INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK, Ind. -- The National Park Service released the Plant Gathering for Traditional Purposes Environmental Assessment for Indiana Dunes National Park on Monday.

The purpose of the assessment is to evaluate the potential impacts of entering into an agreement with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Native Americans to allow for the traditional gathering of plants and plant parts at Indiana Dunes National Park.

The park and the Pokagon Band collaboratively prepared the assessment, which is available for a 30-day public comment period.

The Pokagon Band requested to enter into an agreement with the National Park Service to collect plants and plant parts within the park under a rule that authorizes agreements between the two parties to facilitate continuation of tribal cultural practices on lands within areas of the National Park System as long as the practices don’t cause a significant adverse impact to park resources or values.

To comment on the Environmental Assessment online, visit www.parkplanning.nps.gov