MICHIGAN CITY - Mount Baldy will remain closed at least throughout this summer season, according to Charles Morris of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
This local landmark has been closed since July 2013 after 6-year-old Nathan Woessner was trapped under 11 feet of sand for 3 1/2 hours and somehow managed to survive.
Morris, along with geologist Erin Argyilan from Indiana University Northwest, gave an update Thursday at Barker House, hosted by Save the Dunes, letting the public know where researchers are in their studies of potential dangers on the dune.
A team of experts, including Morris and Argyilan, have been studying the dune and have been trying to find out what caused the hole Woessner fell in and when, if ever, the dune will be safe for public access.
"We need to find out what happened and use that information to keep the public safe," Morris said.
As part of the research, documented accounts were received from everyone involved including first responders and Woessner himself who allegedly told researchers he found a hole and climbed in it.
Using ground-penetrating radar, with the assistance of agencies such as the EPA, researchers have discovered several anomalies in the dune, including at least eight more holes. These anomalies, Argyilan said, could be something worth investigating or something as simple as a piece of metal.
The biggest area of interest in this research is the immediate area where the Woessner incident occurred and the nearby vicinity. This is where the abundance of anomalies have been found.
What the researchers are attempting to understand, Argyilan said, is why these holes open, how they stay open and for how long.
"To a geologist, to see uncompacted sand support the structure of a hole is mind-blowing," she said.
Calling Mount Baldy a "living dune," meaning it is constantly moving and reshaping, the experts believe at least some of the blame for these anomalies lies in decaying trees that have been covered by sand as the dune moves southward.
Although Morris said he is comfortable with saying decaying trees have caused holes to appear in the dune. However, he is not confident in saying trees caused Woessner's hole.
"Scientists rarely say anything definitively," Argyilan said later. "You have to remain open to all possibilities."
The research being compiled will result in a three-dimensional view of the dune, allowing experts to see what is actually taking place beneath the sand. Morris said his department should receive word back on several tests that have been performed on the site sometime in August. That information, he said, should be available to the public by the end of the year.
In answer to questions as to why the dune remains closed during this research, Morris spoke on behalf of the park service saying, "We have to take action to protect the visitors. We did every action we felt necessary to protect the public and protect the resource."