INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three statewide environmental and consumer-advocacy groups have joined opponents of a privately-run banquet center planned for the Indiana Dunes State Park.

The Hoosier Environmental Council, the Sierra Club’s Indiana chapter and the Citizens Action Coalition announced Friday their opposition to the project at one of Indiana’s most fragile habitats.

Hoosier Environmental Council senior policy director Tim Maloney says the groups “fear the line is being crossed with this project in the dunes” along Lake Michigan in northwestern Indiana.

The Indianapolis Star reports opponents are also troubled by an agreement the state quietly finalized with developers to turn the park’s 85-year-old pavilion into a restaurant and eventually add a two-story, privately-run banquet and conference hall.

State officials say the project will raise funds and provide more amenities wanted by park-goers.

Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com