As he wraps up a long career with the National Park Service, Chris Pergiel called recognition from a local organization “a great honor.”
“I especially think it means something to me this year,” said Pergiel, former deputy superintendent at the Indiana Dunes National Park. “The timing was good, and I think the relationship between the organization, Save the Dunes, and the Indiana Dunes National Park is as good and as productive as it’s ever been.”
Pergiel received the Paul H. Douglas Memorial Award from Save the Dunes, a Michigan City-based organization dedicated to preserving and advocating for the park. The Paul H. Douglas award is the organization’s highest honor, according to Save the Dunes, and is given to someone who is recognized for their work preserving and protecting the Indiana Dunes.
Pergiel worked for the National Park Service for more than 40 years, and he held various positions within the department, including law enforcement ranger, chief ranger and deputy superintendent. He worked in parks nationwide, including in Arizona, Alaska, California and Indiana.
His experience with the Indiana Dunes National Park was “eye-opening,” Pergiel said, and it allowed him to work closely with local partners, including Save the Dunes.
“In many of the other national parks, everything’s focused internally, and we work with the surrounding communities, but not as directly,” Pergiel said. “In Indiana Dunes National Park, it’s all about partnerships.”
The national park relies on local partners to help preserve and advocate for the dunes, Pergiel said.
Betsy Maher, executive director of Save the Dunes, said the organization has worked with Pergiel for years, and that he advanced many protections for the Indiana dunes and helped secure more than $33 million for the park.
“I have met countless times with Chris and can personally attest to his character and how deserving he is of this award,” Maher said. “He has been a mentor to so many people within the national park. … He’s known for being a steady hand, and he was able to navigate through what could really be destabilizing transitions and periods for the national park.”
Pergiel doesn’t have specific plans to help with the park in retirement, but he believes everyone should lend a hand if possible, especially with changes in federal funding for national parks.
“Never in my history has there been such an attack on federal employees, on federal institutions, on conserving national park lands, on protecting the environment as a whole,” Pergiel said. “I don’t think there’s ever been a more important time to engage. … I think we owe it to ourselves, number one, to get out and enjoy the national parks because that’s our number one line of defense.”
Save the Dunes also gives out the Dorothy Buell Youth Environmental Award, which is awarded to either an individual or group between the ages of 13 and 24 who advocate for the environment within the Lake Michigan Watershed.
This year, the Notre Dame Student Policy Network received the youth award. The group is an entirely student-run undergraduate organization “demonstrating exceptional dedication to environmental stewardship and policy engagement,” according to Save the Dunes.
Members of the Notre Dame Student Policy Network were unable to immediately respond to request for comment. However, according to Save the Dunes, the group has completed more than 60 projects with more than 40 partner organizations and advocated for the environment statewide.
“We have been so impressed with the caliber of policy analysis and recommendations that have consistently come from the student body,” Maher said. “They have come to our headquarters every year and given presentations on a variety of environmental issues.”
Maher believes it’s important for Save the Dunes to recognize those who work to improve Indiana’s environment. Save the Dunes is one of the state’s oldest environmental organizations, Maher said, and they want to continue to advocate for years to come.
“We started as a grassroots, all-volunteer, all-women council, and so many of the victories in our early years can be attributed to individuals who care about the environment and who personally make the effort to do what sometimes feels like the impossible,” Maher said. “We are honored to continue to recognize individuals who bring that passion for protecting the Indiana dunes that carries our work forward today.”
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com