Spring 2008 Volume 13 No. 1 A Magazine about Acadia National Park and Surrounding Communities Purchase Your Park Pass! Whether walking, bicycling, driving, or riding the fare-free Island Explorer through the park, all must pay the entrance fee. The Acadia National Park $20 weekly pass ($10 in the shoulder seasons) and $40 annual pass are available at the following locations in Maine: Open Year-Round • ACADIA NATIONAL PARK HEADQUARTERS (on the Eagle Lake Road/Rte. 233 in Bar Harbor) Open May – November • HULLS COVE VISITOR CENTER • THOMPSON ISLAND INFORMATION STATION • SAND BEACH ENTRANCE STATION • BLACKWOODS CAMPGROUND • SEAWALL CAMPGROUND • JORDAN POND AND CADILLAC MTN. GIFT SHOPS • MOUNT DESERT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • VILLAGE GREEN BUS CENTER Your park pass purchase makes possible vital maintenance projects in Acadia. Rich Johnson President’s Column AN ECO-RESORT AT SCHOODIC nyone who has traveled Downeast to the Schoodic Peninsula knows “No matter how ecologically- Awhat a rare pleasure is in store at the sound the construction, a end of land. After passing through the com- munities of Gouldsboro or Winter Harbor, the development of this scale road weaves through a forested landscape would forever change the until vistas begin to open onto the ocean. The Schoodic Peninsula offers a rocky coastline, character of the communities, winding trails, summit views from Schoodic the region, and the quiet Head, and, most especially, the opportunity experience of visiting Acadia for quiet discovery and experience. Schoodic is a beautiful area for humans at Schoodic.” to live and visit. Winter Harbor and Gouldsboro, with their several villages, A formal development proposal has not share the peninsula. Schoodic is also home been submitted for consideration to a plan- to many species worthy of conserving. The ning board to date, but plans are being land provides valuable breeding, nesting, discussed that include a golf course, two and stopover habitats for migratory song- hotels, a beaver ecology center, a captive birds. Hundreds of plant species thrive bird breeding center, affordable housing, on the peninsula. The jack pine stands and a green corridor that proposes trails and maritime shrubland communities are and electric trams for transportation, among Hogan Noreen listed as “Rare and Exemplary Natural other features. The discussion includes scapes that have already lost their natural Communities” by the Maine Natural Areas plans for as many as 1,000 housing units, habitats. But it is a tragic irony to build Program. Acadia National Park has been and possibly more. This is not an unlikely an “eco-resort” touting sound ecological protecting and sharing the Schoodic expe- scenario, as in the past the landowner has practices while destroying the rare natural rience on 2,300 acres for 80 years. stated the right to build 3,000 units. No communities. Recently, the Schoodic communities, matter how ecologically-sound the con- Friends of Acadia is working with part- Acadia National Park, and other stakeholders struction, a development of this scale would ners to advocate for a better “eco-future” for were alerted to the possibility of large-scale forever change the character of the commu- Schoodic. Innovative alternatives can be resort development on the approximately nities, the region, and the quiet experience created that would treat the landowners 3,200 acres directly abutting Acadia. of visiting Acadia at Schoodic. fairly, protect the characteristics most val- Labeled an “eco-resort,” the development is A habitat corridor that is interspersed ued by the communities, protect the tradi- proposed on land that separates the park with trails and electric trams transporting tional public enjoyment of the land, and from the rest of the mainland and that is an visitors from lodging to golf course to eco- preserve the integrity of the ecosystems that integral part of the complex wildlife habi- logical center presents conflicts that make sustain valuable wildlife habitats and tats of Acadia and the Schoodic region. its ecological success unlikely. A habitat migration. Twelve years ago, when the land A large-scale development like the one corridor should provide an unbroken was threatened with a proposed clear cut, being explored would have significant buffer and land for wildlife and plant Friends of Acadia and partners protected regional impacts and deserves a regional species to move and thrive in diverse the integrity of the Schoodic landscape and discussion. Friends of Acadia is engaging landscapes. The presence of trails and negotiated a sensitive timber cut with the residents and stakeholders in asking the tramways interrupts the protected corri- landowner. Today, Friends welcomes a important questions about their preferred dor, reducing if not eliminating its effec- broad and dynamic regional discussion vision for Schoodic. We want to hear from tiveness. The plans explore the possibility about a truly ecologically-sound and them their most valued experiences in the of opening these areas to the public, as visionary future for the Schoodic Peninsula. Schoodic area. Does a large-scale resort well. Add parking lots and increased use to development fit the values of the commu- the “habitat corridor.” nities? What sort of development, if any, is A beaver ecology center, a captive bird appropriate on the boundaries of a nation- breeding center and a nursery for jack al resource like Acadia National Park? pine stands may be fine objectives in land- —Marla S. O’Byrne Friends of Acadia Journal Spring 2008 1 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lili Pew, Chair Joseph Murphy, Vice Chair Edward L. Samek, Treasurer Michael Siklosi, Secretary Emily Beck Gail Cook Andrew Davis Dianna Emory John Fassak Spring 2008 Debby Lash Volume 13 No. 1 Linda Lewis Ed Lipkin Stan MacDonald Liz Martinez A Magazine about Acadia National Park and Surrounding Communities Barbara McLeod Julia Merck Joe Minutolo Marla S. O’Byrne Jeannine Ross Howard Solomon Sherry Streeter Nonie Sullivan Bill Whitman Dick Wolf Bill Zoellick HONORARY TRUSTEES Eleanor Ames Robert and Anne Bass Edward McCormick Blair Curtis and Patricia Blake Robert and Sylvia Blake Frederic A. Bourke Jr. Tristram and Ruth Colket Shelby and Gale Davis Nathaniel R. Fenton FEATURE ARTICLES Frances Fitzgerald 5 Becoming Aware Vassar Pierce Sheldon Goldthwait Charles W. Eliot’s great-great-great-grandson reflects on family legacy. Neva Goodwin Paul and Eileen Growald 9 Running the Ridges of Acadia Melissa Gates John and Polly Guth The revelations and experiences of a former Ridge Runner. Paul Haertel Lee Judd 10 The Phantom Groomers of Acadia Charles Wray Gerrish and Phoebe Milliken How 16 volunteers keep Acadia’s carriage roads ready for skiing. George J. and Heather Mitchell Janneke Neilson 12 Investing in Acadia: The Invisible Hand of John S. Kennedy William J. Baker Nancy Nimick The story of John S. Kennedy’s role in creating Acadia. Jack Perkins Nancy Pyne 14 Making a Difference with Today’s Youth Ginny Reams Louis Rabineau Acadia’s efforts to engage youth in the park. Nathaniel P. Reed Ann R. Roberts 16 Partners Conserve the Northeast Creek Watershed Erin H. Fogg David Rockefeller Local partners secure land for Acadia and for “green” affordable housing in Bar Harbor. Patricia Scull Erwin Soule CTIVITIES IGHLIGHTS Diana Davis Spencer A /H Beth Straus 8 Save the Date – Friends of Acadia Events EMERITUS TRUSTEES 19 Updates W. Kent Olson Charles Tyson Jr. 23 Advocacy Corner 26 Book Reviews FRIENDS OF ACADIA STAFF Mike Alley, Senior Field Crew Leader Theresa Begley, Projects & Events Coordinator DEPARTMENTS Sharon Broom, Development Officer 1 President’s Column An Eco-Resort at Schoodic Marla S. O’Byrne Sheree Castonguay, Accounting & Administrative Associate Stephanie Clement, Conservation Director 3 Superintendent’s View The Frosting on the Cake Sheridan Steele Erin H. Fogg, Communications Coordinator 6 Poem Primitive Runes Elizabeth Potter Lisa Horsch, Director of Development Diana R. McDowell, Director of Finance & Administration 7 Special Person Jack Russell Stephanie Clement Marla S. O’Byrne, President 27 Schoodic Committee The Splendor of Schoodic Garry Levin Cliff Olson, Field Crew Leader Mike Staggs, Projects & Systems Coordinator 28 Chairman’s Letter Acadia’s Winter Wonderland Lili Pew 2 Spring 2008 Friends of Acadia Journal Superintendent’s View The Frosting on the Cake hanks to volunteers and donors, • Helping the park acquire available Acadia National Park is a much bet- parcels inside its boundary, like the Tter place to visit and enjoy. Without Pooler Farm property near the this private assistance, the National Park Northeast Creek watershed, and Service could not keep up with the mainte- helping protect very significant land nance and demands of serving more than two on the edge of the park, like the 25 million visitors each year. acres on Acadia Mountain that was National park superintendents often see acquired to end a major development one another at various meetings around threat the country and I am always pleased to answer questions about Acadia’s many suc- • Monitoring nearly 200 conservation cesses resulting from its partnership with easements to be sure the natural and Friends of Acadia. I am proud to say that scenic values are not being altered Friends is clearly one of the leading over time “friends groups” and, believe me, many superintendents would love to have a sim- • Family Fun Day, which introduces ilar success story. children to the wonders of Acadia and Even though it is easy for me to remem-