroots effort to save their cherished Briar East Woods in Hammond, Indiana. Briar East Woods is a 4,700 year-old sand dune woodland, a remnant of the original terrain of the ancient shoreline of Lake Michigan. This 32 acre dune ecosystem has a forested trail that is similar terrain to the Tolleston Dunes Trail in the Indiana Dunes National Park that traverses several different, beautiful, and wildlife-rich habitats, including black oak savanna, and remnants of the Great Marsh. Briar East Woods is appreciated and maintained by the residents and friends of the Hessville neighborhood, the community organization known as the Hessville Dune Dusters.
Watch the “Save Briar East Woods” documentary.
Since 2020, the Hessville Dune Dusters have hosted regular stewardship events at Briar East Woods to clear litter and dumped trash from the parcel and have led in the opposition to parkway construction. Despite their public opposition to development that would destroy their sanctuary, Mayor Tom McDermott, Jr. continues with his plans for the proposed Governors Parkway, a new terrain overpass directly through the remnant sand dune woodland. The Mayor says the overpass will reduce travel time for motorists and emergency response vehicles but many area residents disagree with the trade off. Residents have been active in saving their wooded oasis in the city by asking to be involved in the process and have even suggested an alternative route, following all proper channels including peaceful appeals to city council only to be locked out of the process and ignored. Residents have complained about the lack of transparency and the motivation for the Governors Parkway project which is controversial. Over 100 citizens were locked out of the Hammond City Hall Council Chambers as the council voted on a resolution in support of the project.
The latest action from Mayor McDermott has upset many residents. On March 11, 2025, the city of Hammond began erecting a boundary fence around 18 acres of Briar East Woods, in the Hessville neighborhood. The fence restricting their access to the woods appears to be a backlash from the Mayor after recent media scrutiny (Post-Tribune, NWI Times).
The boundary fence will prevent residents from utilizing the trails as well as from clearing litter and trash on the parcel that can also injure or kill wildlife. A Hessville Dune Dusters clean-up at the site scheduled for March 22 is now halted due to restricted access.
To help Save Briar East Woods, please use this form to write the Federal Highway Administration and the Indiana Department of Transportation in support of a no new terrain alternative to Governors Parkway that would preserve future access to the Briar East Woods, which provides Hessville residents with the natural infrastructure, human health, aesthetic, and community benefits of a nature preserve.
Contact Save Briar East Woods:
Website: savebriareastwoods.com
Sign the petition to save Briar East Woods
Email: savebriareastwoods@gmail.com
Instagram: instagram.com/savebriareastwoods
Facebook: facebook.com/savebriareastwoods
Background information: Sierra Club 30x30 Conservation Agenda
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About Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter: The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organizations in the United States with more than three million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. The Hoosier Chapter was formed in 1975 and has over 8,000 members. Our mission is to explore, enjoy & protect wild places. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/indiana.