Officials have closed a section of Mount Baldy in Michigan City to help the growth of grasses that will slow the pace at which the dune is moving inland.
But chief ranger Mike Bremer says putting a fence around that side was not enough.
Hence, the $50 fine.
He says the 100,000 visitors every beach season are still allowed to scale the side facing the beach, but must come down the same way they came up.
The reason?
Bremer says "every time someone goes up or down that slope, they are literally moving hundreds of pounds of sand."
