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Summer 2013 Volume 18 No. 2
A Magazine about Acadia National Park and Surrounding Communities 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:34 AM Page Cvr2
PURCHASE YOUR PARK PASS! Whether driving, walking, bicycling, or riding the Island Explorer through the park, we all must pay the entrance fee. Eighty percent of all fees paid in the park stay in the park, to be used for projects that directly benefit park visitors and resources. The Acadia National Park $20 weekly pass ($10 in the off-season) and $40 annual pass are available at the following locations:
Open in the Off-Season: ~ Acadia National Park Headquarters (Eagle Lake Road)
Open through November: ~ Hulls Cove Visitor Center ~ Thompson Island Information Center ~ Bar Harbor Village Green Bus Center ~ Sand Beach Entrance Station ~ Blackwoods and Seawall Campgrounds ~ Jordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain Gift Shops For more information visit www.friendsofacadia.org 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/31/13 5:18 PM Page 1
President’s Message
LESSONS FROM CADILLAC
s I swung my bike off the Park Loop summit to vehicles a week earlier than orig- and onto the Cadillac Summit Road, inally forecasted. But overall, far too many A I entered a cool pocket of shade. The people concluded that without all motor road narrowed here and the hemlock trees roads open to cars, “Acadia was closed,” and grew taller. The gurgle of a stream reached many businesses and visitors lost out as a my ears from the dense woods on either side result. of the winding road. I inhaled the smell of I wrestled with all of this as I wound my the morning dew and clicked down a gear bike toward the summit on that May morn- for the long climb ahead. It had been more ing. The views had opened up, and a sea than twenty years since I’d last ridden my breeze was coming off the Atlantic—and I bike to the top of Cadillac, and I was already still had not seen another soul. The empty regretting that fact within the first few min- parking lot at the summit and the stunning utes of my ascent. On this early May morn- vistas of Frenchman Bay illustrated the par- ing, I was enjoying sights, smells, and sounds adox. This had been my most enjoyable trip that I’d completely missed during my count- ever up Cadillac, and yet I wished that more less other trips up by car. people could have experienced it (although Yet my celebration of the rare peace and nearly 500 bicyclists and pedestrians were
quiet on this stretch of road was tempered by Friends of Acadia counted that day enjoying the car-free Park the realization that many people would not Loop Road). be able to enjoy Cadillac on this sparkling ...if there was ever any doubt I resolved to look for new ways that FOA, spring day, because of the delayed opening the business community,and the park could of the Summit Road to vehicles under the about the vital economic work together to help Cadillac open on time mandated federal budget cuts known as importance of Acadia to our next year. At the same time, I concluded sequestration. surrounding communities, that we need to build public understanding Cadillac Mountain is an Acadia icon, with of the many experiences beyond driving up the park’shighest elevations, famous first light the ripple effects of the Cadillac that make Acadia and MDI unique. at sunrise, panoramic views, and spectacu- sequester should remind us In particular, we should explore better and lar sunsets—all widely enjoyed by the pub- safer opportunities for bicyclists on Acadia’s lic thanks to the unparalleled accessibility of the need to care for motor roads; the rave reviews from Bike provided by the motor road to the top. On and speak up for this park Acadia Month remind us of the many bene- the job here at Friends of Acadia, one of the as the natural and financial fits of pedaling in our park. Finally, if there questions that I have heard most often is: was ever any doubt about the vital econom- What are you going to do about the situation on treasure that it is. ic importance of Acadia to our surrounding Cadillac? Most often, the concerns behind this communities, the ripple effects of the question involve crowding at the summit, strategies necessary to find nearly $400,000 sequester should remind us of the need to challenges posed by tour buses that are too in budget cuts, as mandated by Congress care for and speak up for this park as the nat- big for the narrow road, and the swelling under the sequester. This decision was ural and financial treasure that it is. With number of cruise ship visitors. These ques- unpopular among many visitors and resi- the involvement and support of our mem- tions helped inspire a series of meetings dents, in particular local merchants trying to bers and partners, Friends of Acadia will work between FOA and park staff over the winter expand their business into the shoulder sea- to ensure that the lessons from Cadillac and to help articulate a preferred vision for sons of spring and fall. Now the question had the sequester will give us tools to meet the Cadillac’s future and begin discussing some become: How are we going to get Cadillac open? steep challenges that still lie ahead. l new approaches to balancing the growing The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce numbers of visitors with appreciation for and did an admirable job promoting the car-free protectionofwhatmakesthesummitsospecial. roads to bicyclists with “Bike Acadia This spring, however, the questions about Month”—and cyclists did come from all over Cadillac abruptly shifted from over-use to not the northeast. FOA and the Chamber also —David R. MacDonald enough use, as the park was forced to delay collaborated on a volunteer work party on opening some motor roads as one of several Cadillac, which helped the park open the Friends of Acadia Journal Summer 2013 1 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:59 AM Page 2
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Edward L. Samek, Chair John Fassak, Vice Chair Michael Cook, Treasurer Emily Beck, Secretary
Fred Benson Brownie Carson Gail Clark Hannah Sistare Clark Andrew Davis Nathaniel Fenton Summer 2013 C. Boyden Gray Volume 18 No. 2 Anne Green Cookie Horner Jack Kelley Ed Lipkin A Magazine about Acadia National Park and Surrounding Communities Meredith Moriarty Lili Pew Donna Reis Jack Russell Hank Schmelzer Nonie Sullivan Christiaan van Heerden Dick Wolf Bill Zoellick
HONORARY TRUSTEES Eleanor Ames Robert and Anne Bass Curtis and Patricia Blake Robert and Sylvia Blake Frederic A. Bourke Jr. Tristram and Ruth Colket Gail Cook Shelby and Gale Davis FEATURE ARTICLES Dianna Emory Frances Fitzgerald 9 A Lovely Place to Walk in Trenton Terry Begley Sheldon Goldthwait Neva Goodwin Many hands come together to build a trail behind the Gateway Center Paul and Eileen Growald John and Polly Guth 10 Acadia as the Embodiment of a Japanese Garden Cora Olgyay Paul Haertel Lee Judd Acadia’s trails as seen through one landscape architect’s eyes Debby Lash Linda Lewis Liz Martinez 13 Paying Our Regards to the Earth Alycia Wilson Gerrish and Phoebe Milliken A teenage volunteer shares a lesson on stewardship George J. and Heather Mitchell Joseph Murphy Janneke Neilson 14 The Case for a “Wild Acadia” David Manski Nancy Nimick Restoring degraded habitats for Acadia National Park’s second century Jack Perkins Nancy Pyne Nathaniel P. Reed 16 Hiking in the Great Outdoors with Kids Sylvie Piquet Ann R. Roberts David Rockefeller An experienced field educator shares secrets to hitting the trails with young people Jeannine Ross Howard Solomon 18 Leaving No Trace in Your Favorite Place Charlie Jacobi Erwin Soule Diana Davis Spencer How (and why) to minimize your impact on the park Julia Merck Utsch
EMERITUS TRUSTEES 32 Why I’m a Friend of Acadia Tom Savage W. Kent Olson Preserving our Island Relationships Charles R. Tyson Jr. FRIENDS OF ACADIA STAFF ACTIVITIES AND DEPARTMENTS Theresa Begley, Projects & Events Coordinator Mary Boëchat, Development Officer 1 President’s Message Lessons from Cadillac Sharon Broom, Development Officer 3 Superintendent’s View Acadia’s Park Rangers: A Vanishing Breed? Aimee Beal Church, Communications & Outreach Coordinator Stephanie Clement, Conservation Director 5 Special Person Barbara McLeod Lisa Horsch Clark, Director of Development 6 Where in Acadia? Sarah Curts, Accounting & Administrative Associate David R. MacDonald, President & CEO 7 In Memoriam Kathryn Davis Diana R. McDowell, Director of Finance & Administration Mike Staggs, Office Manager 20 Updates 29 Book Review 30 Advocacy Corner Examining Park Funding from All Angles 31 Chairman’s Letter 100 Years, 100 Needs, 100 Ways... 2 Summer 2013 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:34 AM Page 3
Superintendent’s View
ACADIA’S PARK RANGERS:AVANISHING BREED?
elcome to Acadia National inspiration in Acadia—truly one of our Park,” said the friendly ranger national treasures. “Win the iconic flat hat. “How can I really worry about the second century of I help you?” Whether at the Sand Beach entrance Acadia National Park—that visitors will station or the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, park come to Acadia and never see a “friendly rangers are eager to help visitors enjoy their expe- park ranger.” I believe their visit will be less rience in Acadia—one of their national parks. meaningful and less enjoyable. More than Park rangers are there to help visitors dis- twenty years ago, forward-thinking leaders cover new ways to explore Acadia, from at Acadia and at Friends of Acadia saw the sand sleuthing on Sand Beach to watching need to rehabilitate the severely deteriorated raptor migrations on Cadillac to becoming carriage roads in the park. Friends of Acadia an amateur botanist, birder, or photogra- raised money for an endowment that now pher at Sieur de Monts. Annual polls from provides annual funding for ongoing main- the Roper Center for Public Opinion consis- tenance, and park management developed a tently demonstrate that the public respects comprehensive, long-term management and admires the uniformed park ranger and plan. Instead of finding eroded carriage appreciates all they do to serve the public roads marred with potholes and safety haz- and protect our nation’s heritage for future ards, thousands of bikers, runners, and
generations. Peter Travers walkers today enjoy a historic and beauti- Contrast the above welcome with the fol- sequences. This reduction comes in addition fully maintained system of carriage roads lowing scenario: You drive into Acadia and to previous losses in our buying power over and stone bridges. Following that success, pay the entrance fee by swiping your pre- the last few years. Acadia’s operating budget ANP and FOA established a similar plan paid pass or credit card, then stop at a kiosk has gone from $8.4 million in FY10 down and endowment for trail maintenance and with several computer terminals where you to just over $7 million this year—a decline today the 130 miles of hiking trails are safe can input questions or obtain other infor- of $1.4 million. And yet visitation continues and enjoyable for the hundreds of thou- mation online. Your tour of the park is pro- to increase. Spring arrives earlier each year, sands of hikers each year. vided on a recording in your car or through and with it the visitor season to Acadia and Today it is the meaningful, fun, and free an application on your smart phone. the surrounding communities. Fortunately ranger-led experience that is in danger of Instead of taking in a free, ranger-led hike or our staff and volunteers are still dedicated to deteriorating or disappearing. Here at campfire program, you pay a fee for com- making visits to Acadia enjoyable, meaning- Acadia, we are looking at ways to ensure mercial activities outside the park. ful, and safe. that the flat hat and all the youth programs Unfortunately, future visitors to Acadia For millions of park visitors each year, an and internships that it represents are pro- will encounter fewer uniformed park important part of their experience has been tected for Acadia’s second century in order rangers as they visit the park and there will exploring with park rangers. Something to help engage the next generation of park be fewer ranger programs and other public about our rangers’ flat hats and welcoming stewards. The coming centennial celebra- services. As federal budgets continue to smiles beckons kids big and small to join us tion presents a great opportunity to support decline, we are left with only the hard choic- in the outdoors. Take a hike to a mountain- the hardworking and enthusiastic park es. Should we reduce daily hours in all park top with us for that bird’s-eye view. Join us rangers that inform, educate, and inspire facilities or shutter less-visited facilities? for a boat cruise to remote Baker Island or visitors, guide people toward appropriate Should we stop providing ranger-led pro- through scenic Somes Sound en route to the and safe activities, and otherwise help illu- grams for schools or summer programming historic Islesford Museum. Explore the minate Acadia’s natural and cultural won- for kids? Should we charge a fee for all intertidal life of Acadia’s tidepools and ecol- ders for you and your children and the com- ranger-led programs and park publications? ogy of Acadia’s forests. Some seven thou- ing generations. l Should we stop hiring life guards for Sand sand kids interact with park rangers each Beach and Echo Lake or cut resource pro- summer and become Junior Rangers—one tection efforts? These are just a few exam- of our most popular programs. Our rangers ples of the difficult choices that lie ahead. love to provide that personal touch and cus- Sequestration is a permanent reduction in tomized response to visitor questions and our annual operating budget with real con- needs, to help people find meaning and —Sheridan Steele Friends of Acadia Journal Summer 2013 3 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/31/13 5:18 PM Page 4
Notes from Friends
Thanks, Volunteers! Thumbs Up for Acadia Quest Summer 2013 On behalf of the City of Ellsworth, please I have to tell you my husband and I are Volume 18 No. 2 accept and pass along a big Thank-You for not very active or we weren’t very active. A Magazine about Acadia National Park the [Earth Day] Roadside Cleanup of Route We have already completed two of the and Surrounding Communities 3, Myrick Street, and Beckwith Hill area by small trails or easy trails with the kids. Not Friends of Acadia preserves, protects, and your volunteers. Your efforts truly help make a ton of people and it was perfect for them promotes stewardship of the outstanding Ellsworth a better place to live, work, and to run. This is a fantastic thing. natural beauty, ecological vitality, play and it is very much appreciated! and distinctive cultural resources of —Molly Baker Acadia National Park and surrounding —Michelle Beal, City Manager Bar Harbor, ME communities for the inspiration Ellsworth, Maine and enjoyment of current and future generations. The Journal is published three times a year. Submissions and letters are welcome. See http://friendsofacadia.org/news-publica- tions/friends-of-acadia-journal/submissions/ for guidelines. Opinions expressed are the authors’.
EDITOR Aimee Beal Church DESIGN Mahan Graphics PHOTOGRAPHER AT LARGE Tom Blagden PRINTING Penmor Lithographers PUBLISHER David R. MacDonald
Bass Harbor Marsh, July sunset by Chris Kasprak
This Journal is printed on paper made with 100% recycled fiber and 60% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine free, and manufactured in the USA with 100% Green-e certified renewable energy. Printed with
Tom Blagden soy-based ink, using wind power. Pemetic Mountain in the fog.
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Special Person
BARBARA MCLEOD: FROM BYLAWS TO POPOVERS
t takes many different people speaks, you know it’sgoing to be some- with many different skills to thing worth listening to. Her legal writ- Imake a strong and effective ing is clean and unambiguous. Those organization. Friends of Acadia who have worked closely with her relies on a huge range of volunteers commend her intelligence, focus, and to do its essential work in and willingness to work toward group con- around Acadia, from a scouting sensus. As Mike Siklosi, former com- troop raking the carriage roads in mittee chair for the Governance/ the rain to a board member check- Nominating Committee, reflected: ing the wording of an internal doc- “Why it’s been such a pleasure to serve ument for legal compliance. The on this board is that people exhibit former mostly requires enthusi- good leadership, good followership, asm; the latter needs both enthusi- and above all, civility. And Barbara asm and some highly specialized exemplifies those things.” skills. In July, Barbara rotated off the For the past six years, Friends of Friends of Acadia Board after com- Acadia has been extremely fortu- pleting two three-year terms, and her nate to have Barbara McLeod on the expertise, balanced outlook, and warm Friends of Acadia Board of Directors, smile will be missed. Perhaps this sum- checking those documents and doing mer she’ll have a little more time to much more. Barbara moved to Bar enjoy Acadia in her favorite way—on Harbor from Washington, D.C. in foot—especially up Beech Mountain 2006, when her husband, David when it’s hot (to end with a swim) or
Hales, was hired as president of the Friends of Acadia the Cadillac South Ridge on cooler College of the Atlantic. A lawyer and a life- the central role of the board, and the days. Other favorite trails are the Jesup Path long environmentalist, she had most recent- Governance Committee’s task is to develop and others around Sieur de Monts—“Living ly been director of Environmental Protection and review the policies and documents that history!” she exclaims. “However,” she’ll Agency’s Office of International guide a board in governance. The bylaws are unhesitatingly add, “any hike that ends with Environmental Policy in Washington. Her one such document. When Barbara joined popovers at the Jordan Pond House is clearly long career with the EPA included work on the committee, she, together with fellow the best.” She has generously agreed to remain such varied issues as enforceable environ- board member Emily Beck, undertook a deep in the Friends of Acadia “family” as a resource mental provisions in US trade agreements, and comprehensive review of the bylaws to for governance issues. Should the board have protecting water quality in the Great Lakes, ensure that they were consistent, appropri- any questions about the Friends of Acadia the patterns of mercury pollution in air and ate, and (most importantly) in compliance bylaws or other documentation in coming water, and fish consumption advisories to with federal and state laws regulating non- months, they’ll know where to look first. l protect children and pregnant women from profit organizations. Emily noted what a toxins. Clearly a great match for Friends of pleasure she was to work with, remarking —Aimee Beal Church Acadia’s mission, she joined the board in that “Barbara’s formidable intelligence 2007 and quickly became a key member of allowed the project to go quickly and the just-formed Governance/Nominating smoothly; her humor and perspective made Committee. it—rather against the odds—fun!” Governance may sound less exciting than When Emily moved off the Governance raking carriage roads, but it’s an essential Committee, Barbara became the board’s go- component of a highly functional nonprofit. to person for bylaws. Her work experience Governance entails making policy and strat- also made her a valuable voice in the strate- egy decisions, overseeing and monitoring gic planning process and on the Natural organizational performance, and ensuring Resources Protection Committee. overall accountability. In fact, governance is She is quiet but thoughtful—when she
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Where in Acadia? Charlie Jacobi / Acadia National Park Where in Acadia? This photo was taken within sight of a park road. What is it, and where is it? Email us with your guesses at [email protected], or use the Journal submissions form at friendsofacadia.org/news-publications/friends-of-acadia- journal/submissions. We’ll print the best response along with another “Where in Acadia” photo in the next issue of the Journal.
inches across. It is one of four similar cross- of this hotel and its operators is well doc- es marking the corners of an 89-acre parcel umented in Peter Dow Batchelder’s book, of land known as the ‘Mountain Lot’ that Steam to the Summit. However, the opera- included the summit of Cadillac Mountain, tors of the hotel did not own the land. On and perhaps more pertinent to its origin, once August 18, 1868, Daniel W.Brewer carved included the Mountain House hotel.” The out the “Mountain Lot” from his holdings crosses were most likely carved around the and conveyed it to two of his brothers, time the property was conveyed to the Porter Brewer and Perry H. Brewer and Spring 2013 Where in Acadia Hancock County Trustees of Public their brother-in-law, Orient H. Carpenter. A good number of readers were able to iden- Reservations, in 1908, perhaps obliterating Porter Brewer moved away from Mount tify this engraved cross as located on Cadillac previous, smaller marks, Goodrich explained: Desert Island and Daniel W. Brewer reac- Mountain’s North Ridge Trail; more than one quired his interest. In 1883 the three own- had heard the myth that it was carved by In 1866 Daniel W.Brewer,who owned a large ers leased the Mountain Lot to the Green Samuel de Champlain’s exploration party in tract of land that included the southern half Mountain Railway for a term of 20 years. In 1604. In fact, it has a much more recent ori- of Cadillac Mountain, built a buckboard road addition, they sold a strip of land for the gin. David Goodrich of Brooklyn, NY, sent a to the summit over a route created by the railroad track 6 rods wide to the railway. detailed history of the cross, explaining that U.S. Coast Survey a decade before. He also it is “a surveyor’s cross, measuring about 13 opened a hotel at the summit. The history Story continued on pg. 27
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In Memoriam
KATHRYN DAVIS:AREMARKABLE LEGACY
riends of Acadia lost a dear friend and visionary supporter when FKathryn Wasserman Davis died peacefully at her home in Florida this past April. As tributes from around the world have poured in during recent weeks for her role as a global philanthropist, educational leader, and champion for peace, we have reflected here at Friends of Acadia on how fortunate we are to have had Mrs. Davis apply her unique blend of passion and generosity to this corner of the Maine coast, and the island and park she loved so well. Mrs. Davis was absolutely dedicated to the protection of Acadia and was steadfast in defending the park against threats to its future. From the earliest days of Friends of Acadia in the mid-1980s up until her final stay here in Maine last summer, she fol- lowed our work closely and played an active role in many of our key initiatives. Mrs. Davis always stepped in early to sup- port bold projects, beginning with FOA’s first major capital drive to help fund the restora- tion and long-term care of Acadia’s carriage roads, and continuing through Acadia Trails Forever and our efforts around transporta- tion, including the Island Explorer bus sys- tem and the Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and it can- not be overstated how many others she helped inspire through her leadership. She
believed in being an active and visible mem- Friends of Acadia ber of Friends of Acadia, and was extremely Kathryn Davis at the Friends of Acadia Annual Benefit. Her presence, as well as her artwork, was always loyal in showing her support by turning out a special part of that event. for public meetings, receptions, and the Annual Benefit. Her support of the Benefit took issues, and our organization’s plans for the All of us at Friends of Acadia feel honored many forms, including donating one of her future. Whether a phone call or meeting or to be able to continue the remarkable legacy own paintings (usually a landscape of MDI) field trip, she had always done her home- of Kathryn Davis, as her impact on our work each year. Of course, assigning an estimated work in advance and would typically have a will be felt for generations to come. l value to these works was impossible—and we list of questions to review with me. I got the were never disappointed in the bidding that sense that her body and mind, as well as her —David MacDonald always ensued for these prized works! heart and soul, were 100% engaged in Mount What I admired most, however, about Mrs. Desert Island and Acadia National Park when- Davis was her remarkable curiosity and hunger ever she was here—an example we all might to learn more about Acadia, conservation benefit from following in this day and age.
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New Members
We are pleased to welcome our newest friends: Sheila and James Glavine Brenda and Lawrence Patterson Margo and Paul Gunsser Alice and Richard Pierson Debby Adkins Amelia Hansa Nicole Pollard Esther Akeley Robin Hayward Kathy and John Roberts Sharon and Edward Ashworth Hickory Foundation Janet Rousseau Mr. and Mrs. Julius Atkins Robert Higgins Philip and Elizabeth Samuels Beard Family Charitable Trust Martha Howland Smith Beverly Schillinger Carolyn Becker Megan Hutchin Randy Seidman Ashley and Jason Bernhard Lisa Johnson Georgia Skinner Dorothy Blanchard Audrey Josephite Carin and Jeff Sychterz Bluewater Manufacturing Junior League of Greater New Haven Ellen Theriault Jerilyn Bowers Susan Kales Joanie and Nick Thorndike Jayne Brownell Sarah Krevans and William Brieger Ray Tipton Ann Clapper Karen Kupiec Murray Turka Sandra Cohen Gertrude Lanman Jr. Nicholas Umphrey Elaine Cook Gail LaPointe Kelly Ure Michael Czarnecki Alcan Levy Jill and Peter Vermilyea Sandi Day Sally Lewis Pamela Voulalas-Depireux Matthew Dyer Ann Lockwood Catherine Waltz Elmina B. Sewall Foundation Nicholas Ludington Robert Waterman Heather Evans Rosanne Marchewka Jeannine Gonyon and Dan Wester Fiore Artisan Olive Oils & Vinegars Robin Marshall Deanna Whitmore The First Constance Metherell Kim and Bill Wieler Samuel Fox and Andrea Boissevain Lew and Eleanor Miller Fred Woskoff Melissa Franckowiak and Grant LeClerc Barbara Moss Jong H. Yang Marsha Gill and David Gallitano Barry Myers Roland Gauvin Karen Nevill Phyllis and Norman Gauvin Patricia and Jes E. James Olson February 1 – May 31, 2013 Tom Blagden Purple bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea) in bloom in Acadia.
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Trails and Carriage Roads
ALOVELY PLACE TO WALK IN TRENTON Terry Begley
ix years ago, a wide-ranging partner- with nature, and outdoor exercise for area ship was bringing pieces together for residents and visitors to the Acadia Gateway San off-island welcome center and Center. By the late fall of 2011, the Trail transportation hub for Acadia National Committee had a trail route in place: a love- Park, MDI-area towns, and the Island ly footpath through a variety of forest com- Explorer bus system. In December 2007, munities in different stages of forest succes- Friends of Acadia purchased 369 acres at sion, with a spur trail to a boardwalk and Crippens Creek in Trenton, and the next viewing platform overlooking a dwarf shrub year sold 152 acres adjacent to Route 3 to bog. This boardwalk and viewing platform the Maine Department of Transportation are an important part of the trail, providing (MDOT), for what is now known as the access to an unusual natural feature while Acadia Gateway Center. eliminating potential impacts (including bar- FOA kept the 217 acres of interior woods riers to natural water flow and trampling) on and wetland, wanting to make it available to the delicate wetland. The trail also features the people of Trenton for trail-based recre- a series of bog bridges and seven interpre- ation. In autumn 2009, Friends of Acadia tive signs describing the geology, botany, invited residents to join a “Trenton Trail wildlife, and history of the land the trail trav- Committee” and a non-monetary grant from erses.
the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Lester Kenway of Trail Services was hired Friends of Acadia Conservation Assistance Program provided a to construct the structures on the trail route; The Trenton Community Trail was inaugurated with hands-on trails consultant, Burnham Martin, however, the driving force from conception to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and guided hike on June st to help on all aspects of trail planning. With completion was the hundreds of enthusiastic 1 , National Trails Day. Here, inauguration atten- dees walk the boardwalk out to the viewing platform. Martin’s guidance, the committee conducted volunteers who put in thousands of hours on public outreach activities, explored the prop- this trail in partnership with Friends of Acadia, One hundred percent of the trail’s costs erty,discussed potential uses for it, and began Acadia National Park, and the Trenton Village were paid by grants from Davis Conservation mapping potential trail routes. Connector Trail Committee. Volunteers rep- Fund, Friends of Acadia, Nature Valley, It soon became evident that the property resented a diverse group: young and old, and National Parks Conservation Association, and had a lot of wetland. To minimize impacts from all walks of life and geographic locations. the Yawkey Foundation. In-kind donors pro- and permitting requirements, the trail would Volunteers handled administrative tasks and vided a whole range of services, from images need to be carefully routed and constructed planning, developing the trail vision and gath- for the interpretive signs, to snacks and water to lie lightly on the land. In addition, the first ering community support and interest. Then for the volunteers, to delivery of the kiosk. portion of the trail, along with the access road began work in the field, exploring the 369- Since the trail’sinauguration in June, it has and trailhead parking, would be on the land acre property and mapping the best trail received high praise from area schools, com- FOA had sold to the MDOT. This included route—a sometimes a thankless task, as vol- munity organizations, Trenton residents, and a 54-acre wetland mitigation area intended unteers struggled through thick vegetation, local hikers who appreciate the educational to compensate for wetlands impacted during temperature extremes, wet and muddy terrain, opportunities and the unique recreational the Gateway Center’s construction. and occasional clouds of Maine blackflies. experience the trail provides. Restrictions on the mitigation area allow Finally,construction began. Volunteers cleared For more information about the Trenton pedestrian-only trails but they must be the footpath, limbed trees and cut brush, and Community Trail, visit friendsofaca- designed to minimize wetland impacts. Using hauled more than a thousand logs and boards dia.org/what-we-do/trails-and-carriage- the deed restrictions as a guide, Friends of used to construct the bog bridges, boardwalk, roads/trenton-community-trail. See page 28 Acadia and the Trail Committee planned, and viewing platform. Volunteers worked on of this Journal for a list of volunteer com- designed, and mapped a looped, 1.8-mile both content and installation of the interpre- mittee members and donors. l footpath traversing the two conserved prop- tive panels, with expert input from Downeast erties. Bird and Nature Tours and design by Z Studio, TERRY BEGLEY is the programs and events From the beginning, the trail’spurpose was as well as the directional signs and trailhead coordinator at Friends of Acadia. to provide environmental education, contact kiosk.
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Park Resources
ACADIA AS THE EMBODIMENT OF A JAPANESE GARDEN Cora L. Olgyay, ASLA
s a child, my parents brought me vides a sharp contrast with stone outcrop- low bedrock areas that support small ferns to the coast of Maine where I pings. These characteristics are just the begin- and shrubs, the little microclimates that fos- Aimprinted on the scents and sights ning of the similarities between the two. ter a special plant community. The aged, the of the sea, rocks, and forests. As a land- At the core of the Japanese garden is a pro- irregular, and the weathered are valued. scape architecture student, I became found reverence for nature. Its focus is on The Japanese garden is built upon an ide- bewitched by the subtle stroll gardens of revealing and highlighting natural patterns alized nature: a simplification of essential Japan, where movement reveals the rich- and processes of the particular site, rather forms. The mature forest is characterized as ness, complexity, and essence of the land- than imposing an external logic or order. The calm, quiet, dark, aged, mysterious, and scape. At Acadia, I have found a landscape Japanese garden does not homogenize the reflective. It is expressed with upright, linear that intertwines these two passions. landscape (unlike the lawns that character- trees—lower limbs often removed to mimic ize many modern gardens), but rather high- an older forest and accentuate the reach for Similarities between Japanese lights what is most essential in the landscape’s sunlight—with moss and ferns in the limit- Gardens and Acadia character. Idiosyncratic irregularities are cel- ed, dappled light below.In contrast, the open, Both Mount Desert Island and Japan are ebrated: rock outcroppings, runnels to call sunlit landscape is accentuated with round- forested, mountainous islands. The abundant out the pathway of water, little pockets of ed, mounded forms and long views. The rainfall fosters lush vegetation, which pro- moisture that nurture moss, dry and shal- Japanese garden is managed to emphasize the Cora Olgyay This moss-covered footbridge provides continuity of materials to unify and simplify the landscape. At Saiho-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan.
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contrast between the shaded, quiet, and calm some rocky areas, so you forest and the light, active, and open land- have look down to watch scape. At Acadia, these planting systems exist your footing. Damp depres- because they are a direct reflection of the var- sions, tannin-stained wet- ied landscape, from closed moist forest to dry lands, and rich pockets of rocky coast. In this way,the Japanese garden moss and bunchberry recalls the landscape of Acadia because reward the eyes. The path Acadia is the idealized natural form. gently rises and opens up to a flat, rolling expanse of Characteristics of a Japanese Stroll Garden exposed bedrock. You have When I hike the trails of Acadia, I am remind- arrived at the high point. ed of Japanese stroll gardens. In a Japanese Vistas extend in 360
stroll garden, the path is carefully orchestrated degrees, to reveal rolling Cora Olgyay to create a specific sequence of spatial and shrubs and stunted trees. A sensory experiences. The topography, plant- vast yet intimate landscape ing, and pavements are designed to literally is before you. The expansive and figuratively direct the visitor’s progres- views contrast with a com- sion and elicit a response. Steep slopes and plex mosaic of mosses and raised, irregular stepping-stones require con- lichens on the ground, snip- centration. Your eyes focus down, on the pits of plants trying to grow ground plane, on your next step, and on the in the shallow crevices in intricate detail. In contrast, wider and more the rock, searching for tiny regular paths are easier to navigate. Your eyes bits of moisture and soil to rise to take in the larger landscape, a grander support their simple scale, broad patterns, and distant views. The lifestyle. (Note that the park stroll garden heightens these contrasts to has just installed temporary www.hikenewengland.com emphasize patterns and strengthen the sen- barriers to protect this beau- Sequences and gateways create a sense of mystery and discovery, of views sory experience. Trees and shrubs compress tiful and fragile ecosystem.) hidden and then revealed. Top: Sento Gosho (Imperial Garden, Kyoto, Japan). to enclose space and create a sense of inti- The contrast of long open Bottom: The Valley Trail on Beech Mountain. macy; then the planting opens to an expan- views and the detail of the sive view. Views are hidden, then revealed, ground plane is mesmerizing. and you are beckoned to explore. This con- The trail leads south, the bedrock dips and the linear and curvilinear, hard and soft, trast of “hide and reveal,” dark versus light, disappears and the path narrows again. natural and manmade, and thus heighten- intimate detail versus grand vista, and slow Shrubs push in, and the intermittent rock cre- ing the experience of each. It is a very pow- versus fast progression, reveal the landscape’s ates irregular steps. You have to look down erful and moving contrast. character. to secure your footing. Again, your view is focused to the mosses, lady’s slippers, and Beech Mountain Trail The Path as Narrative: low bush blueberry.The gentle roar of break- and Shugaku-in Acadia’s Wonderland Trail ing waves and the salty scent of sea air hint At Beech Mountain, the hike to the over- Trails can tell a story,and the best of trails can that you are arriving at the water’s edge well look reminds me of the progression at reveal much more. This narrative can be one before you can see it. Again, there is the play Shugaku-in, an imperial garden outside of discovery, views, geology, topography, ecol- of “hide and reveal.” You are enticed and are Kyoto. At Shugaku-in, the path starts in the ogy,emotion—and in Acadia, it is all of these. eager, yet your progress is slow.The final tran- open terraced rice fields at the base of the I have walked my favorite trails scores of times, sition is a tight squeeze between dense thick- mountains. The gently sloping path changes and while I may anticipate the experience ets of aromatic and prickly rugosa rose. into a series of steep and rocky steps, sharply around the next corner,the adventure is always The roses finally part and the defined path enclosed by tall hedges. You need to look fresh. The sequence always surprises and gives way to the ocean and massive granite down to watch your step, and cannot see delights me. ledges. It is a world of sharp contrasts: water beyond the tight shrubs. As you emerge at One of my favorite trails is Wonderland: a and rock, soft and hard, fast and slow, fluid the top of the climb, the hedges turn and seemingly simple path, but rich in contrasts. and stationary. Yet each of these shapes the direct you, and the grand vista of the Villa’s The trail traverses various environments, each other: the stone is sculpted and softened by grounds is revealed, along with the rice field evoking different experiences and emotions. the waves and tides, and the water’s flow is below and the distant urban pattern of Kyoto. The hike starts through lowlands enclosed with directed and interrupted by the granite. This The sequence of a gentle introduction and dense thickets of vegetation. It feels intimate and reminds me of the Japanese tradition of inte- steep enclosed climb with revealed views is dark. The path is irregular, with some wet and grating nature and architecture, contrasting repeated in many places in Acadia. The Beech
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Mountain sequence starts on a forested path, rising up gently to the east. The path is easy so that you can look up and enjoy the filtered views through the relatively open forest. The forest density increases, and the path becomes rockier. You literally have to squeeze through and scramble up steep rock out- croppings—and this requires your attention and concentration. When you emerge at the top, the trees part, the bedrock creates an open plaza, and the vista expands to reveal Echo Lake, Southwest Harbor, and the mouth of Somes Sound beyond. Again, the princi- ples of “hide and reveal” and contrasting spaces heighten the richness of the landscape.
Acadia as a Garden The Japanese garden is complex. It looks simple, but it is not. It looks natural, but it is not. In walking the paths of the garden, you feel as if you were the first to discover this sequence of experiences, yet you are not. The Japanese garden is designed and carefully crafted to appear natural. The trails at Acadia elicit similar respons- es. The landscape patterns and processes
Cora Olgyay are natural, but revealed by very carefully placed paths and sequences. The rustic paths, meandering trails, and gracious carriage roads were attentively designed to reveal and high- light the rich environment of Acadia. The sen- sitive approach of Acadia’s many path and road builders is now continued by the National Park Service and Friends of Acadia. We are fortunate. l
CORA OLGYAY is a landscape architect on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, where she teaches plants and design, landform grading, water man- agement, and circulation systems. In her pri- vate practice, she works with non-profit organizations to create landscape plans that can be sustainably implemented over time. Cora is a seasonal resident of Southwest Harbor. Tom Blagden A meandering streambed captures the essence and calm of the deep forest glade. Top: Shugaku-in Imperial Villa (Kyoto, Japan). Bottom: A mossy glade in Acadia. 12 Summer 2013 Friends of Acadia Journal 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:34 AM Page 13
Tomorrow’s Stewards
PAYING OUR REGARDS TO THE EARTH Alycia Wilson
y name is Alycia Wilson and I am a student at Mount Desert Island MHigh School, just finishing my sophomore year. I consider myself an out- going young adult who strives to succeed. This spring, I seized the opportunity to par- ticipate in Friend of Acadia’s Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. While this was a great way to earn some community service hours, I was astounded by the quantity of intolerable lit- ter I found in my three hours of collecting stray bottles, bags, cigarettes, etc. by our very own Mardens, in Ellsworth, Maine. Being the busy teenager I am, I was fortu- nate to sleep in a bit on Saturday morning and made my way to the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce where I met Terry Begley, the Friends of Acadia Events Coordinator. She supplied my sister and me with orange traf- fic vests, a roll of trash bags, and a pair of gloves. My mother drove us to the starting point just past the last stoplight heading south on Route 3. It would be a productive three
hours, to say the least. Friends of Acadia As I picked up the first piece of trash, I Alycia Wilson (left) with her sister Karlianne, volunteering for the Earth Day Roadside Cleanup along Route couldn’t help but think how good it felt to be 3 in Ellsworth. doing something so beneficial, and how those of collecting garbage on each side of the road for certain we are not seizing the opportunity passing by in cars would nod in appreciation from Mardens to Pat’sPizza. Be that as it may, for an Earth we are proud of like we seize the and respect. Once I took a look into the I specifically recall the moment in which I opportunity to snatch a burger and get rid of woods, however, I soon realized the passing knew this would not be possible in the time the wrapper when it gets inconvenient. We as cars wouldn’t be seeing me for a while. The frame. Such recognition went to prove to young people, and as a community, should puddles on the green lawn separating the me how much of an issue discourtesy has take every opportunity that we can to pay road from the Mardens parking lot were become. Had we been a group of ten people our regards to the Earth that grants us our life. crowded with plastic bags and fast food wrap- for these three hours, clearing the area a sat- Let’schange our mentality to steer our lives in pers. Back in the woods just past the lawn isfying amount would have been possible. the direction we choose to live. We act by was so much trash I cannot even begin to However, I can’t be upset about the twelve choice, not chance. Each choice we make for describe how chaotic it was. Dispersed bagfuls my sister and I accumulated. the well being of our Earth has the potential throughout were numerous styrofoam coffee Performing a good deed to impact the soci- to lead to a more exquisite world. l cups, soda cans, empty chip bags, liquor bot- ety that provides me the privileges of my tles, wrappers, boxes, and more. I literally everyday life fills me with content. I have ALYCIA WILSON is a student at Mount had to take a stray stick to lure in the litter always been taught that when something is Desert Island High School. She enjoys extra- that had drifted in the swampy area of the handed to you as a privilege, you must return curricular activities such as cross country and woods. it in better shape than it was when you softball, reading and writing, and most of all, I must admit that spending my three hours received it. Unfortunately, it would appear hanging out with her family “because they on a small stretch of lawn and woodland was the inhabitants of our Earth are doing just the are most definitely my rock. I cherish the not what I had envisioned and it was a bit opposite. However, it is an important ethic to laughs, the cries, and those memorable upsetting. Starting off, I had the set the goal have enthusiasm for the life you live. I know moments with them that last a lifetime.”
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Park Resources
THE CASE FOR A “WILD ACADIA” David Manski Acadia National Park Visitor impacts at Cadillac Cliffs on Gorham Mountain. Note the differences in extent of vegetation and bare soils. Left: circa 1920; right: 2013.
cadia National Park encompasses one “Wild Acadia”; not the same as it was in 1916, ate impassable waterfalls, or otherwise obstruct of America’s most beautiful land- but a more intact and more functional natu- movement. These culverts cut species off from A scapes. Yet the condition of some of ral and cultural landscape, where people can habitats important for spawning, foraging, and the park’s natural and cultural resources is come and be inspired for the next 100 years avoiding predators. Many culverts in the park not the same as it was when Acadia was estab- and beyond. are also undersized and during heavy rains lished in 1916. Although ecosystems are nat- Here are four examples of important park cause serious flooding and erosion. With cli- urally dynamic and change over time, a cen- habitats that are in critical need of restoration mate change increasing the intensity of rain tury of development and recreation have or rehabilitation: events in our area, we must replace problem degraded some of the park’s natural commu- culverts with ones that are larger and fish nities and cultural landscapes. While we have Streams: The park’s 200-plus miles of trails friendly. been working to stop this degradation from and roads cross many crossings and tributar- continuing, much more work is needed to ies. Nearly 70% of these waters have poorly Forests and wetlands: Exotic and invasive restore some of the features of Acadia that have designed or poorly functioning culverts that species are degrading the integrity of many nat- suffered the most. Tothis end, we have begun restrict passage by fish and other aquatic organ- ural communities in the park. For example, planning of a dedicated effort to return to a isms because they are too small or steep, cre- eight non-native plants (glossy buckthorn,
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Japanese barberry, oriental bittersweet, bush restoration of cultural landscapes is an impor- restoration and rehabilitation work, to repair honeysuckle, Canadian and bull thistles, pur- tant part of restoring Acadia to historic condi- the park’simportant natural and cultural land- ple loosestrife, and Japanese knotweed) are tions. In order to protect and celebrate Acadia’s scapes for Acadia’s second century. well established and are outcompeting and history, we must identify key landscape fea- This is both an opportunity and a respon- threatening our native flora. An invasive insect tures and devise and implement management sibility for all of us who care for Acadia. We common on many parts of Mount Desert plans for each. have the chance to ensure that future park vis- Island is the European red fire ant. Through itors will be able to experience a more “Wild competition and predation, this species With the approach of the park’s100th anniver- Acadia.” A more Wild Acadia will not only bet- reduces native insect biodiversity in the park sary, I believe it is time to focus attention on ter protect the park today,but enable the park and may be harming ground nesting birds and restoring the integrity and vitality of Acadia’s to be resilient to the global changes that it will small mammals. Perhaps of most concern, disturbed natural habitats and cultural land- face in the future and inspire future genera- many invasive forest insects are rapidly mov- scapes. With Friends of Acadia’sassistance, we tions of park visitors and local residents. l ing closer to Acadia each year, threatening to have already started to address some of our kill many of our native trees. The emerald ash priority restoration needs: we are managing borer and Asian long-horned beetle have now invasive plants, rehabilitating the historic cul- invaded New Hampshire and Massachusetts, tural landscape on Baker Island, and replac- respectively. The hemlock wooly adelgid has ing problem culverts. It will take much more DAVID MANSKI is chief of resources at Acadia been found on landscaping plants in a couple effort and funding to finish this important National Park. of locations on Mount Desert Island. If any of these invasive forest pests become established in Acadia, our magnificent forests could be devastated.
Soils and Vegetation: Fragile sub-alpine veg- etation on Cadillac Mountain, an iconic des- tination in Acadia, is severely trampled and damaged from millions of human footsteps each year. As much as 16% of the summit veg- etation and soil has been damaged. In 2008, we identified 335 different visitor-created trail segments on the summit, totaling nearly 1.5 miles. These social trails result in the loss of vegetation and soil from the summit. Other popular trails and destinations in the park show similar signs of trampling and overuse.
Cultural Landscapes: At Acadia, we have numerous iconic cultural landscapes, such as the carriage roads and Park Loop Road, which evoke the history of the park and local com- munities. Unfortunately,vegetation succession has deteriorated the appearance and integrity of several important historic landscapes. For example, the Carroll Homestead today looks nothing like the original farm where four generations of Carroll family lived, worked, and played from 1825 to 1917. The disap- pearance of the past agricultural landscape rep- resents a loss of the area’s cultural heritage. Similarly, the landscape features at Sieur de Monts have dramatically changed from George
Dorr’soriginal design. Baker Island and Dorr’s Acadia National Park Old Farm property are other examples of land- Culvert replacement on the Stanley Brook tributary off Wildwood Stables Road. Before restoration (top), the corrugated metal culvert is perched above the stream and poses a barrier to fish passage. After scapes of cultural importance. While not, strict- restoration (bottom), the concrete open-box culvert allows unimpeded fish movement and accommodates ly speaking, an aspect of “Wild Acadia,” the greater stormwater flow.
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Recreation
HIKING IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS WITH KIDS: AN ADVENTURE IN THE MAKING Sylvie Piquet Camp Beech Cliff The descent offers a chance to savor your accomplishment and enjoy the views.
f you’re thinking of taking a hike with for kids to be more aware of their thoughts, encounter, and to plan an adventure activity! kids, here’s some advice: never, ever, call interact face-to-face with their family or peers, • Adventure activities are a great way to offer Iit a hike. You are going on an adventure, and (re)learn all that nature has to teach us. a goal for the trip. Consider packing a pic- exploration, or wilderness scavenger hunt! Before embarking on the next trail outing nic to eat at the summit, bringing a swim There are many ways to excite and get youth with kids, consider the following tips for suit and a towel for a mid- or end-of-hike out on Acadia trails with some planning, planning and preparing for your adventure! swim, or carry a fishing pole and tackle preparation, and the right frame of mind. along if your trail will take you by a pond, Directing an outdoor education and recre- Planning lake, or stream. With a goal for the walk ation center, it is my job to connect youth • Enthusiasm is contagious—get excited in the woods in mind, it will establish both with nature. Despite being an outdoor- about the trip you are planning even if it’s a reason for the outing and a sense of swoman, as a child I despised the proposi- a hike you have done a dozen times. If accomplishment at the end of day. tion of a ‘hike’ because it usually meant a you are looking for it, you will notice • Involve kids in planning! There is no bet- group of adults slowly walking along a path, something new. ter way to engage youth in an activity than jabbering away. If the adults had said, “let’s • If possible, plan a loop so you explore a to give them a leadership role. What trail embark on an exploration to track wildlife,” different trail coming back. looks best on the map? What activity will that same trail—with those same slow-as- • Set ground rules for your trip: always stay this adventure include? What supplies do we molasses adults—would have had me bound- on marked trails; never get out of visual need? ing outside and eagerly scouring the trails. sight from your hiking partners; if you It’s important to create a positive experi- come to a fork in the trail, wait for the Preparing ence when adventuring into the natural world group; if confused or feel that you’re lost, • Preparation is a great opportunity for kids with youth—often their only time away from stop and wait—do not venture forward. to take an active role and teaches youth the ever-present digital screens. This break • Break out the map to introduce your kid(s) about important practices and essential from electronic living offers an opportunity to the trail and other natural elements you may equipment for exploring the outdoors.
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• Always pack: extra water and snacks, Outdoor Skills Counselor, clothing layers (temperatures can drop at Ryan, shares his thoughts the top of a mountain, on the ocean, or on hiking with kids: “It’s a with changes in the weather), a first aid good time to get away kit, and a cell phone (for emergencies from screens and open only). their eyes to nature.” His • Check the weather report. Planning with favorite thing about hiking the weather—rather than against it—is a with kids is “witnessing great ingredient for a successful adventure. that spark ignite when a If you know rain is in the forecast, choose kid is first captivated by a wooded trail for natural cover. If the sky the natural world.” will be clear, choose a trail with a view. If you want one of the • Recommended trails in Acadia National sweetest natural rewards,
Park for youth: Beech Cliffs, Beech set your alarm clock, Camp Beech Cliff Mountain, The Bubbles, Day Mountain, ready your headlamp, This group from Camp Beech Cliff enjoys the views from the Beech Mountain Flying Mountain, Great Head, Jordan Pond and time your adventure fire tower—a fantastic (though only occasionally open) destination! Nature Trail, Kebo Mountain, Ship Harbor to reach the summit for Nature Trail, and Wonderland. the first burst of sun over the horizon. has a profound positive effect on all people Recently a CBC alumni visited camp and was and plays an important role in the develop- On the Trail flooded with many wonderful memories. One ment of youth. • Turn off your electronic devices and com- stood out in particular: Engaging youth in the outdoors develops mit to keeping them off. “One of my counselors took five or six of their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, • Assign everyone a role: the Navigator car- us up Cadillac Mountain one Sunday morn- attention and observation, and strengthens ries the map; the Trail Guide hikes in front, ing to watch the sun rise. I think we were their appreciation for the Earth and its stops at every split in the trail, and calls about twelve. We arrived in the dark and resources. Connecting youth with nature water/snack breaks; the Caboose hikes in while we waited he gave us some advice. He turns passive bystanders into passionate back and decides when a break ends and said the secret to watching the sunrise is not naturalists. I invite you to identify one or it is time to continue moving; you could to anticipate a particular moment, or to con- many young people in your life and plan, pre- add a time-keeper if your adventure is stantly search the horizon for the first ray of pare, and embark on an adventure. You won’t time-sensitive. direct light, or be the first to shout ‘There!‘ regret it. You may even make a habit of it. l Camp Beech Cliff • Stop and listen to the sounds around He said it was about being calm. About all you—can you hear the sound that is the the moments that lead up to that first kiss of farthest away? The closest? sun. About taking in all the subtle shifts of • Tree ID game: Can you guess what this tree color and light, of movement in the world is named? Investigate the leaves, needles, around you, and letting their magic play in and bark to find white pine, red pine, oak, your heart and mind. He said it was about SYLVIE PIQUET is the camp director at Camp maple, and more! Visit the Acadia National letting someone else shout “there!” and hop- Beech Cliff, the only ACA-accredited day Park bookstore to find tree identification ing they hadn’t missed the best parts. And camp in the region. She is a graduate from books and brochures. he taught us it was about holding the whole Bowdoin College, a registered Yoga Teacher, • Color hunt game: It is amazing how many experience close even as you went about the Mindful Life Training Coordinator, and espe- colors of the rainbow you can find along rest of your day.” cially enjoys working with campers during a trail—especially if you’re looking for In Last Child in the Woods, author Richard the flagship summer camp program to inspire them. You can use props for this game, or Louv cites a study from Stephen Kellert of wonder, excitement, and connection with not. Collect paint color swatches next time Yale University about the long-term effects of each other and the natural world. you are in a hardware store and bring them wilderness-based education programs on along to match to colors along the trail. Or youth. Kellert reports that “learning to cope Camp Beech Cliff is an independent nonprofit simply keep tally of how many different in wilderness and outdoor settings can located in Mount Desert whose mission is to colors you see. Colors can be found in any enhance emotional and affective develop- enrich the lives of people of all ages through thing natural: on trees, the forest floor, ment…‘including increased self-confidence, its summer camps and year-round outdoor rocks…the sky is (literally) the limit! self-esteem, optimism, independence, and education and recreation programs inspir- autonomy… fostering various interpersonal ing personal growth, connections among peo- Camp Beech Cliff (CBC), an outdoor edu- abilities including enhanced cooperation, tol- ple, and an appreciation of the natural world. cation and recreation center located on MDI, erance, compassion, and friendship.’” Louv’s Camp Beech Cliff is a partner with Friends of propels hundreds of youth into the woods extensive research reiterates this same mes- Acadia on Family Fun Day and other youth- and waters of Acadia year-round. CBC sage in many findings. Interaction with nature oriented programs. www.campbeechcliff.org
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LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPLES Sustainable Visitation Plan Ahead and Prepare • Know the regulations and special con- cerns for the area you'll visit. • Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, LEAVING NO TRACE and emergencies. IN YOUR FAVORITE PLACE • Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use. Charlie Jacobi • Visit in small groups when possible. Consider splitting larger groups into smaller groups. • Repackage food to minimize waste. • Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns, or flagging.
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces • Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses, or snow. • Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams. • Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary. In popular areas: • Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites. • Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when it is wet or muddy. • Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent. Friends of Acadia In pristine areas: Don’t do this! Two Ridge Runners spent a couple of hours demolishing 133 rock piles at Cadillac Mountain’s • Disperse use to prevent the creation Blue Hill Overlook. Before being moved by the person(s) who built the piles, many of these stones had been of campsites and trails. retaining pockets of fragile alpine soil that is likely to wash away without the stones’ support. • Avoid places where impacts are just beginning. o you remember the line from the Take only pictures, leave only footprints. That’s movie Butch Cassidy and the a good start—but did we disturb wildlife to Dispose of Waste Properly DSundance Kid: “Who are those guys?” get that perfect picture or cause soil erosion • Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your camp Those guys, of course, were mostly “the Law.” with that footprint? Seven Leave No Trace prin- site and rest areas for trash or spilled But with them is a sharp-eyed Native ciples (see box), based in research and tested foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, American who effortlessly tracks Butch and in every environment and for all outdoor activ- and litter. the Kid over the flaming red, slickrock ities tell us how to avoid the avoidable impacts • Deposit solid human waste in catholes canyon country of the desert southwest. and minimize the inevitable ones if we have dug 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet Frustrated, they cannot shake him. Butch the skill and the will. from water, camp, and trails. Cover and repeatedly asks his partner the same fruitless The skills can be “simple” skills, like fol- disguise the cathole when finished. question until they jump off that cliff into the lowing a trail. This is often easier said than • Packouttoiletpaperandhygieneproducts. raging river with an adrenaline-filled yell. done in Acadia, where the first rule of hiking • To wash yourself or your dishes, carry How could they be so easily tracked? should be to pay attention and look up for the water 200 feet away from streams or They left a trace. blazes and cairns that mark the trails. Other lakes and use small amounts of We too, leave a trace in Acadia and every- skills can be acquired through repeated quizzes biodegradable soap. Scatter strained where we go—and often, much more than a in the school of outdoor hard knocks, like dishwater. trace. We are sometimes culpable for a mul- reading the weather and understanding your titude of physical and social impacts on the own limits (test them, but not by too much). Continued on next page environment and our fellow visitors. But skill without will is like Aunt Jemima pan-
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cakes without her syrup, or, in today’s ver- coveries we made. I too, have some natural Leave What You Find nacular,a smart phone without the smart apps. treasures collected from some near- and some • Preserve the past: examine, but do not All the skills in the world won’t do a darn bit far-flung geography,but it’sfrom my pre-LNT touch cultural or historic structures and of good for the great outdoors without the days. I don’t bring things home anymore, artifacts. will to practice them. because we all have to share what’s out there. • Leave rocks, plants, and other natural Leave No Trace (LNT) is also a code of But please don’t get the idea that Leave objects as you find them. ethics, and ethics are a set of moral values, in No Trace is all hands off. We need to have • Avoid introducing or transporting non- our case directed at the stewardship of the hands on at times, responsibly,especially with native species. gift of Acadia. Someone somewhere once said children. That’s partly how all of us devel- • Do not build structures, furniture, or ethics is what you do when no one else is look- oped our own love for nature. If your kids dig trenches. ing. Are you walking through that muddy spot are collecting, be sure to follow the guidelines in the center to avoid widening the trail? Are established by each landowner, or think about Minimize Campfire Impacts you wearing the proper footgear to do this? taking a picture of it and leaving it for others • Campfires can cause lasting impacts to Is your dog on a leash? Are you digging a to enjoy. (OK, even I bring blueberries home the backcountry. Use a lightweight cathole to dispose of human waste properly from the park…) stove for cooking and enjoy a candle (yep, now you really hope no one else is look- Any outdoor adventure might be described lantern for light. ing)? You have to dig inside yourself first as a successive, perhaps sporadic, series of • Where fires are permitted, use estab- before you dig that cathole. dilemmas, even if we don’t know it. How we lished fire rings, fire pans, or mound I have heard people say the LNT principles handle each one of them makes a difference. fires. are just plain common sense. But it’s sur- No one takes a perfect Leave No Trace hike— • Keep fires small. Only use sticks from prising how uncommonly they are applied. certainly not Charlie—or makes a perfect the ground that can be broken by hand. Every outing is different. Did it rain yester- escape—just ask Butch and the Kid. But I • Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out day? Is this a more sensitive environment? Do aspire to that perfect LNT hike and I’m always campfires completely,then scatter cool I have everything I need? How many people thinking about it and trying to do better the ashes. are in my group? What’s my destination on next time, because Leave No Trace is all about this hike (hint—it’s probably your car)? our attitude and awareness. You can learn the Respect Wildlife What principle deserves the most thought? principles and develop outdoor skills, but • Observe wildlife from a distance. Do Hands down, it’s Leave What You Find. It’s always cultivate that ethic, that will to practice not follow or approach them. the most challenging principle by far. If I add them every time out. And when you are faced • Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife a rock to this cairn won’t it help other hik- with your next Leave No Trace dilemma, here damages their health, alters natural ers? This flower is beautiful—it would look is the question you should ask yourself: “What behaviors, and exposes them to pred- great in my hair. How cool would it be to take would Charlie do?” Then go do it. l ators and other dangers. home that rock, that feather, that whatever. • Protect wildlife and your food by sto- The essence of the Acadia experience and ring rations and trash securely. every great place is the sense of discovery. CHARLIE JACOBI is a natural resource spe- • Control pets at all times, or leave them Leave What You Find asks us for restraint, so cialist for visitor use management at Acadia at home. others can have a chance at the same dis- National Park. • Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.
Be Considerate of Other Visitors • Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience. • Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail. • Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock (such as horses or mules). • Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors. • Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises. Friends of Acadia Ridge Runners Larissa Lee (left) and Jared Garfield offer trailside education on LNT principles to hikers heading up the Beehive.
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Updates
Amigos del Parque. since 1994 X Y Z RESTAURANT
SERVING FOOD OF THE MEXICAN INTERIOR END OF BENNETT LANE MANSET RESERVATIONS 244-5221
I &/$66,&
The Island Explorer’s “virtual traffic jam” now stretches 2,890 miles, from Acadia all the way to Texas! This represents how much auto traffic has been averted by the Island Explorer since its start in 1999. FODVVLF VW\OHV FRPIRUWDEOHOLYLQJ« On the Way to Five Million! nesses, and passenger donations. The Island window Each year, Friends of Acadia estimates a vir- Explorer hopes to transport its five-millionth panes tual traffic jam that would be created by plac- passenger in the fall of 2013. In order to reach I HOME & GARDEN ing front-to-back all the cars and RVs that that milestone, the service needs to transport Q 0DLQ 6WUHHW %DU +DUERU Island Explorer passengers chose not to drive. 10,000 more passengers in 2013 than it did This annual figure is then added to a cumu- in 2012. So park your car and hop on! lative total (since 1999) to see how far the traf- fic jam stretches. In 2012 the Island Explorer Evaluating Youth Programs carried 439,053 passengers. Weestimated that Friends of Acadia is undertaking a new another 342 miles would have been added, effort this year to evaluate three of the orga- taking the traffic jam 2,890 miles from Acadia nization’s youth programs and investments. National Park south past Freeport, to Long The Acadia Youth Technology Team (AYTT) Key Park in the Florida Keys, back up the west is a group of interns working with two lead- coast of Florida, past Yankeetown, then west ers to brainstorm, implement, and evaluate through Apalachicola National Forest, on to technology projects designed to improve Freeport, Florida, then along the Old Spanish the Acadia visitor experience and connect Trail to Pensacola, through Mobile, Alabama, younger generations to the park. Park past Diamondhead, Hancock County, and rangers will be using two of the team’s ideas New Orleans, Louisiana through Sorrento and this summer: 1) the Digital Media past Baton Rouge and Beaumont. On still to Interpretation Kit, a television screen Houston, San Antonio, past Wildwood and hooked up by adapter to a spotting scope to Comfort, to just beyond Junction, Texas! show the peregrine falcon chicks more easi- The free and propane-powered bus service, ly to visitors, and 2) the mobile iPad lab, a now in its 15th year, is funded by the state and group of iPads outfitted with specific appli- federal government as well as grants from cations that enhance ranger-led birding and L.L.Bean, Friends of Acadia, local towns, busi- botany tours. This summer, the team will
20 Summer 2013 Friends of Acadia Journal 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:35 AM Page 21
work with the AYTT evaluation fellow, Sara hiking. Team participants must document Greller, a recent graduate of Antioch their hikes on twelve trails in at least four University New England with a Masters of trail categories (community/connector trails, Science in Environmental Studies, to trails by lakes and ponds, moderate sum- observe visitor and ranger behaviors and mits, difficult summits, oceanside trails, and record comments (with proper warning to trails at Schoodic or Isle au Haut). Friends of the visitors) at the Peregrine Watch and on Acadia will analyze participation statistics and selected ranger programs. The goal is to will survey participants to determine their determine whether the technologies are motivation for participating and whether the enhancing or detracting from the visitor Quest fostered greater connections to Acadia. experience. Through evaluation, Friends of Acadia will Friends of Acadia will also be evaluating be better able to gauge the effectiveness of its Family Fun Day,a summer event intended to youth investments, change programs introduce families and young people to activ- as needed, and work with the park success- ities that they can enjoy in Acadia National fully to engage the next generation of park Park. From rock climbing to riding horses, stewards. young people are exposed to outdoor adven- tures as well as fun educational opportunities APPL Presentations about park resources. This is the 8th year of Friends of Acadia staff members Lisa Horsch Family Fun Day,presenting Friends of Acadia Clark and Stephanie Clement and Acadia with rich opportunities to survey current and Youth Technology Team (AYTT) intern past participants about whether the day influ- Audyn Curless were invited to give presen- enced their future activities in the park and/or tations at the 2012 Association of Partners encouraged greater connections to environ- for Public Lands (APPL) conference this mental stewardship. spring in Portland, Oregon. The APPL con- Similarly, FOA will undertake an evalua- ference brings together partner organiza- tion of Acadia Quest, the “experiential scav- tions and agency representatives for the U.S. enger hunt” designed to encourage multi- Forest Service, the National Park Service, generational teams to explore, learn about, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army and protect Acadia National Park through a Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and WINE & CHEESE series of self-directed outdoor activities in Wildlife Service, and other state and federal the park. This year, the program is focused on land management agencies. 244-3317
353 Main Street, Southwest Harbor, Maine 04679
MICHAEL L ROSS ATTORNEY AT LAW
953 Bar Harbor Road Trenton, Maine 04605 207-667-1373
The Wild Gardens of Acadia volunteers held their annual plant sale on Saturday, June 15th at St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church in Bar Harbor. Twelve organizations and commercial nurseries donated plants for the sale, as well as several estates and many Wild Gardens friends and volunteers. The sale brought in more than $3,334, which will help pay for maintenance of the garden and educational brochures. Thank you to all the donors and volunteers who helped to make the sale a successful event.
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Lisa participated in a panel discussion the coming year (see inside front cover). regarding accountability to donors and teamed Every year, Acadia National Park and up with staff from the Golden Gate National Friends of Acadia co-sponsor the competi- Parks Conservancy to deliver a session on tion, selecting a winner from among hun- “Comprehensive Fundraising: The Bridges dreds of designs by local elementary school between Membership, Events, and Major and students to be featured on the annual park Estate Gifts.” Stephanie and Audyn joined pass. The $40 annual pass is good for one forces to share the AYTT model. Their pres- year from its month of purchase. Eighty per- entation, “Youth-Powered Think-Tanks: cent of the fees collected through park pass Exploring Innovative Technology Uses,” fea- sales stay in Acadia, to be used for projects tured the AYTT’s projects and the evaluation that directly benefit park visitors and process to determine their effectiveness in resources. improving the visitor experience and ranger program delivery.Most importantly,however, New Web Presence Stephanie and Audyn included recommenda- for Friends of Acadia tions on how to adapt the AYTT model for Friends of Acadia launched a new website in other public lands across the country. Acadia May, at http://friendsofacadia.org, and we National Park Ranger Ardrianna McLane was couldn’t be more pleased! Site features include: scheduled to present the park’s perspective, • An improved online donation platform but could not attend due to budget cuts asso- • The Cobblestones blog, with news, ciated with the federal sequester. All presen- insights, and stories from FOA staff and tations were warmly received. volunteers • Information on Friends of Acadia events, Acadia Park Pass Art volunteer schedules, ski grooming condi- Competition Winner tions, and more • Resources for planning a park-friendly visit to Acadia • “My Acadia,” a slideshow for members and park visitors to share their photos of Acadia National Park • Tools to help Friends of Acadia supporters interact with us, including a volunteer infor- mation request form, Journal submission forms and information, businesses sponsor- ship information and spec sheets, and more • Online event registration • Photographs of Acadia in all seasons. The new website offers something for every- one with an interest in Acadia, from the first-time visitor to the dedicated Friends of Friends of Acadia Left to right: Acadia National Park ranger Ryan Acadia member or volunteer. FOA staff McKelvey, Dawson Burnett, Friends of Acadia worked with Integra Strategic Technologies president David MacDonald. Consulting, a web firm based in Portland, Dawson Burnett, a student at Mount Maine, to design and develop the site. Desert Elementary School, was the winner of the 2013 Acadia National Park Pass Competition. Friends of Acadia President David MacDonald and Acadia National Park Ranger Ryan McKelvey announced the award at the MDES Awards Assembly on Wednesday, April 3, and presented a check for $50 and a park-themed gift bag to Mr. Burnett. His artwork will appear on the ANP annual pass window decals for
22 Summer 2013 Friends of Acadia Journal 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:35 AM Page 23 Jake Simmons “Team Simmons” proves that Acadia Quest is appropriate for all ages as they set out on their “Challenge” hike along the Kane Path. In fulfilling the challenge requirements, the team noted wild Maine blueberries, a yellow water lily, and a frog all living at the water’s edge
Acadia Trail Quest a Hit Schooner Head Path in Bar Harbor. With More than 150 teams have already registered the support of Nature Valley and the National for the all-new 2013 Acadia Quest, which Park Conservation Association, Friends of challenges kids and their families to “Explore, Acadia has hired a volunteer liaison to work Protect, and Learn” with a focus on Acadia’s with volunteers in the communities sur- trails. The new Quest format sends partici- rounding Acadia to manage and raise aware- pants out to walk, hike, and scramble along ness about invasive species and their threat to local community trails, village connectors, and the natural ecology of this area. The volunteer the park’s pond, ocean, and summits trails. liaison is working in the field throughout the Teams take photos or trail sign rubbings to summer and planning community outreach document their adventures, and “Challenge” events focused on education and volunteerism. activities add an intellectual or other twist. Toregister,or for more information, please con- Teams are invited to post photos to the tact Terry Begley at [email protected]. Friends of Acadia Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/friendsofacadia. By all Acadia Night Skies Festival appearances, some great hikes are being had The 5th Annual Acadia Night Skies Festival and wonderful connections to Acadia being will be held September 26–30, in and around made along the way.The Quest runs through Acadia National Park. Events are still being early November, so there’s plenty of time to planned, but highlights include a join the fun! Visit the Friends of Acadia web- “Bioluminescent Night Paddle,” night sky site at http://friendsofacadia.org for details and photography workshops, star parties at sev- online registration. eral Acadia locations, and the ever-popular “Picnic with the Planets” on the Bar Harbor Volunteers Needed for Village Green. Community-Based Invasive Last year, more than 3,600 people partici- Plant Management pated in the Festival. Friends of Acadia has In celebration of National Public Lands Day been a co-sponsor of this event since its incep- on Saturday, September 28th, Friends of tion, working with the planning committee Acadia and Acadia National Park invite com- and helping to staff some events. For event munity volunteers to help manage invasive descriptions and other information, visit plants on the Great Meadow Loop or the www.acadianightskyfestival.com.
Friends of Acadia Journal Summer 2013 23 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:35 AM Page 24
FORESIGHT &GENEROSITY
Serving the Downeast community since 1883 Dick Bloom Wild blueberries and pink granite %DUU\ . 0LOOV 0HOLVVD 0 +DOH -XVWLQ 0 %HQQHWW 6DOO\ 1 0LOOV Alison M. King WAYS YOU CAN GIVE “One of the greatest satisfactions in doing any sound work for an institution, 6WDWH 6WUHHW (OOVZRUWK 0( )$; a town, or a city, or for the nation, is that good work done for the public lasts, ZZZKDOHKDPOLQFRP endures through the generations; and the little bit of work that any individual of the passing generation is enabled to do gains the association with such HANNAFORD collective activities an immortality of its own.” SUPERMARKETS —Charles W. Eliot, Sieur de Monts Celebration, 1916
86 Cottage Street Please consider these options for providing essential Bar Harbor financial support to Friends of Acadia:
Where Shopping is a Pleasure. Gift of Cash or Marketable Securities. Mail a check, payable to Friends of Acadia, to P.O. Box 45, ATM Major Credit Cards Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, or visit www.friendsofacadia.org/support.shtml to make a secure gift using your credit card. Call 800-625-0321 or visit our website for instructions on giving appreciated securities, which can offer income tax benefits, as well as savings on capital gains.
Gift of Retirement Assets Designate FOA as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other retirement asset, and pass funds to Friends of Acadia free of taxes.
Gift of Property Give real estate, boats, artwork, or other property to Friends of Acadia and you may avoid capital gains in addition to providing much-needed funds for the park.
Gift Through a Bequest in Your Will Add Friends of Acadia as a beneficiary in your will.
For more information, contact Lisa Horsch Clark at 207-288-3340 or 800-625-0321, email [email protected], or visit our website at www.friendsofacadia.org. Thank you for helping to support Friends of Acadia’s work to preserve and protect Acadia National Park.
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Colorado State University,will work with park staff as the Environmental Compliance/ Recreation Management Intern. She will help the park’strail and carriage road programs with environmental compliance documentation and “Buildings, too, are will assist resource management with tracking children of Earth and Sun.” visitor usage at Anemone Cave and monitoring -Frank Lloyd Wright vehicle numbers at the Hulls Cove visitor cen- ter during the busiest season. This is a one-year position. Other seasonal employees are Ari Gillar- Leinwohl, the new Exotic Plant Management Team Volunteer Liaison; Geneva Langley,veter- an Wild Gardens of Acadia head gardener and
Friends of Acadia Noah Sawyer, the Wild Gardens intern; return- Friends of Acadia Field Crew Leader Ben Dunphey ing Acadia Youth Technology Team (AYTT) leader Kevin Tabb, the new AYTT evaluation fel- A Score of Seasonal Staff lowSara Greller,and the team’ssix interns, David Friends of Acadia has hired a record number of Anderson,AudynCurless,SophiaKrevans,Liam seasonal staff for the 2013, some returning and Torrey, Tyler Wood, and Nicholas Wray; four some new. Together, they bring an impressive Ridge Runners, Kristin Dillon, Jared Garfield, range of abilities and experiences for the bene- Allison Kuzar,and Moira O’Neill; and Recreation fit of Acadia National Park. Technician Abby Seymour. Ben Dunphey is the new field crew leader.Ben In addition, Friends of Acadia supports the is a 2012 graduate of SUNY College of hiring of more than 130 seasonal employees Environmental Science and Forestry. He has serving Acadia, including the teens of the Acadia experience working with the Student Youth Conservation Corps, Island Explorer Conservation Association (SCA) and the US bus drivers, park trails and carriage roads main- Forest Service, working on trails, leading groups, tenance workers, and many others. and working with youth. He joins field crew leader Anna Adams in coordinating and leading Mike Siklosi Honored the Stewardship Volunteer Program on the trails at Annual Meeting and carriage roads of Acadia. More than 225 members, volunteers, and Jeanne Kannegieser is the summer events supporters of Friends of Acadia gathered in the coordinator in the FOA office. She has worked Bar Harbor Club’s ballroom on July 11th for www.nelsongoodwin.com in a variety of natural resource-based organiza- the Annual Meeting. Remarks by FOA board tions including the Arnold Arboretum, chair Ed Samek, Acadia National Park super- International Paper,and the Maine Department intendent Sheridan Steele, FOA conservation CUSTOM HOMES of Conservation. Jeanne’sexperience with data- CABINETRY base management will help the Development team keep track of the many events FOA will RENOVATIONS host this summer. ADDITIONS Chris Kasprak is the seasonal communica- tions assistant, based in the FOA office but spending a lot of time out in the field. A 2012 graduate of Colby College, he has held intern- ships at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s photo and multimedia departments, and worked as the Okemo Mountain Resort snow reporter. Chris is producing videos for the Friends of Acadia website to highlight different FOA events BUILDING CONTRACTOR and programs. He also manages social media Friends of Acadia 207 276.5238 | Seal Harbor, Maine Mike Siklosi (left) accepts the Marianne Edwards and the new FOA blog, Cobblestones. Award from FOA president David MacDonald at the Established 1986 Hilary Krieger, a graduating senior from Friends of Acadia Annual Meeting.
Friends of Acadia Journal Summer 2013 25 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:35 AM Page 26
director Stephanie Clement, and FOA presi- Day Roadside Cleanup; the Distinguished dent David MacDonald all celebrated the Public Service Award to David Manski, ANP many accomplishments of 2012, while Chief of Resource Management, for more than emphasizing the need to look ahead and two decades of dedicated partnership with find creative and big-picture solutions to new Friends of Acadia for the benefit of Acadia’s challenges arising for Acadia as the park nears natural and cultural resources; and the its 2016 centennial. Community Conservation Award to photog- A highlight of the event was the presenta- rapher Howie Motenko for his inspired com- tion of the Marianne Edwards Distinguished munity art project, “Painting Bridges.” Service Award, Friends of Acadia’s highest honor, to outgoing Friends of Acadia Board Ridge Runners and Rec Tech Study of Directors member Mike Siklosi. While Trail Use on Sargent Mountain making the presentation, David MacDonald Acadia’sbald granite summits, offering expan- noted Siklosi’smission-focused sensibility,his sive views in all directions, are one of the appreciation for governance issues, and his many things that visitors appreciate about “generous concern for the people and rela- Acadia. Unfortunately, visitors often wander tionships that are the heart of this organiza- off the trails to pick blueberries or seek out a tion’sculture and tradition of success.” Siklosi better view or quieter lunch location. had served on the board for nine years, dur- Frequently this results in trampling of alpine ing that time chairing the Governance/ vegetation and the creation of social trails. Nominating Committee. The Marianne Friends of Acadia and the park have partnered Edwards Award is named for the organiza- for sixteen years on the Ridge Runner pro- tion’s late founder. gram, intended to educate visitors about ways Other awards given at the meeting were the to enjoy the park without harming summit Conservation Colleague Award to the Trenton vegetation. Marketplace IGA and owner Kim Murphy for This year, the Ridge Runners and Recreation longtime support of Friends of Acadia activ- Technician are assisting the University of ities in Trenton including the Island Explorer, Vermont and Utah State University on a spe- the Trenton Community Trail, and the Earth cial study at Sargent Mountain. The goal of the study is to understand visitor use patterns at the summit under three study scenarios: 1) contact from a Ridge Runner encouraging visitors to practice Leave No Trace principles, which recommends staying on the trail or hiking on durable surfaces; 2) signage encour- aging Leave No Trace practices; or 3) no signage or contacts (the control). Visitor use patterns are tracked using Global Positioning System (GPS) units that are handed out and collected on the trails pre- and post-summit- ing. Researchers will determine which, if any, methods of education produced statistically significant differences in visitor behavior. Data collection will be complete by August. The second portion of the study is to inven- tory the ecological conditions using photos of a defined summit area of Sargent. Together with information on visitor travel patterns, the park will be able to determine the best ways to encourage hiking that does not harm summit vegetation. Pending the outcomes of
Friends of Acadia the study, the park may be able to apply this After the Friends of Acadia Annual Meeting, atten- research methodology and/or knowledge dees enjoyed a convivial reception outside on the gained to other summits in the park. l Bar Harbor Club patio.
26 Summer 2013 Friends of Acadia Journal 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:35 AM Page 27
Where in Acadia continued from pg. 6
The railroad only operated from 1883 We were well off-trail, on a precipitous through 1890 and was liquidated in 1893. slope, during a quiet time of year and yet On October 26, 1908, the then owners, someone had been here recently.And some- Perry H. Brewer, the estate of Daniel W. one came here regularly. This was not a Brewer, and Marian H. McFarland, a sister secret spot. of the Brewers who apparently acquired the The search for cross number two was eas- interest of Orient H. Carpenter after his ier, As Charlie said: just off the North Ridge death in 1898, conveyed the Mountain Trail. And like the first cross it had an iron Lot to the Hancock County Trustees of rod or bolt driven into the rock nearby so Public Reservations, subject to the rights, if it was easy to spot from a reasonable dis- any, of the Green Mountain Railway in the tance. So now there were two. strip 6 rods wide. The money used to pur- chase the Mountain Lot was a gift from John We were well off-trail, on Stewart Kennedy.This was the fourth prop- erty obtained by the Trustees, after the a precipitous slope, during a Beehive and Bowl, the Champlain quiet time of year and yet Monument, and the summit of Barr Hill. The holdings of the Trustees of course ulti- someone had been here mately became Acadia National Park. recently. And someone came The four crosses most likely were chiseled here regularly. This was not a into the rock by a surveyor in connection with the conveyance to the Trustees, as ear- secret spot. lier documents do not mention them. Crosses such as these were frequently used But Mike Blaney knew differently.He said by surveyors and there are reputedly oth- that Albert Cunningham [a former Bar ers in the Park. Interestingly,the 1868 deed Harbor Bank & Trust president and a states that the letter “B” was marked on the trustee of the Bar Harbor Historical Society] rock at three of the corners. I have not told him the crosses were boundary mark- seen these and believe they were obliterat- ers dating from the 1880s and that there ed by the crosses. But there is a stone post were more. Eventually a letter surfaced that boundary marker further down the north referenced the deed describing the proper- ridge with the letter “B” carved on each side. ty. There were four on Cadillac. Using the ANP volunteer coordinator Jonathan Gormley measurements provided by the hundred- added a personal encounter: year-old deed, allowing for some shifting of magnetic north and using a “fuzzy factor,” Back in 2007, when discussing the Karen Anderson (the park’s GIS specialist) engraved rocks in the park, Mike Blaney produced a map showing the likely loca- [ANP land resource specialist] and Charlie tions for the next two crosses. The next Jacobi [ANP natural resource specialist] CLAREMONT HOTEL For over 128 summers upholding the traditions summer, I located cross number three off For over 119 summers upholding the traditions of hospitality and leisure on the coast of Maine. both mentioned an engraved cross on of hospitality and leisure on the coast of Maine. the South Ridge Trail and Charlie Jacobi {www.theclaremonthotel.com} Cadillac. In late October of that year, while {www.theclaremonthotel.com} found number four in a dense stand of 1-800-244-50361-800-244-5036 planning a weekend hike, I asked Mike for cedars in October. All four crosses, and their FINE DINING - COTTAGES- SUMMER HOTEL directions. “Down below the paved path,” iron sentinels, have now been pho- he said. I also asked Charlie. “Just off the tographed, GPSed and added to the park’s North Ridge Trail.” Hmmmm. Could there database of its resources. be two? We decided to look for Mike’s first. We eventually found the cross overlooking The story does not end here. According to Dorr Mountain. The cross was surrounded the deed there are two more crosses: one on by bear berry and would have been covered Kebo Mountain (probably east of the trail near had someone not kept the plant trimmed. the north summit) and one on Dorr (“on the We also noticed a nearby footprint in some crest of the southern ridge”). They have yet to mud. It had rained heavily the day before be found. Who will find these last two and so the footprint was less than 24 hours old. get GPS coordinates for the park? l
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In Gratitude
Thank you to these businesses and Trenton Community Kathryn Miller individuals, who gave their time, Trail Fred Model services, and products to further Committee Members National Park Service Rivers, our mission: Maureen and Bucky Brooks Trails, and Conservation Donna and Jim Cameron Assistance Program In-Kind Donors John Correa Town of Trenton Berry Dunn Bonnie Damon Bill Townsend Drs. Janan and John Eppig Jim Fischer Trenton Historical Society Hannaford Supermarket Betsy Holtzman Trenton Marketplace Sue Leiter Peter Lazas Nate Levesque Photography Jim Linnane Earth Day & Maine Department of Doug Michael National Trails Day Transportation Chuck Starr Event Sponsors Mary and David Opdyke Julee Swanson Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Joe Pagan Ryan Swanson Birch Bay Village Trenton Marketplace Shannon Horton The Bluenose Inn Mary Turner The First Stewardship Volunteer Stuart West Galyn’s Program The Knowles Company Volunteer Crew Leaders Donors Window Panes Don Bell Davis Conservation Fund Bruce Denny Brown Friends of Acadia Family Fun Day Bucky Brooks National Parks Conservation Underwriting Sponsor Jenn Brandt Association The Vanoff Family Randy Ewins Nature Valley Bob Hartley Yawkey Foundation Event Sponsors Mike Hays Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Doug Heden In-Kind Donors Birch Bay Village Donna Reis Acadia National Park The Bluenose Inn Betsy Roberts Michael Altos The First Bob Sanderson Mike Baker Galyn’s Roger Thompson Tom Blagden Knowles Company Real Estate Rita Timmons Bob Bowman Window Panes Kip Warren College of the Atlantic Dorr Museum of Natural History In-Kind Donors Emeritus Crew Leaders Downeast Transportation Abbe Museum Bruce Blake Kelly S. Dickson Acadia National Park Maureen Brooks Eden Builders Bar Harbor Whale Watch Carol and Don Sessions Michael J. Good, MS Camp Beech Cliff Julia Schloss, Crew and Hancock County Iron Slipper Farm Emeritus Leader and Technical College Island Explorer Committee Chair Bob Hartley Jackson Laboratory Dee Solomon Rich Johnson Quietside Café Marilyn and Al Wiberley Jim Linnane Wild Gardens of Acadia Maine Department of Committee of Friends of Acadia Transportation Friends of Acadia / Aimee Beal Church Rocks and sand patterns on Bracy Cove Beach
28 Summer 2013 Friends of Acadia Journal 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:59 AM Page 29
Book Review
Acadia National Jordan Cliff Trail, all the way to the Precipice. Park: Eye of the They see everything from sightseeing on the Sea Whale Princess to the beautiful land and views on Isle by Mike Graf au Haut. Following the Parkers through their FalconGuides, 2013 adventure you not only learn about everything 96 pages Softcover you can do in the park but you learn about the rich cultural and natural history. Some of the Acadia National Park: vocabulary could be challenging for a younger Eye of the Whale by reader. I’d recommend the book for ages eleven Mike Graf is an and up and I’d strongly recommend it for a fam- exciting, informa- ily read. The book is a great story of all the activ- tive, and engaging book about a family visiting ities and experiences one can have in the park. l Acadia National Park from California and the many adventures they encounter. Throughout EMILY SOSA is a sophomore at the University of the book you follow the Parkers (the family Tampa, Florida, and currently working with the vacationing in the park) through Acadia. They Student Conservation Association in Acadia hike their way from the Beehive Trail to the National Park. She lives in Trenton. ACADIA FOREVER Estate Planning—Peace of mind that your legacy will live on in Acadia
Preserving and protecting those things you hold dear—the integrity of Acadia’s natural wonders, the park’sunique opportunities to connect with nature, the lov- ing care of Acadia’s matchless trail and carriage road systems—is a wise invest- ment. The easiest way to leave a lasting legacy for the benefit of Acadia National Park is to include Friends of Acadia in your will.
It’s simple. Add only one of the following sentences to your will, or a codicil: • I give, devise, and bequeath _____ % of the remaining assets of my estate to Friends of Acadia, a Maine charitable corporation, for its charitable purposes... • I give, devise, and bequeath the sum of $______to Friends of Acadia, a Maine charitable corporation, for its charitable purposes… • I give, devise, and bequeath the following property to Friends of Acadia, a Maine charitable corporation, for its charitable purposes… [Description of property].
You are strongly urged to discuss your gift intentions with Friends of Acadia at an early stage in your planning. Please call us at 1-800-625-0321, or have your attorney or financial advisor call, if you have any questions or require additional information. Your gift, regardless of size, will be both welcome and important to Friends of Acadia. Thank you. If you have already included Friends of Acadia in your estate plans, please contact Lisa Horsch Clark, Director of Development, at 800-625-0321 or [email protected] to document your plans and be recognized as a member of the George B. Dorr Society. !% ! # " ' &&&"# $ Friends of Acadia Journal Summer 2013 29 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:35 AM Page 30
IN MEMORIAM Advocacy Corner We gratefully acknowledge gifts received in memory of:
William Apthorp Malcolm E. Blanchard Sturmius Braun XAMINING ARK UNDING Dorothy Brooks E P F Bruno Carioti Dow L. Case FROM ALL ANGLES Beverly Coleman David and Kitzi Crofoot David L. Dawson Sr. Jazz Carol Donaldson riends of Acadia’s Advocacy way communities; use of a 21st Century Elizabeth Epp Corey Farley Committee has been active in two Conservation Service Corps, similar to the Frederick areas this spring. In March, FOA Civilian Conservation Corps; investment in Richard Frost F president David MacDonald attended a alternative energy to reduce costs and/or Karen Gardner Margaret Gean summit in Washington, D.C., organized by generate revenues; and many more. Robert Gray the National Parks Conservation Members of the FOA Advocacy Committee Naomi Green Association, National Parks Hospitality analyzed the funding ideas for applicability Thomas K. Haverstock Mark Horner Association, and the Bipartisan Policy to Acadia and will provide suggestions to Fay Kruener Center. The summit focused on sustainable the national level about the most promising Donald Matthews supplementary funding ideas for national Jack McDowell ideas. Elizabeth Meiklejohn parks. Speakers included former and cur- The Advocacy Committee has also been Jennie A. Michaloski rent members of Congress, former working in conjunction with the Bar Harbor Keith E. Miller F.Emerson Mitchell Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, Chamber of Commerce, Acadia National Motoro and leaders of the conservation and recre- Park, and local businesses to address impacts Marie O’Leary ation community. Funding ideas discussed of the federal sequester on the park. The Judith Ann Osgood Elizabeth Owens included raising and earmarking a penny group held several meetings in the spring and Steven Roy Prest of the gas tax to fund public land manage- are looking at partnerships to raise addition- David L. Rabasca ment agency roads, transit systems, and al funding for the park, as well as grassroots Anna I. Roberts James P.Roberts maintenance; surcharges on commemora- advocacy work to encourage additional John D. Rockefeller tive coins and stamps to fund park resource Congressional funding for national parks. l Richard Sawyer John W.Schillinger protection and projects to enhance public Patricia Scull enjoyment; guest donation efforts in gate- —Stephanie Clement Nora Searle Don Smith F.Crompton Smith Walter St. Peter Edward W.Stool Wilfred A. Thomas Friends of Acadia Fall 2013 Betty Thorndike David A. Timmons Calendar of Events Virginia R. Tomasi Levy Tom Walsh Derek S. Watson Eli White September 7 Clean Water, Clean Shores Carrie and Tom Witt Yulie Yang September 26–30 5th Annual Acadia IN NOMINE Night Sky Festival We gratefully acknowledge gifts received in honor of: September 28 Community-Based Invasive Kathleen Bowman and Dennis O’Donnell Margo DeDeyster Plant Management Event Lois and Westy Frazier Linda and Frank Gilbuena November 2 Take Pride in Acadia Day William D. Hansen Monty Harrison Ongoing through November 2 Acadia Trail Quest Lilah Solomon Jane I. Thomas Laurence Turka Westside Challenge Beth Winkelstein and Christopher Augustine For more information about events, visit our website at February 1 – May 31, 2013 www.friendsofacadia.org or call the FOA office at 207-288-3340.
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Chairman’s Letter
100 YEARS, 100 NEEDS, 100 WAYS…
milestone birthday deserves a In a little more than 25 years, FOA has sig- grand celebration, and a grand cel- nificantly benefited the park. We have navigat- A ebration takes advance planning. ed obstacles, found creative solutions, envi- So it won’t be a surprise when I tell you that sioned improvements and seen them come to Friends of Acadia and Acadia National Park pass, all thanks to the dedicated support of our are teaming up to “do it right” for the park’s donors, members, volunteers, and partners— centennial in 2016, and we’ve been thinking a each giving what they can in appreciation and great deal about what it means for Acadia to recognition of all Acadia gives to them and reach its 100th birthday and what it will take others. There are easily a hundred ways to give continue to preserve and protect the park and back to Acadia, or maybe a thousand, or a mil- its visitors’ experience for its second century. lion—such as: volunteering your time on trail Many of today’s challenges are, of course, maintenance or at Take Pride in Acadia Day, Tours Daily at 10:00 a.m. different from those faced by George B. Dorr, bringing a child to Family Fun Day,becoming and 2:00 p.m. John D. Rockefeller Jr., Charles W. Eliot, and a Friends of Acadia member, renewing your 207-288-0300 other park founders a century ago, and differ- membership at a higher level, riding the Island ent from those faced by Friends of Acadia’s Explorer, becoming a Wild Gardens of Acadia founders back in 1986—and, yet, some chal- docent, joining the FOA Advocacy Network, lenges are the same, too. Insufficient federal telling a friend about Friends of Acadia, taking funding takes many forms but it’s been an a hike and exemplifying Leave No Trace, issue since Dorr agreed to serve as park super- thanking a volunteer or Acadia Youth intendent for $1 per month in order to get fed- Conservation Corps member working in the eral protected status for this magnificent place. park, purchasing an annual park pass, attend- Global climate change is a new, or newly ing the FOA Annual Benefit, passing along this understood, problem and it is an enormous copy of the Journal when you’ve finished read- one. Auto congestion in such places as atop ing it….and so many other ways that are impor- Cadillac Mountain, at Jordan Pond House, and tant, creative, and part of this glorious patch- at Sand Beach could not have been imagined work of many hundreds of people expressing by Dorr and his contemporaries. Sometimes it their love for Acadia in hundreds of ways—all seems that for every problem solved, two new together, greater by far than the sum of their problems arise. This year, Friends of Acadia parts. has more than 35 separate programs that help These efforts put forth by Acadia’s many meet critical needs at Acadia, including both friends, under the aegis of Friends of Acadia, large programs primarily supported by grants have made an important difference in the and smaller programs driven as much by vol- preservation and protection of Acadia. As we unteer effort as by dollars. Without thoughtful approach the milestone of the first 100 years of focus, difficult decisions made and strong part- Acadia National Park, I can see and feel their nerships formed, there could be a hundred continuing enthusiasm and commitment to programs, or more—perhaps too many to do assure that Friends of Acadia continues its his- T HE NEXT LEVEL OF SERVICE each well. FOA is in the final steps of assuring tory of significance, importance, and relevance that our future priorities will be guided and as we continue to make a difference for Acadia focused on programs that most significantly in its next century. Representing unique properties protect and preserve the park and the visitor for buyers and sellers experience—programs that truly “move the With deep appreciation for all you do Story Litchfield - Project Manager needle” and are at once, significant, relevant, and with love for Acadia National Park, 4A Tracy Road, Northeast Harbor, Maine and important. We will do this being mindful 207-276-3840 and respectful of our past commitments and with a clear focus on outcomes that earn our attention and your support. —Ed Samek
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Why I’m a Friend of Acadia
PRESERVING OUR ISLAND RELATIONSHIPS Tom Savage
It was a creation that blend- and then I’d grab my fishing pole and ed tourism with the natural explored the brooks and streams that poured beautyofAcadiaandcontinued from Acadia. As my curiosity grew, I would a family history of balancing find myself at Upper Hadlock Pond, Harbor nature and economics. Brook, Thuya Garden, and even an occasional This rich, living history walk to Jordan Pond on those daily fishing was not lost in me growing trips. In the evenings, I would walk up to my up in Northeast Harbor. I aunt and uncle’s stables where riding classes lived across from the for- were ending. With a little more pestering and merly family-owned Inn and a lot of manure shoveling, I sometimes got our house bordered the up in the saddle for a trot with my cousins Azalea Garden. Our neigh- on the carriage roads. borhood was filled with rel- It was a blessed childhood, to live within atives—aunts, uncles, Acadia. I understood that hard work and bal- cousins, and grandparents. ancing the opportunities that Acadia and With all of them a stone’s the surrounding communities provided were
Tom Savage throw away, everyday life the key to enjoying life on MDI. My Tom Savage’s tree service business takes him to many beautiful settings was filled with building Friendship was founded in those childhood outdoors in the communities around Acadia. blocks for the future. As an years and was developed through an entre- hile organizing my thoughts adolescent, I watched family members make preneurial spirit after college. I was deter- about why I’m a Friend of the most of the opportunities that arose from mined to work and live here, and I believe W Acadia, I found myself drawn this popular and beautiful place. It was more that embracing all aspects of the Island is toward the philosophy that a local resident than enacting philosophical ideals; it was a the key. It’s my hope that my involvement in will find success in balancing a business means to financial survival. I grew up in a Friends of Acadia enlightens those of that with the beauty of Acadia. The preserva- family of teachers, with both grandparents coexistence. I’m a Friend because I feel it’s an tion of Acadia can blossom entrepreneurial being educators as well as an aunt, uncle, obligation as a parent, business owner, avenues, and embracing the preservation mother, and father all teaching in the local descendent, and community member to sup- can be a cornerstone in the long-term schools. With the influx of residents during port the preservation of the Island’s residen- health of the residential and business com- the summer months, these salaries would tial and business communities and Acadia munity. My mindset was developed as an be supplemented by working in the tourism National Park all as one being. l adolescent and grew into a lifestyle as an industry. My father ran a fuel delivery busi- adult. ness from our back yard—a business that had TOM SAVAGE is a licensed and certified My Acadia connection is that of a local originated with his father—while running a arborist, and the owner of Savage Forest with descendants that go back to the late boat charter business from the local marina Enterprise, and co-owner of Asticou 1700s. My earliest ancestors settled on the in Northeast Harbor. My mother tutored a Connections Gallery in Town Hill. He coach- same land that I now live on and made a liv- summer family’s children and my sister was es the MDI High School girls’ soccer team and ing as many of us do today, by capitalizing on the infamous “Animal Cracker” babysit- is an active member and past president of the on the popularity and beauty of Mount Desert ter list before her days as a deck hand on local MDI Lions Club. Island. My great-great-grandfather recognized schooners. My grandfather, great-uncle, and the economic potential when developing the aunt all drove in the family taxi business, and Asticou Inn at the head of Northeast Harbor. everyone took advantage of an empty room Would you like to share why Later generations would feel the instability of or house by renting to visitors. you’re a friend of Acadia? such endeavors as tourism dropped in the I, on the other hand, being the youngest 1950s and 60s, leading to the inevitable loss of six cousins in the neighborhood, got off See http://friendsofacadia.org/news- of the Inn. However, financial loss gave rise lucky in the summers of my youth. I’d start publications/friends-of-acadia- to beauty. My great-uncle, who had lost the my day pestering the Azalea Garden workers journal/submissions/ to learn how Inn, designed the Azalea and Thuya Gardens. as I used the walking paths as a bike course, to submit your story.
32 Summer 2013 Friends of Acadia Journal 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:35 AM Page Cvr3
BEAFRIEND OF ACADIA! ur 3,500 members from all over the Oworld help to fund essential park projects and new initiatives, benefiting trail and carriage road maintenance, youth programs in the park, land and resource conservation, and much more.
Member benefits include a subscription to the Friends of Acadia Journal, published three times annually, plus the satisfaction of knowing that you’re a vital part of FOA’s work to preserve Acadia for this generation and for all time. Additional member benefits are listed at For more information visit www.friendsofacadia.org/giving- membership/membership-benefits. www.friendsofacadia.org
Help us to protect Acadia by joining Friends of Acadia. To renew your mem- bership or become a new member, use the envelope provided in this magazine, call the Friends of Acadia office at 1-800-625-0321, or visit our website. 13_1149.qxd:13_1149 7/26/13 9:35 AM Page Cvr4
PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LEWISTON, MAINE PERMIT #82 Tom Blagden
Giant Slide Trail
Mission
Friends of Acadia preserves, protects, and promotes stewardship of the outstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality, and distinctive cultural resources of Acadia National Park and surrounding communities for the inspiration and enjoyment of current and future generations.
Friends of Acadia 43 Cottage Street PO Box 45 Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 207-288-3340 800-625-0321