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Friends ofACADIA

JournalWinter 2001Volume 6 No.3

A Magazine of Acadia National Park and Surrounding Communities

NATURE POETRY COMPETITION

—Kate Barnes, former Maine Poet Laureate

Submissions are invited for the 3rd biennial FRIENDS OF ACADIA POETRY PRIZE.The three poems judged to be the best of submissions will be published in the Friends of Acadia Journal

(print and online), and awarded prizes by category:1st prize–$350; 2nd prize–$200; 3rd prize–$100.

GUIDELINES:Nature-based poems of 35 lines or fewer, double-spaced. Cover sheet stating author’s name and poem title.

Only poem and title on manuscript, not author’s name. Entries must be original, unpublished,and not submitted elsewhere.

Deadline for submissions is January 30, 2002 (noted by postmark).

Send to: Editor, Friends of Acadia Journal, P.O. Box 45, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, [email protected] not returned.

—Applications Requested—

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM AT ACADIA NATIONAL PARKClosing Date – January 1, 2002

To apply send:• Resume, no longer than two pages (six copies)

• Sample of recent work— six copies of your : slides from visual artists,cassette recordings from musicians and composers, VHS video cassettes from performing artists,

brief manuscript excerpt, short story, article, poetry, etc. from writers (not to exceed six pages per copy)• One page statement explaining what you hope to achieve from a residency at Acadia

• Proposal of the presentation artist would offer to the public, or of an “Art in Nature Day” if applying for a longer residency• Two references from people who know your work

• Date available — Spring or Fall• Self-addressed stamped envelope (if you want sample materials returned)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:Coordinator, Acadia Artist-in-Residence Program, Acadia National Park, P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, 207-288-3338 Voice/TDD

Bass Harbor Marsh Barbara Southworth, Artist-in-Residence

“The future of this world lies in the relationship we have with it.Poetry helps develop an understanding and appreciation of — and a connection with — the world around us.”

n the day evil came to Earth and touched everyone, I was driving from Acadia National Park toWeld, Maine. A coalition of conservationists had offered me a speaking opportunity, to discussAcadia’s financial needs. The air was dry, the temperature perfect pre-autumn, the wind pronouncedfrom the northwest. Stands of swamp maple had begun turning. The sky had that improbable clarityand depth of blue that send shivers of joy. I was alert to the road, but my ride across interior Maineinto the western mountains, formerly the Blue Mountains, now called the Longfellows, had thelanguorous quality of a dream—more particularly of a conflicted numbness in which my missionwas way out of whack with what was happening in the larger world.

The term is “cognitive dissonance,” I believe, describing the difficulty of reconciling opposedrealities that nonetheless seem to have something in common.

I consider conservation a positive social act. I believe in what Thoreau called the beneficence ofnature. I believe that the organization I represent is a manifest force for good, because it brings togetherpeople and great land, certainly to the benefit of humans and, done well, at no detriment to the landitself. If time can be “improved,” as many 19th century people understood, so can nature, time’s mostconspicuous expression, be properly tended by humans. “Dress and keep the garden,” Genesis says.

For some of us, even the vestigial splendor of Acadia, remnant of a once wilder Maine, is aconstant source of renewal of soul, helping invest human life with meaning beyond mere survivaland accumulation. No wonder the idea of “giving back” to Acadia so motivates our members. Thereis simultaneously a debt of gratitude owed for the privilege of visiting or living here, and the desireto confer its unending benefits not only on grandchildren but also, remarkably, on strangers we willnever meet. National parks and other preserved lands are instruments of the respect we have for theunknowns who follow.

National Public Radio news was on during my entire drive. I could not bear to sever myself fromthe horrible tale streaming into my head mile-by-mile, accumulating in successive layers of dread,loathing, grief, frustration. I told myself that it spoke well of the people who serve in conservationthat we could still meet despite the stupefying murder of thousands of Americans and the frontalassault on the spirit of those physically untouched by it. I had believed what I was telling myself,had even felt patriotic. We could keep our little end of the American enterprise going no matterwhat. How wrong I was.

Webb Lake, my destination, was whitecap brilliant in the afternoon sun, with wind and wavecoursing south, and the rocky Tumbledown Range big and bold in green varicolor at its head. Amidthis dynamic beauty I lost my resolve. The meeting had disbanded before my arrival, and I felt relieved.No one had been able to concentrate. The few remaining people were talking quietly about theevents that had hijacked our hearts. I felt some comfort in this group but did not wish to stay in this

President’s Column

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MY SMALL MISSION, 9/11/01

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FEATURE ARTICLESAcadia with Love

Wild Gardens of Acadia: Its New Partner

Interpreting Raptors in Acadia

ACTIVITIES/HIGHLIGHTSVisitor Capacity Workshop

Generosity and Foresight

Updates

Acadia National Park Winter Calendar

DEPARTMENTSPresident’s Column: My Small Mission, 9/11/01

The Superintendent’s View: Annual Report

Poem: Snowman with Red Sox Batting Helmet

Marcia Savage, 1943-2001

Poem: Crows Are Fighting in the Trees Again

Special Person: Good Nature

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Friends ofACADIA

JournalWinter 2001Volume 6 No.3

Philip D. Levin

Anne Kozak

Erika Racz

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Board MembersH. Lee Judd, Chairman

Dianna Emory, Vice-ChairmanNathaniel Fenton, Treasurer

Gail Cook, SecretaryScott Asen

Eleanor BourkeDianna Brochendorff

Samuel FeltonSheldon F. Goldthwait, Jr.

Paul GrowaldPolly Guth

Denholm M. JacobsJ. Steve KahlLinda Lewis

H. Stanley MacDonaldElizabeth Martinez

W. Kent OlsonJack Perkins

Louis RabineauJeannine Ross

Howard SolomonDonald B. Straus

Charles R. Tyson, Jr.Philip Worden

Honorary TrusteesEleanor Ames

Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. BassEdward McCormick Blair

Mr. & Mrs. Curtis BlakeThe Hon. & Mrs. Robert O. Blake

Frederic A. Bourke, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Tristram C. Colket, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Shelby M.C. DavisFrances Fitzgerald

Neva GoodwinFitzgerald Hudson

Susan HudsonBurnham Litchfield

Mr. & Mrs. Gerrish MillikenThe Honorable George J. Mitchell

Mrs. H.R. Neilson, Jr.Mrs. A. Corkran Nimick

Mrs. John PierrepontMrs. Eben Pyne

Mrs. Elwood R. QuesadaThe Honorable Nathaniel P. Reed

Ann R. RobertsDavid Rockefeller

Mrs. David ScullErwin Soule

Diana Davis SpencerMrs. Charles R. Tyson

Honorary Trustees in MemoriamArthur GilkesGladys O’Neil

Mrs. David RockefellerTheodore Roosevelt, III

Robert SuminsbyCharles R. Tyson

StaffMike Alley, Field Crew Leader

Stephanie Clement, Conservation DirectorKelly S. Dickson, Director of Development

Marla Major, Stewardship DirectorDiana McDowell, Director of OperationsCliff Olson, Assistant Field Crew Leader

W. Kent Olson, PresidentTheresa Sosa, Development AssociateMike Staggs, Administrative Assistant

W. Kent Olson

Paul Haertel

Carl Little

Jennifer MacPherson

Marla Major

Charlie Jacobi

Kelly Dickson

t’s that time again — the start of a new fiscal year and requirements for winterizing facilities, closing thebooks on last year, doing employee evaluations, preparing an annual report, and making plans for nextseason. During my early career, rangers normally wouldn’t admit they could type; those that had to doso used quite colorful language through it all. Administrative necessities aside, however, this is a time totake stock by reflecting on last year and looking forward to next summer. With recent national andworld events, planning for the latter may be difficult.

Last summer was warm and dry and the park experienced high visitation. The Island Explorer, whichcarried nearly 240,000 passengers, did help to reduce traffic and congestion in the park. Still, we have toask how many visitors can we reasonably accommodate and for how long a season. Last August weinvited other land managers and academicians to join park staff and Friends of Acadia in discussionsabout the future. Protecting this park and providing for traditional high quality visitor experiences willbe a great challenge for all of us. Extensive public discussion, careful planning, and change will berequired in the future.

During the past year, a great deal of attention was given to planning for the closure of the Navy baseat Schoodic and transfer of the property and facilities to the National Park Service. The Navy will end itstenure on June 30th of next year. An amendment to the park’s General Management Plan for Schoodicis now being prepared to provide for future NPS management. At this writing, Congressional legislationspecific to the transfer and transitional funding has been introduced but has not yet been enacted. Goalsfor the National Park Service will be conversion of the base from Navy purposes to a research andeducation center serving Acadia National Park and this region of Maine. Hopefully, a start toward thisgoal can begin on July 1st next year.

With help from the National Parks Conservation Association and Friends of Acadia, we completed afirst-ever Business Plan for Acadia National Park. It was (and is) an intriguing endeavor that will be veryhelpful in the future. Interestingly, we have, over the years, experienced many governmental budget andplanning initiatives. Until now, however, none has tried to answer questions regarding the cost andpersonnel requirements required of Acadia’s mandates. What is clearly shown is the need for support fromall quarters. Unless there is a dramatic turnabout, federal funding will continue to meet only about half thetotal need. Friends and effective partnerships are critical future components of this park’s management.

Park staff concentrated on getting the work of the park done. Rehabilitation of the Stanley BrookBridge and Wildwood Stables barn was completed. Acadia Trails Forever projects began in earnest, anda trails plan and landscape report were completed. Schoodic and multiple park properties were nominatedto the National Register. A great deal was done to study and monitor air and water quality. Park volunteersdonated 35,500 hours of their time. Working with the University of Maine, we developed a university-levelenvironmental education course for teachers. Rangers went out on daily backcountry, and responded to 870incidents. In this driest of all years, boundary fire breaks were cleared, a new 2,000-gallon water firetender was ordered and four in-park and five “mutual aid” fires suppressed. Entrance fees collectedincreased by 6% over last year.

Finally, the park’s Commercial Services Plan and new NPS concession regulations are being followed. Bymeans of separate prospectuses, we advertised for contracts to provide visitor services at WildwoodStables, Jordan Pond, Cadillac Mountain, and Thunder Hole. In coming months, the responses received willbe evaluated by a team of NPS specialists from outside the park. The Director and Regional Director willmake final decisions on which of the respondents will be offered new long term concession contracts.

Perhaps now, more than ever, the purposes for which national parks were established are especiallyimportant, and appreciated. Acadia should always be protected as a place for inspiration, study, andenjoyment. We look forward to the future.


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The Superintendent’s View

ANNUAL REPORTI

— Paul Haertel, Superintendent, Acadia National Park Win

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Friends ofACADIA

Journal

EDITORMarla Major

POETRY EDITORPhilip Dane Levin

DESIGNSwensson Design

PRINTINGPenmor Lithographers

PUBLISHERW. Kent Olson

Friends of Acadia is aprivate, nonprofit organization

dedicated to preserving and protecting theoutstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality,

and cultural distinctiveness ofAcadia National Park and the surrounding

communities, and thereby ensuringa high quality experience for

visitors and residents.

The Journal is publishedthree times a year. Submissions of

letters, articles, illustrations, photographs,and poems are welcome.

Opinions expressed in the Journalare the authors’.

You may write us at43 Cottage Street / PO Box 45

Bar Harbor, Maine 04609or contact us at207 288-3340

1 800 625-0321www.friendsofacadia.org

email: [email protected]

Winter 2001Volume 6 No.3

This Journal is printed on recycled andrecyclable stock using soy based ink

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Vernal Pool on ChamplainTom Blagden

Cover photographs are from anupcoming book about Acadia,

with text by Charlie Tyson

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— W. Kent Olson, President

(President’s Column continued from page 1)extraordinary setting of lake and mountains on this glorious September day, thoughnormally such surroundings would have captured me. The contrast of acute naturalbeauty and violence beyond reckoning was too much, and I wanted to remember thisplace without revulsive associations.

So it was back to Acadia, 145 miles distant, radio droning, the day still cloudless andsparkling, conditions that only wedged farther open the gulf between my failed missionand the mission of the killers.

“Mission,” after all, was what we had in common, and there it ended. I could notreconcile the notion of doing worldly good with the craven purpose of doing worldlyharm. No politics, religion, or ethic justifies it, no economic or social hardship, nounfairnesses of class, no asymmetry of wealth or power, not even the felt subjugation ofa people validates anything like it. We can pity those reared or formally educated tohate, try to understand what informs their hatred, but they have no external claim onothers. Sociopathic callings belong in no culture.

To be sure, adding value to lives is not the province solely of conservationists, sincethere are 774,000 registered American charities and countless millions of individualsexecuting selfless acts daily. Small or large, the missions that count bring respect for acause because they affirm the prerogatives of the living and try to guarantee a future forstrangers. Thankfully, most societies and religions believe this. That is why America’sanger should not extend to core cultures different from ours, just as “American” Nazis,bombers, other criminals, klans, and nihilists do not represent our national soul.

It was with these thoughts suffusing that I made it home and learned the next morningthat the effects of the blood-lust slaughter had reached into the Friends of Acadia family.One of our staff lost an in-law and a cousin in the Trade Towers. It is a statistical suretythat there are similar devastations among our members and friends, too. Our mendinghearts reach out to all.

We are back at work now, daily engaged in the once and future mission of protectingour minute corner of the garden. And my conservation colleagues will gather sometimeto hear my pitch about why Acadia and the other 385 national parks deserve our attentionand benefactions.

Occasionally it seems to me that what I do in remote Maine occupies only the marginsof worldly business. But most times, fortunately, I feel that this nonprofit, like hundredsof thousands of others, even if their missions compete, carries out an elemental purposeof humanity— the celebration and preservation of the diversity of life. No matter itssize, every act in this cause is a universal act, just as microscopic quarks and neutronscompound to build a galaxy. The sum of all the life-affirming missions, including smallones like ours, suffices to crush the deathly ones. That is the only way it can be. Pick aflower, disturb a star. �

Cadillac Mountain seen from Schoodic Point


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SNOWMANWITH RED SOXBATTING HELMET

As if this gent would ever don pinstripes. . . .

In the weeks that follow, nature —

wind, rain, sweeping snow— take over,

so that one day the man hulks

like Rodin’s Balzac and the next

assumes the smooth contours

of a Henry Moore sculpture, then

is plastered with needles and looks

vaguely like a George Segal city dweller.

Eventually he slumps forward

as if suffering some ultimate osteoporosis,

becoming minimalist, helmet

fallen from the crooked head

which has lost its features

(a neighbor’s horse ate its carrot nose),

until, on this late winter day,

the man of snow perishes

in the same sun that warms

our hands where my son and I

shag fly balls in the thawing April yard.

— Carl Little

An AuthorizedNational Park Concessioner

Serving Acadia’s VisitorsSince 1932

“Acadia is in our blood”PO Box 52

Bar Harbor, Maine 04609

Carl Little has published poetry in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, Paris Review, Kennebec, PuckerbrushReview and Works & Images. He is director of communications and marketing at the Maine CommunityFoundation. This poem originally appeared, in different form, in Maine Times and is reprinted by permission.

IN MEMORIAM

Gifts have been received byFriends of Acadia in memory of:

Milton BernerAline Charland-Harton

Anthony FillietazRobert FrolichLester G. HartHarry HiestandReuben LahtiDavid Preston

Dr. Michael ReedyMarcia Savage

Lois StotzWalter P. Travers


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www.bondbuilders.com

141 Cottage StreetBar Harbor, Maine 04609

207-288-3886

In support of safe cycling in Acadia

Telephone (207) 288-5320

PO BOX 155HULLS COVE, MAINE 04644

BUILDERSBOND

WAYS OF GIVINGThe future of Friends of Acadia depends to a large degree on the foresight andgenerosity of today’s visionaries—our members—who are willing to consider newways to make gifts. Here are a few suggested methods of making a differencefor Friends of Acadia:

Gifts of Cash or Marketable SecuritiesGifts may be restricted to a designated program or applied to FOA’s general purposes.

Gift of Life InsuranceName FOA as policy owner and beneficiary, and receive immediate tax deductions onyour premium payments.

Gift of PropertyGifts of real estate, boats or artwork provide FOA with marketable assets and may enableyou to avoid capital gains taxes.

Named Endowment FundsThe principal of a fund established in your name—or for someone you wish to honor ormemorialize—is managed for growth, while the income from the fund supports programs.

Pooled Income FundGifts from many donors are managed as combined assets. Earned income is paid to youor a designated beneficiary. Upon death, principal goes to FOA.

Charitable Remainder Trusts /Charitable Lead TrustsProvide FOA or yourself with a steady income stream and, with a remainder trust, leave asignificant future gift to FOA. Both arrangements entitle you to considerable tax savings.

BequestsName FOA as a beneficiary in your will and make a lasting contribution to the organization.

For more information about any of these suggested methods of giving to Friends of Acadia,please contact us at (207) 288-3340.

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MARCIA SAVAGE11 June 1943 — 27 August 2001

M arcia Savage, 58, of Northeast Harbor will be deeply and sorely missed by the community sheloved and served so tirelessly all her life. Marcia was raised at Asticou, the Savage family’s home-stead in Northeast for generations. She attended school in Northeast Harbor, then graduated fromGould Academy in Bethel, and the University of Maine, Orono, where she later earned her master’sdegree in library science. Marcia served as librarian at a number of Maine schools. One of her chiefpassions was education, both for herself and for the multitude of young people who were privileged tobe guided and influenced by her.

Marcia’s overriding passion, though, was her community — community she defined as family,township, school, church, environment, and above all the people who make up all these intersectingand interdependent circles. Marcia put in extra long hours at her school, spurred on to reach out tochildren in turmoil or to support other teachers and staff. She spent her own precious “private time”studying ministry, theology, writing, and literature. She served St. Mary’s Episcopal Church as avestry member, and most recently as their Junior Warden. She was president of the Mount DesertNursing Association for years, and served on the boards of the Northeast Harbor Library and Friendsof Acadia, to name but a few. And, amazingly, she still found time to spend with her many, manyfriends in all walks of life.

Marcia was devoted to her family, returning to Northeast Harbor some years ago in order to takeon the role of caregiver and moral support for elderly family members at Asticou. Her children werethe joy of her life, and she rejoiced in her two grandchildren. She recognized Acadia National Parkas a vital element of our heritage here on Mount Desert Island, and cared deeply about its protection andsurvival. Friends of Acadia was indeed dear to her heart.

Friends of Acadia salutes Marcia Savage, her dedication to service, and her commitment to standingup for the principles she believed in. We honor her memory, and we are grateful for all she gave tous and to this place she loved so dearly.

Marcia Savage with friend

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ACADIA, WITH LOVEBeech Cliff from Acadia Mountain

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Being asked to write about one’s affec-tion for Acadia is like being asked to doan exclusive on the joys of motherhood.But it does get one thinking about the sanc-tity of place.

In his book, The Sacred Landscape,Frederic Lehrman writes: “The mode whichwe call sacred is one. . . where there is areciprocal mirroring of idea and sentimentfrom within and imagery and sensationfrom without.” Sometimes I think of mydip in the frigid waters where the Colo-rado River meets the Little Colorado andthe Anasazi found the Navel of the Earth,or the sense of receding time and of aliengenealogies when we stood among theCeltic megaliths at Glandore. Or any ofnumerous other sacred places. And thereare landscapes closer to home which riseabove the secular.

I have had to say farewell to many beau-tiful places in my life. Some I knew I mightreturn to. Some not. Yet it was only whenI was swimming across Echo Lake for the

last time one season that I seemed to havesomething that was not lake water in thecomers of my eyes.

It did not matter that we would be backthe following year. Nor that we reside amongthe glories of Cape Ann in Massachusetts.Mount Desert is our spiritual home, althoughwe have not yet found a way to make it ourphysical one. Perhaps these eleven-monthabsences each year fuel our longing. Per-haps, as I sometimes remind myself, onlyhalf in jest, we might be reenacting theinstinctual drama of birds or monarch but-terflies on their annual migration routes.Or perhaps it is something else.

Even now, years later, heading southon Route 102, we can still hear our youngdaughters’ squeals of delight at their firstview of Echo Lake —a lake now suffusedas much in personal legend as in presentreality: swimming out into a pea-soup fogat 6:00 am and losing all sense of shore-line, while a stray loon or cormorant popsup beside us in surprise; on other morn-

ings causing the sun to rise by an earlyswim out beyond the shadows of Acadiaand St. Sauveur; canoeing at dusk underthe banks of cedar below Beech Cliff, tocatch the last notes of the hermit thrush;floating on our backs at night under thePerseid meteor showers.

Our young daughters grew up besidethose waters and their fjord-like beauty.Each of them from prior broken marriages,it was there at the AMC camp in particularthat we truly bonded into a new family.Landscapes have these powers. This adds apoignant dimension to our feelings forAcadia. For this alone we owe a profoundgratitude. To this day our daughters remaindeeply engaged in nature: Juliana an in-veterate hiker and camper; Anne a formerAssistant Ranger at Mount Baker-SnoqualmieNational Forest and a whitewater/wildernessaddict. Both are strong swimmers.

Then there are the mountains. I have takendelight in almost all of the steepest trails,slides and ravines of the White Mountains,

Philip D. Levin

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but the mountains of Acadia, when I cameto know them, utterly seduced me. Theyspring from the lakes, the tarns, and theocean itself. It is as if these mountains arepart water. The climbs are clear and conciseand deeply satisfying. They exude certainintensity. The views come early and theyare incomparable. They have spoiled mypatience for the long, forested ascents re-quired before it is possible to break tim-berline in the Whites.

The most celebrated of these climbs isprobably the Precipice. To my tastes it isoverrated. But it draws people who mightotherwise overrun other special places,from the Beehive, which I have tried tomake it a point to climb and descend onceeach summer, to the lovely Japanese gardenthat is the Acadia Mountain Trail, with itssimultaneous summit views into Echo Lakeand Somes Sound — a place where I couldwish to have my ashes scattered.

Sometimes from a vantage point onChamplain or the Beehive I realize that Iam looking down upon a major reason forthe park’s success. As the traffic cruisesalong Ocean Drive it quickly ratchets upthe number of individuals who seek outthe park each year, to the point where theannual attendance figure has reached ashigh as three million visits, which wouldrank Acadia eighth among our nationalparks. There are indeed very real experi-ences to be had at Sand Beach, Great Head,Thunderhole, and Otter Cliffs. But the ex-perience of the mountains remains sepa-rate, pure, and uncompromised. The vari-ous landforms serve to segregate their re-spective uses. The only place where mul-tiple uses really interact is on the carriageroads, where the incompatibility of bikesand foot traffic remains minimal.

Our public lands are subject to a numberof contradictions. One of these is the diffi-culty or managerial unwillingness in livingup to the nomenclature of “designated Wilder-ness” or “wild and scenic.” The PemigewassetWilderness in the White Mountains boastsa 200-car parking lot on its southern fringe,creating the oxymoron of a drive-up Wil-derness. On the Allagash overly zealous man-agers have created fourteen illegal accesspoints and a non-conforming dam.

Acadia is free of these half-truths. Itdoes not pretend to be wilderness. It ishardly possible to become lost in it, or forvery long. It is in fact a garden in the sensethat the Rockefeller and Thuya Gardens,and for that matter the entire island, are,albeit a different kind of garden. Its affin-ity is with the sand garden at Asticou,where one can sit indefinitely, mesmerizedby the rock forms, the light and shadowon them, and the intervals among them.And so with the mountain views fromManset or Great Cranberry. My wife, Ellie,has felt this spirit deeply and caught it inher painting, which has been honored inan exhibition at College of the Atlantic andinclusion in the recent book Art of theMaine Islands.

I admit to a contradiction in my attitudetowards place. In the mountains I seem tocrave the intimacy of solitude, or solitudewith my family or a friend or two. Elsewherethe psychological carrying capacity seemsmore generous and the presence of strang-ers can add a shared dimension, such asthe fishermen I swim out beyond on EchoLake, or merely driving past the long lineof cars parked by Eagle Lake Carriage Roadand knowing that the park is receiving theattention it deserves.

Now I have reached that stage in lifewhere I must slow down, and contempla-tion of these mountains has largely re-placed the physicality of climbing them.Sometimes I wonder if I am looking at whatI see or what I remember. Or perhaps oneilluminating the other. It does not reallymatter.

Acadia is also a state of mind and spiritin the deepest sense, something we takeaway with us; so when we head south atthe end of each summer, we do not haveto turn to look back at the pod of dimin-ishing blue shapes against the skyline asthey slowly sink into the horizon. But wedo anyway.

Philip D. Levin is an attorney living in Gloucester,Massachusetts and poetry editor of the Friends ofAcadia Journal. His poems have appeared in variouspublications. He and his wife, Ellie, have enjoyedmore than 25 summers on MDI, 14 of them over-looking Echo lake from the Appalachian MountainClub Camp.

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Friends ofACADIA

AccomplishmentsJanuary— November 2001

FOA Donations toPark and Communities

Co-funded and co-managed 17-busIsland Explorer propane-poweredpublic system, which:

carried 239,791 passengersprevented 6.8 tons of toxicemissionsremoved over 65,000 vehicletrips from island roads.

Contributed $220,000 to park forcarriage road maintenance —$1,260,000 since 1995.

Contributed $370,867 to park andcommunities for trails and otherconservation projects—$1,458,754 since 1989.

Donated wages of 44 in-parkseasonal workers —up from 16 in 1995.

FOA Trail, Carriage Roadand Other Projects

Fielded five Ridge Runners and oneRecreation Intern who:

Hiked over 700 milesContacted more than 1,700 visitorsregarding Leave No Trace principlesConstructed 200 cairns anddismantled numerous other,misleading “rock art”Administered 400 visitor surveysCatalogued more than 200invertebrate specimens in thePark’s Proctor collectionSpent 400 hours conductingtrail and carriage road censuses

Contributed 6,356 volunteer hoursof trail & carriage road maintenance,including:

constructed bogwalks on GiantSlide and Jordan Pond Trailsgraveled 2,500 ft. along JordanPond Trail and Great Meadow Loopcleared 2 1/2 miles of drainagealong carriage roadscleared vistas along east sideof Eagle Lake carriage roadcleared 1 mile of park boundary

Negotiated two rights-of-way withprivate landowners, permittingconstruction of the final segment ofthe Great Meadow Loop.

Negotiated, with Maine Coast HeritageTrust, a trail easement permittingconstruction of the Western MountainConnector trail in Southwest Harbor.

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1884On the National Register of Historic Places

Summer Hotel, Cottages & Dining RoomP.O. Box 137 Southwest Harbor (800) 244-5036

Coplon Associatesis a planning and landscape architectural

practice dedicated to the enhancementof the New England environment.

We actively support the mission

and efforts of Friends of Acadia.

207-288-4122112 Cottage Street Bar Harbor, Maine 04609

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Preserving and protecting those things that we all hold dear— our quality of life,a distinctive heritage, and the integrity of Mt. Desert Island’s natural wonders—is awise investment. You can help us protect Acadia forever.

It’s simple. You need add only one sentence to your will, or a codicil:

1. I hereby bequeath $ to Friends of Acadia, Inc., a Maine charitablecorporation, P.O. Box 45, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, for its charitable purposes.

2. I hereby devise % of my residuary estate to Friends of Acadia, Inc., aMaine charitable corporation, P.O. Box 45, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, for its charitablepurposes.

3. I hereby devise the following property to Friends of Acadia, Inc., a Mainecharitable corporation, P.O. Box 45, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, for its charitablepurposes: [description of property].

Your concern and appreciation for Acadia and Mount Desert Island will extend farbeyond your own lifetime. It will be a lasting legacy, enriching the lives of millionsnow and in the future.

Please call us at 207-288-3340 for more information.

Include Friends of Acadia in Your WillACADIA FOREVER

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Acadia National Park from Route One

Park visitors on mountain summits seewild columbine, bearberry, crowberry,mountain cranberry, mountain sandwort,saxifrage, cinquefoil, scrub pines and, onlyon the summit of Saint Sauveur, bear oak.Each of these species can be found on theWild Gardens’ “mountain”.

Similarly, along Acadia shores a visitortypically sees plants found in the beacharea of the Wild Gardens — roseroot, arcticbeachhead iris, silver and gold potentilla,sea lavender, seaside goldenrod, andScotch lovage. What the visitor will not findin the Wild Gardens but will quite oftensee along beachfronts is rugosa rose, anexotic species to Mount Desert Island.

In giving land for the Wild Gardens, thepark made two stipulations: use only plantsnative to MDI and find plant specimens inareas other than on park land. As a guidein selecting indigenous species, the com-mittee decided to use Edgar T. Wherry’slandmark book, The Wildflowers of MountDesert, published in 1928 through a grant


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Anne Kozak has been a member of the Wild GardensCommittee since 1973.

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Anne Kozak

WILD GARDENS OF ACADIAITS NEW PARTNER

from the Garden Club of Mount Desert.Since its founding, the Wild Gardens has

received support from the Bar Harbor Gar-den Club and the Garden Club of MountDesert. The latter has made annual contri-butions and most recently nominated thegarden for the Founders Fund Award fromthe Garden Club of America. The WildGardens earned second place. The $5,000award will be used to update plant labelsand to compile a database of plant materi-als in the gardens said Sue Leiter, co-chairwith Barbara Cole of the Wild GardensCommittee.

The Wild Gardens and its committee ofvolunteers have been recognized by theNew England Wildflower Society, the Gar-den Club Federation of Maine, and theNational Council of State Garden Clubs.

In 1979 the Wild Gardens received aCertificate of Appreciation from the Na-tional Park Service. And in 1989, in recog-nition of their noteworthy service to horti-culture and their work in creating the WildGardens of Acadia, Janet TenBroeck andBetty Thorndike, founding co-chairs, re-ceived silver medals from the Massachu-setts Horticultural Society — medals theyaccepted on behalf of past and presentmembers.

Although open year round, the publicwill find the Wild Gardens of Acadia at itsbest from early May through the middle ofOctober.

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n 1961, the Wild Gardens of Acadia startedout as a plot of tangled blackberry bushesand scarred maples at Sieur de Mont.

The vision, leadership, and indomitableenergy of the founding committee and themany volunteers who have succeeded themhave transformed the desolate three-quarter acreplot into the Wild Gardens of Acadia—athriving garden with more than 500 MountDesert Island native plant species.

Over the years the garden has flourishedunder the leadership of volunteers and withthe help of Acadia National Park. Each sum-mer the park hires a college student to helpmaintain the gardens and to enhance theexperiences of the approximately 85,000visitors who come to the gardens to learnmore about the plants they saw while hikingor biking, or to learn new ways of usingnative plants in their own gardens.

This spring, the Wild Gardens gained anew partner—Friends of Acadia. PresidentKen Olson agreed to fund one-half of thesalary of a second student; the other halfwas paid by donations to the Wild GardensCommittee. Having two students ensuredthat someone was in the garden seven daysa week from 8 AM to 5 PM not only to main-tain the gardens but to interpret them forvisitors.

The plants are displayed in 12 habitatsranging from deciduous and coniferouswoods to a beach, pond, bog, roadside area,and mountain. Each represents a typicalhabitat found in the park, and the plantsfound there are those typically found in asimilar habitat in the park.

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Erika Racz

INTERPRETINGRAPTORS IN ACADIA

Park interpreters focus spotting scopes on peregrine falcons and their nest site.

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Springtime in AcadiaImagine hiking up to the top of Champlain

Mountain in the springtime. The forest is alivewith the flute-like songs of hermit thrushesand the cheerful whistling of white-throatedsparrows. Frogs are peeping in nearby wet-lands, and the sweet smell of woodlandwildflowers fills the air. The trees are thatlight brilliant green so refreshing to eyes thathave seen the grays and browns of winterfor too long. The natural world is hostingits annual great celebration of life.

Taking in the view of Frenchman Bayfrom Champlain’s summit, you begin to heara loud, repetitive call, “Kak kak kak!” A pairof large, gray birds is swooping and divingalong the cliff below. Your curiosity nowpiqued, you open your bird field guide to theraptors. After considering your options, yourealize you are watching peregrine falcons!

Peregrines in AcadiaPeregrine populations were decimated

in the Eastern U.S. and Canada during the

1950s, as the result of widespread use ofthe pesticide DDT. A consortium of privateand public organizations, including AcadiaNational Park, participated in a re-intro-duction project in the 1980s, raising falconsin captivity and releasing them in the wild.One of the release sites was on the cliffsabove Jordan Pond in Acadia, and afterseveral years, one of the released malesfound a mate and began breeding on thePrecipice, a cliff on the eastern face ofChamplain Mountain

Since 1989, peregrines have returnedto breed at the Precipice every year. In2001, Acadia was home to two other pairsas well, at Jordan Cliffs and on the cliffsoverlooking Valley Cove in Somes Sound.During the past eleven years, 51 chickshave hatched in the park, 33 of whichwere bred by the pair at the Precipice. Inorder to avoid disturbance to nesting per-egrines, park resource managers close hik-ing trails near the nest sites during thebreeding season.

Learning about Falconsat the Precipice

Visit the Precipice Trailhead between 9:00and noon any day from mid-May to earlyAugust and chances are good you’ll get agood view of these amazing birds. Park rang-ers, interns, and volunteers will be theremonitoring the birds and helping visitorslearn about them. The interpreters focushigh-powered spotting scopes on the nestsite and on any birds in view.

The falcons’ activity is constantly chang-ing. On one visit you may see downy nest-lings peering out from their rocky ledgehome. Later in the summer, you might watchfantastic aerial displays as the fledglings prac-tice their hunting skills.

More than 20,000 visitors annually stopto see and learn about the Precipice falcons.Through such public education, supportedin part by grants from Friends of Acadia,Acadia fosters support for continuing con-servation of endangered species, both in-side and outside of the park.


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HawkwatchVistors to Acadia can also see and learn

about birds of prey on the autumn-dressedslopes of Cadillac Mountain. Among thebillions of North American birds that migratesouth each fall are hawks, falcons, and otherraptors. Acadia’s mountains are a great placeto observe the phenomenon.

Each year from the last week of Augustuntil the middle of October, Acadia’s inter-preters invite visitors to a Hawkwatch siteon Cadillac’s North Ridge Trail to watch theraptors fill the sky as they head south. Onmany fall mornings, hikers will see earnestbirdwatchers scanning the skies with bin-oculars for ospreys, red-tailed hawks, or anyof the other 12 species of birds of prey oftenseen at the site. Northerly winds result in thehighest counts, pushing the birds towardsMaine’s east-west running coastline. Ratherthan flying out over the cold water, many

raptors turn and follow the coast in order totake advantage of the lift they get from risingthermals of warm air and from updrafts alongmountain slopes. On days when conditionsare just right, several hundred birds go by theCadillac site — many so close it seems onecan reach out and touch them!

In addition to helping visitors identify rap-tors spotted, and discussing their conserva-tion and natural history, Hawkwatch stafferskeep a count of the birds identified, to beincluded with data from similar sites acrossNorth America. With this information, scien-tists are able to detect changes in populationnumbers.

Whatever the season, the natural world isfull of delights and surprises. Thanks to sup-port from Friends of Acadia and others, theseinterpretive programs continue to teach andinspire visitors of all ages. The next time youare in the park, come join us!

Erika Racz was the Raptor Intern in Acadia for 2001. A Bucknell University honors graduate, her work atAcadia built on a background that included studies of ecology and wildlife management in Kenya, blackbear research in North Carolina, and teaching ecology and conservation to children in Connecticut.

Visitors watch for hawks from Cadillac Mountain.

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twenty experts from all across the country,invited to Acadia to take an in-depth lookat these questions and visitor capacity issuesfor the Mount Desert Island part of the park.These experts represented universities, otherstate and federal land managing agencies,other national parks, nonprofit organizationsand the private sector. They were planners,managers, and professors with expertise ofall kinds and more than 500 years of col-lective experience in managing visitors tonatural areas. Local planners and Friendsof Acadia and park staff joined them in anintensive two-and-a-half day workshop dur-ing the heart of the visitor use season.

The goal of the workshop was to secure anexpert-based recommendation on the manage-ment of visitors to Acadia National Park inorder to help protect park resources, visitorexperiences, and the quality of community

life in the face of increasing visitation. Foursmall work groups each addressed a seriesof difficult questions. Two groups focussedon the big picture of visitation to all parklands on MDI, while two others looked at visi-tation to specific attraction sites, the JordanPond House area and Cadillac Mountain.

Many good ideas and suggestions emergedfrom the workshop. Park staff have continuedto reflect on those ideas and will meet to dis-cuss the next step sometime over the winter.Dr. Glenn Haas from Colorado State University,the workshop facilitator and consultant, iscurrently preparing a report summarizingthe workshop findings. When that reportis completed, we will share the results inthe summer issue of this Journal.

Parking at Cadillac Mountain summit

VISITOR CAPACITY WORKSHOPACADIA NATIONAL PARK HOSTS

Charlie Jacobi is a natural resources specialistat Acadia National Park.

Charlie Jacobi

he first summer of the new millenniumhas come and gone, along with its hundredsof thousands of visitors to Acadia NationalPark and Mount Desert Island. High levelsof visitation have long been a concern topark managers, residents, and many visitors.How many more people can the park ac-commodate, if any? Is it past the saturationpoint as evidenced by deteriorating re-sources, congested parking areas, and a de-clining quality to visitor experiences? Thereare many ways to look at capacity— thenumber of people, the number of cars, thecondition of the resources, the state of visi-tor experiences, the infrastructure (roads andtoilets for example), management capability(funding, staffing, etc.), and even the healthof the local community.

Among those thousands of visitors inearly August were a small group of about

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riends of Acadia was notified this spring that it had been named a beneficiary of a chari-table remainder trust. The estimated value of this gift is $100,000. The benefactress— whowishes to remain anonymous— has been a member of Friends of Acadia since 1997 withmodest gifts.

Why the huge leap in support?“I had much to gain through the arrangement,” says the donor, who was given stock

held by her family for generations. “The cost basis was close to zero, but the securitieshad appreciated significantly, so selling them would have meant huge capital gains.Holding onto them wasn’t a great option either, as they were only yielding 1.3 percent,so I decided to investigate my options.”

Working with an attorney, she learned that by setting up a charitable remainder trustshe could get a tax break, increase her income, and make a significant gift to charity atthe same time. On the 1st of each year she will receive six percent of the trust’s net fairmarket value. Upon her death, the balance of the trust will be split between her chosenbeneficiaries, including Friends of Acadia.

“I thought if I wanted to give the stock to two different organizations, I’d need toestablish two separate charitable remainder trusts. My attorney explained this wasn’t thecase — I could name two beneficiaries in one trust.”

“The practical aspects of the trust are important, but I derive more satisfaction inknowing that I’m helping ensure that Acadia National Park will be there for the enjoy-ment of my nephews and their children in the years to come,” she says. “I’m giving myfamily what I value — and it’s something that can’t be bought.”

She has been coming to Mount Desert Island since 1977. “It has been a special placefor me from the moment I experienced it,” she said.

Spring and late fall are her favorite seasons in Acadia as this is the best time toobserve the wildlife she enjoys. She visits nearby islands to spy on eiders with theirchicks and enjoys Jordan Pond on a rainy day, when her solitude is interrupted only bythe call of loons.

She has, however, noticed a change on the island. “At first it just felt like the park wasgetting smaller. The reality of course was just that the development of the private landaround it was defining the park boundaries. And I realized that it would not always bethere just the same as it was in 1977 without active supporters like Friends of Acadia.Your championing of the shuttle bus project, maintenance plan for the trails and carriageroads, and efforts to ban jet skis from island ponds are active and creative solutions tosustaining the beauty of Acadia. It gives me great pleasure to help find and fund solu-tions to present and future problems that Acadia National Park may face.”

“You don’t have to be rich to do this,” she points out. “I didn’t have a lot of cash —just some appreciated stock. Now the stock can work for me and for my favorite charities.”

Friends of Acadia is honored to be one of this donor’s favorite charities, we thank heragain for her generosity and foresight.

If you’re interested in setting up a charitable remainder trust, please discuss the ideawith your attorney and contact Kelly Dickson or Diana McDowell at 207-288-3340.

—Kelly Dickson

Charitable Remainder Trust BenefitsDonor and Friends of Acadia

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TESTIFYING FOR CLEAN AIR

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Updates

riends of Acadia Conservation DirectorStephanie Clement joined other park ad-vocates in Washington, DC on August 21stto testify before the Environmental Protec-tion Agency. The advocates spoke in favorof strong guidelines for states to use whenaddressing regional haze problems at AcadiaNational Park and other parks, wildlife ref-uges, and wilderness areas— Class 1 areasunder the Clean Air Act.

Acadia is plagued periodically by highozone levels and hazy conditions. Thissummer, the park faced nine days whenozone levels exceeded state and federalhuman health standards. The National ParkService issued three ozone advisories, warn-ing employees, volunteers, and visitors thatthey should avoid prolonged or strenuousoutdoor activity.

Much of Acadia’s pollution is blown intothe region from points south and west. Re-gional haze is the cumulative result of many

sources — including power plants, garbageincinerators, and industrial smelters — releas-ing particulates and gases into the atmo-sphere. These pollutants scatter light andcause landscape features to appear “washedout.” On a crystal day, one can see MountKatahdin from Cadillac Mountain summit(about 110 miles, as the crow flies). Hazydays rob visitors of these distant vistas andblur all but the most prominent featuresof the local landscape. A recent study forthe Clean Air Task Force estimated thatimproving visibility at Acadia would resultin recreational benefits totaling $327.8 mil-lion (1999 dollars).

The guidelines proposed by the EPAestablish a process whereby states determinewhich point sources contribute to regionalhaze, set enforceable emission limits at thosesources, and require that they select the bestemissions control technology from a fullrange of possibilities. The guidelines also

allow states to develop emissions tradingprograms for haze-forming pollutants as longas the resulting improvements are greater thancould be achieved through source-by-sourcereductions.

The Environmental Protection Agencywill consider Friends of Acadia’s commentsand others in finalizing the guidelines forreducing regional haze pollutants. The finalversion is expected in February 2002 withimplementation of the pollutant reductionsto begin in 2008.

For more information on air quality moni-toring at Acadia, visit the resource manage-ment programs page of the expanded AcadiaNational Park website www.nps.gov/acad/rm/programs.htm/. To see archived dataabout ozone levels in the Park, go to theState Bureau of Air Quality, www.state.me.us/dep/air/. For live updates of the air qualityconditions at the summit of Cadillac, visitwww.hazecam.net/acadia.html/.

FEET FIRST—VILLAGE CONNECTOR TRAILSPart of the pleasure, a great part, of livingand working on Mount Desert Island is thecommunities. Village connector trails fill aunique place in the rich community historyof this island.

Over the past few years, Friends of Acadiahas worked with landowners and townsto re-establish trails that link villages andneighborhoods to Acadia and to each other,making it easier and more enjoyable to leaveour cars behind. During the summer, theIsland Explorer buses open up more possi-bilities for long one-way hikes, providing theoption to take the bus back.

Western Mountain ConnectorThe good news in Southwest Harbor this

fall includes a new village connector trailfor walkers, horseback riders, bicyclists,and cross-country skiers. A project of theFOA-sponsored Village Connector Trails Village Connector Trails Committee on the Western Mountain Connector

Acadia National Park

ACADIA TRAILS FOREVER donors

Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)

Bar Harbor VillageImprovement Association

Fields Pond Foundation

Maine Coast Heritage Trust

Maine Conservation Corps

Maine Department of Conservation

Maine Department of Transportation

The Richard HaimanNational Parks Foundation

Rivers & Trails program of theNational Park Service /AMC

Town Hill VillageImprovement Society

Town of Bar Harbor

Town of Southwest Harbor

Village Connector TrailsCommittee (volunteers)


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AMC trail crew checkingGreat Meadow Loop trail grade

AMC trail crew building cedar brige spanning Kebo brook, Great Meadow Loop trail.

Village Connector Trails projectsare supported under the auspices of

the ACADIA TRAILS FOREVER program.Friends of Acadia’s project partners include:

Committee (VCT), the Western MountainConnector links two previously uncon-nected sections of Acadia National Park —the Western Mountain Road and the LurveySpring Road, just south of Long Pond. Thetrail provides a new opportunity for thecommunity to explore the west side ofMount Desert Island, from Echo Lake toSeal Cove Pond.

During her tenure as Southwest Harbortown planner, Jean Marshall worked withthe VCT Committee to secure a $28,000grant from the Maine Department of Trans-portation. The Town of Southwest Harborpledged a $7,000 match in-kind, to pro-vide services and materials to get the trailon the ground.

Effective partnerships completed theproject. Friends of Acadia committedACADIA TRAILS FOREVER funds to con-tract the Maine Conservation Corps to workwith Southwest Harbor Public Works crewlaying the gravel base and surface. AcadiaNational Park advised on trail design andfielded staff to dig the trail bed. EMR Inc.,the one private landowner along the route,worked with Maine Coast Heritage Trustto grant a trail easement to permit construc-tion and public use of the trail in perpetuity.

The Western Mountain Connector isopen to hiking, bicycling, horseback riding,cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Allterrain vehicles (ATVs) are not permitted.

Great Meadow LoopIn Bar Harbor, the Great Meadow Loop

provides a hiking route from the village tothe Jesup Path and Sieur de Monts. As adestination in itself, it’s a quiet walk arounda lovely area in Bar Harbor, about two and ahalf miles starting from Bar Harbor’s villagegreen. The trail is a gift to the community,given by several landowners: the Holy Re-deemer Catholic Church, Ledgelawn Cem-etery, Kebo Valley Club, Mrs. Francis Will-iams, and Mrs. Susan Oblinger.

A map of the trail is on display at thevillage green, adjacent to the bus stop, anda brochure with map is available fromFriends of Acadia. Contact Marla Major at288-3340 or [email protected] torequest a copy.

Town HillIn Town Hill, local residents and Town

Hill Village Improvement Society membersare starting to research trail possibilities.They envision safe walking routes betweenneighborhoods and Somesville and TownHill centers, and pleasant walks throughsurrounding natural areas.

For more information about village con-nector trail projects on MDI, contact MarlaMajor at Friends of Acadia. �


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ISLAND EXPLORER DRIVES ONWARD

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KN WLESC O M P A N Y

Updates

The Island Explorer’s third season drewto a close September 3rd. Once again, thebus system was a resounding success, car-rying 239,971 passengers — a 25% increaseover last year, and a 75% increase over thefirst season. The system carried an averageof 3,300 riders per day, transporting 4,000-5,000 passengers on the heaviest days inJuly and August.

The campground route, serving many ofthe private campgrounds along Route 3,showed the greatest total ridership increase(up 15,000 passengers), but the Jordan Pondroute had the greatest percentage increase(up 39% from last year). Waiting times onthe campground route were reduced to a halfhour during much of the day. The Jordan Pondroute received additional service in the after-noons and evenings to accommodate hikers,bicyclists, and diners. As in previous seasons,the Eden Street route (serving the largehotels near Bar Harbor and the ferry termi-nal) was the most heavily used run, carry-ing more than 66,000 passengers.

The popularity of the Island Explorer bussystem has led to the need for additionalcapacity. Several of the bus routes within thepark averaged 28-passenger loads (maxi-mum seating capacity) or more per sched-uled round-trip. Island Explorer partners havestarted to research larger capacity propanebuses for possible use on the SouthwestHarbor and Campground routes.

Island Explorer partners also are research-ing long-term, sustainable sources of oper-ating funds, including corporate partnershipprograms and adjustments to the Acadia Na-tional Park entrance fees. Presently, the bussystem is funded by Acadia National Parkentrance passes, federal transportation dol-lars managed by the Maine Department ofTransportation, town contributions, and do-nations from Friends of Acadia, Mount Desert

Island businesses, and bus passengers.The Island Explorer will lose a portion

of its operating support next year when itsthree-year eligibility for U.S. Department ofTransportation Congestion, Mitigation, andAir Quality program funds expires. Congress-man Baldacci and the Maine delegation weresuccessful in securing a one-year federaltransportation grant that will help transi-tion the bus system to other sustainableoperating funds.

The buses will become “Intelligent IslandExplorers” next spring with the initiationof Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)technologies. Installation of global position-ing system units will begin in the spring sothat dispatchers will be able to locate thebuses at any time and shift them whereneeded more easily. This data also will beavailable on informational signs at key lo-cations, including the Bar Harbor VillageGreen and the Hulls Cove Visitor Center,showing passengers estimated arrival times.Parking lot monitors and vehicle countingdevices will be added to give Acadia Na-tional Park a better understanding of thenumber of vehicles using the park and tohelp visitors make alternative plans to avoidparking problems.

This summer’s operations were anothertremendous success — a tribute to the excel-lent partnership surrounding the Island Ex-plorer. At its annual meeting, Friends of Acadiapresented its Award for Distinguished PublicService to the Maine Department of Trans-portation (MDOT) in honor of its contribu-tions to the “brain trust” that initiated the Is-land Explorer, and for their ingenuity in find-ing and directing federal funds to the project.We look forward to continuing to work withMDOT and the other Island Explorer part-ners to encourage ridership, enhance service,and guide future growth.


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I am wakened by their shadows againstmy bedroom wall. More crows than I cancount, they swivel from limb to limb.Great swells of caws become quarreling squawksas displaced birds jostle feather and wing,displeased with whatever tree they circle,whatever branch takes their black, unbroken weight.

They haunt walnuts and scrub oaks liningour fence, take residence thereby the hundreds in squalling winter weather.Even now they cluster thicklyon broken branches deformedby a September derecho, the stormthat changed the city’s skyline forever.

When their wings scrawl curses across night’s sky,houses will lose their north wall,stars will wink out, one by one.How long will the heavens burn?How far does the tree line reach beforecrows are only patches of black smokeand branches are sturdy, unbroken by storm?

Night after night I watch spousal abuse, tribalwarfare, mating dance, each exacting detailshadowed against my bedroom wall.I must witness how the crows’ fightfor the ineluctable branch that willanswer all their hearts’ mad questions,how they never find it.

— Jennifer MacPherson

Poem

CROWSARE FIGHTINGIN THE TREESAGAINWinter 1999

Jennifer MacPherson is Senior Editor for The Comstock Review and author of four collections ofpoetry. A retired school psychologist, she lives in Syracuse, NY. This poem originally appeared in The CaféReview, and is reprinted by permission.


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We are grateful to the following individuals and organizations fortheir generous support of Friends’ programs and events:

In Gratitude

Trail & Carriage RoadVolunteer Crew LeadersBucky and Maureen Brooks

George and Anna BuckBetsy Champlin

Don CurleyCharles Edwards

Rod FoxBob SandersonJulia Schloss

Dee and Howard Solomon

Take Pride in Acadia DayVolunteers

Our thanks to the 262 volunteerswho prepared Acadia’s carriage roadsfor winter on Saturday, November 3.The volunteers’ work cleaning leaves

out of the drainage ways, willhelp reduce erosion from winter

snow, ice, and spring rain.

Take Pride in Acadia DaySupporters

Acadia National Park ToursAcadia Corporation

Janet AnkerCadillac Mountain Sports

Darling’s AutoDon’s Shop & Save

L. L. BeanMDI YMCA

Other VolunteersRosemary Apthorp

Kelly KusnirakHarriet Mitchell

In-Kind DonationsTom Blagden

cover photographsDorothy Kerper Monnelly

photographsBarbara Southworth

photographsNicole Taliaferro

photographsBetty Tiedemann

photographsDave Witham

annual meeting support

2001 Benefit Gala CommitteeSaturday, August 11th

Wildwood StablesChairperson

Lynne WheatAuction

Malinda CrainDecorations

Diana Mahaney, Elizabeth Seherr-ThossOperations

Gail Cook, Story LitchfieldBoard Liaison

Dianna BrochendorffCatalogue Cover Design

Vicki Clement

Committee MembersBrenda Anderson

Scott AsenAnne Bass

Charlotte BeersPaulette Bilsky

Joan BlainePatricia Blake

Sylvia BlakeJill Blanchard

Deedie BouscarenBarbara BrackIldiko ButlerCharles ButtGail Clark

Ruth ColketWhitney ConnorFrancie ComerAnn Crittenden

Lynn DavisGale Davis

Linda DouglassSunny DupreeDonna EachoDianna Emory

Susan Ferante-CollierLeslie Fogg

Wendy FoulkeLinda Levy-Goldberg

Helen GoodhueWinkie Gummey

Scilla HaackMargaret HamnerDiana HambletonBettina HinckleyMarilyn HocheLydia Kimball

Wilhelmina KippSusan KroegerSydie LansingLanie LincolnJean LipkinVicki Lunt

Bambi Lyman

Take Pride in Acadia Day 2001


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Liz MartinezJane Maynard

Deedie MavrogordatoSuzanne McCullagh

Julie MerckBetsy Moore

Nancy NimickAlexandra OakesNan Ourisman

Barbara PeabodySusanna PorterSheila Pulling

Mimi ReedJennifer Craig Richardson

Barbara RobinsonElizabeth Seherr-Thoss

Ellen ShaferMartha Stewart

Sherri StillClare StoneJanet StrongPat Toogood

Heather Toogood-JervisLynda Tyson

Bonnie Van AlenSusan A. Warren

Ariane WellinChristine WolfNeely Young

Benefit Gala Donors ofGifts-in-Kind

Abel’s Lobster PoundAcadia Bike Shop and Canoe

Acadia ShopsMr. and Mrs. O. Kelley Anderson

Animal CrackersAsticou Inn

Susan BacchettiPaulette Bilsky

Bar Harbor Bicycle ShopBeadleston Gallery

Bitter End Yacht ClubJill and Dick Blanchard

Michael BolandCadillac Mountain Sports

Chef Daniel BouludChef David Bouley

Vera BradleyChave DesignChewton Glen

C. J.’s Big DipperRuth Colket

Continental AirlinesCountry Fare Catering

Vicki ClementCynthia Curtis

Danube RestaurantDiver Ed/Dive-In Theatre

Russ D’Alleso

Angela deAngeloMr. and Mrs. Peter Dietze

Dorchester HotelAlain Ducasse

Eastwind GalleryBen and Dianna Emory

Dan FaltNed FermLeslie FoggJane Foster

Ellen FrederickoFrench Laundry

Freshwater StoneDonald Giordano

Linda GolbergGorvango of Palm Beach

Michael H. GravesMr. and Mrs. John Guth

Scilla HaackHinckley Crewed Charters

John HocheJerry HudsonTish Ingersall

International Management GroupPhyllis Jalbert

Angela JohnstonJuniper Foundation

Caroline KeyKobirck Coffee Co.Dorrie La BiancaPeter Lamoureux

Sydie LansingT. Allen LawsonStory Litchfield

L.L. BeanLocal Color

Lone Moose GalleryLoon Bay Lodge

Diana and Kevin MahaneyMaine Cottage FurnitureMaine Seacoast Funpark

Maine PointKerry McDonald

Diana Roper McDowallMeadowood Resort

Julie MerckAndrea Meyers

Barry MileaRobert Milea

Milea Trucking CompanyMichelle’s Bistro

Janet MorganMorning Glory Bakery

Mount Desert Spring WaterNortheast Harbor Antiques

Alexandra OakesOld Town Canoe

Parker’s Coffee HousePatagonia

Barbara Ernst Prey

Quirk AutoRancho La Puerta

Reel Pizza CineramaJennifer Richardson

Ritz-Carlton San FranciscoRose Garden Restaurant

Melinda SantosBethany Savage

Roland Sosa ArchitectureSawyer’s Specialties

Scarborough & TweedMr. and Mrs. Robert Shafer

Shard PotteryShaw Contemporary Jewelry

Sherman’s Book & Stationery ShopSotheby’s Auction House

Barbara SouthworthSpruce Grove Gallery

Gary Stellpflug, Chris Barter,Peter Colman, Keith Johnston,

and Dave KariJerry Stelmok

Mr. and Mrs. Donald StrausSturgis Boatworks

Martha StewartClare and Allan StoneSundance River CenterTerra Cotta BoutiqueThe Summer Shack

Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Tyson, Jr.Susanna Valdez

Village EmporiumVin Divino

Chef Jean-George VongertichenWallace Tent & Party Rental

Cortie Wehrill’s Devon Hill BMWLynne Wheat

Willis Rock ShopHarry Wils & CoWindow Panes

Mr. and Mrs. William Wister

Benefit GalaBusiness Sponsors

Acorn InvestmentsAlpha Marketing

Bangor Daily NewsBar Harbor Banking & Trust

Berry, Dunn, McNeil and ParkerCadillac Mountain Sports

Chef David BouleyContinental Airlines

Credit Suisse/First BostonDanube Restaurant

Hinckley Insurance GroupLandVest

Quirk Auto ParkSotheby’s Auction HouseThe Hinckley Company

Union Trust Bank

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ROLAND SOSA ARCHITECTURE

Proud to help Friends of Acadiapreserve and protect the beauty of

Acadia National Park andthe surrounding communities.

SAND POINT ROADBAR HARBOR, MAINE 04609

207-288-8950Fax 207-288-2506

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ACADIA NATIONAL PARK CALENDAR

Park Information: 207-288-3338 voice/TTY

Acadia in WinterCooling temperatures and dimming daylight make it a perfect time to throw a log in the

woodstove and curl up with a book that evokes daydreams of Acadia. Two terrific books bylocal authors are now available at park headquarters (open year round), and at the NatureCenter and Hulls Cove Visitor Center (open spring, summer, and fall).

Laurie Hobbs-Olson is the author of A Guide for Island Explorers, hot off the press fromEastern National. This handy guidebook offers ideas for exploring Acadia National Park andMount Desert Island car-free by using the Island Explorer shuttle bus system. Hike a long, one-way route without back tracking, or take an easy ride to Sand Beach and island villages withoutworrying about packed parking lots. This guidebook shows how, and it’s a great gift idea forthose planning a visit to Acadia. Eastern National, 2001, 60 pp., full color, $5.95, softbound.

In his new book, Acadia’s Native Flowers, Fruits, and Wildlife, author/photographer StevePerrin highlights trailside plants, berries, and wildlife in 147 stunning color photographs. Flow-ers and fruits are presented in order of seasonal appearance. Acadia’s Native Flowers, Fruits,and Wildlife is a pictorial guide to the beauty and diversity of Acadia’s wild inhabitants. EasternNational, 2001, 160 pp., $12.95, softbound.

Keep an eye out for Steve’s next book in this series, Acadia’s Trails and Terrain, forthcom-ing from Eastern National next year.

Winter’s WorkWhat do rangers do in the winter? It’s a question often asked by visitors who see Acadia only

in its full summer glory. In the Division of Interpretation, the rangers are cooking up all kindsof good projects to enhance the visitor experience all year round. Here are two recent andongoing projects:

The brand new Acadia National Park Map and Guide —Acadia’s old map and guide was one of the very first designed by the Park Service’s design

center in the service-wide format (the “unigrid” design, with black band at top featuring thepark name). That was back in the early 1980s. It became clear over the years that both the designand information had become sorely outdated. Over the course of a few winters (and summers),Acadia’s writer-editor worked with the Harpers Ferry Design Center (located in West Virginia) tocreate a brand new map and guide. The new map and guide, which debuted the spring of 2001,features the same map of the island with updates and much more pertinent information andinterpretive text. In 2002, be on the lookout for the updated map and guide for Saint CroixIsland International Historic Site.

Exhibits upstairs—This spring and summer, the parking lot at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center was reconfigured to

better accommodate Island Explorer shuttle bus users. In conjunction with this project, Acadiahas been writing and designing new exhibits. When completed, you will find them installedbeneath the shuttle bus pavilion (at the base of the visitor center stairs), along the stairs up tothe visitor center, and on the plaza by the flagpole up top. The exhibits feature panels aboutisland cultural and natural history, visiting the park, and Mount Desert Island’s seasons. Theexhibit panels, expected to be in place next summer, will provide a welcome opportunity forvisitors climbing the stairs to pause, catch their breath, and read about Acadia. Exhibits will alsobe installed at Thompson Island Information Center.

Throughout the “off season,” interpretive staff plan and prepare for the next summer, fieldphone calls from folks planning their vacation, update the website, visit classrooms to teachlocal students about Acadia, revise and order publications, and...well, you get the idea.�


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Special Person

GOOD NATURE

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ere’s a question: What do you do if you’re a good-natured man who loves to be outdoors; andyou like to direct your energy toward efforts that become accomplishments; and you’ve spent yourlife making wheels run smoothly?

For Bob Sanderson one answer has been to work on stewardship projects in Acadia NationalPark. A quietly affable mid-westerner, Bob began working with Friends of Acadia’s trail and carriageroad volunteer group seven years ago. During those years he has contributed thousands of hours tomaking the park a little better.

Bob devoted more than 30 years to hospital administration and in 1993, he and his wife, Sandy,retired to their dream house in Maine. Bob and Sandy met in high school and married after college.Originally from the Chicago area, they started coming to Maine with their two children in the early’70s, and began building their home in Southwest Harbor in 1985. Bob says, “We finished the housein 1993, and moved up a week later.” After six years in their new home, Sandy passed away in 1999.

Bob has built a close relationship with the community, not only working with Friends in thepark, but also volunteering with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, standing guard at the gate; with IslandConnections, providing transportation; with the Maine Coast Memorial Hospital on the Board ofTrustees; and with Habitat for Humanity. When asked why he volunteers, Bob says, “It gives a senseof giving back. During all the years of work and family vacations, I just didn’t have time. Nowvolunteering gives me just enough to do,” he smiles, “without it being a burden.”

It may not be a burden, but Bob does take it seriously. Friends’ volunteer program has grownand changed in the years since he first started. He has reminded us that it isn’t the specific projectsthat matter as much as the need volunteers meet. Volunteer projects at Acadia have expanded toinclude: clearing park boundary lines, finding and cleaning out obliterated drainage routes alongthe carriage roads, laying gravel on reconstructed park trails or new village connector trails, andbuilding bogwalks. “This was probably the best year for the volunteers,” Bob reflects. “We had morevariety, felt a little more self-motivated and free to determine what project we’d do on a morning.”

The work seemed to suit even the smallest among the volunteers. Bob’s six-year-old grand-daughter Sara joined him this summer to work on the Jordan Pond Trail. Taking after her grandfather,she was on gravel patrol. After she’d given her all there, she tried her hand at photography to cheeron the troops.

Every so often, a week or two will go by with no sign of Bob Sanderson, and then we can bepretty sure he’s pursuing another interest — traveling. He has traveled to state and national parksnear his daughter and son, and volunteered when projects were available.

London is a favorite destination. “The theater is inexpensive, and it’s pretty easy to get a turned-inticket,” he says. He’s seen the Parthenon and will be traveling to the Baja with his mother this winterto watch the whale migration. Next summer might just see him filling his wife’s shoes in a three-generational trip, accompanying his mother, daughter, and daughter-in-law to Paris and Venice.

At our Annual Meeting in July, Friends recognized Bob’s significant contributions to the VolunteerProgram and presented him with the Excellence in Volunteerism Award. He was recognized for “hisgenerosity and steadfastness as a volunteer in the traces of conservation, his even ways with kidsespecially, his dogged hard work with a hand saw, for which his peers have nicknamed him ‘Slash,’and certainly for his nonchalance despite a heart attack on Cadillac Mountain . . .”

Fortunately, the heart attack was a warning, received at the end of an autumn morning aftervolunteering. Bob was back on the trail before long, and we hope to see him there for many more years.

— Marla Major

Bob Sanderson with granddaughterSara aboard his boat the “Glengarry”

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Advocate. We advance park interests before Congress and the Maine Legislature, within the National Park Serviceand other federal, state or local bodies, and among the general public.

Make grants. We raise private funds for select capital projects in Acadia and for its enlightened stewardship,creating sustainable revenues through endowments where appropriate. We strive to supplement federal funds and services,not replace them.

Nullify threats. We mobilize people and forge nonprofit alliances to neutralize threats to park and community resources.

Promote excellent management. We speak for responsible users in the continual betterment of park operations.

Operate independently. We function as a free-standing nonprofit, supportive of the park but independent from it.We reserve the right to differ respectfully.

Seek a broad membership. We seek to maximize the number of park defenders, stewards and donors. We encourageevery visitor to join Friends of Acadia as a means of giving something back to the park for the privilege of experiencing it.

Enhance communities. We promote conservation in border communities through programs and grants that enhancetheir natural character and complement park values.

Support volunteerism. We supply a corps of motivated volunteers to meet designated park needs, including theupkeep of foot paths and carriage roads.

Produce tangible results. We achieve measurable results from programs and funds expended.

Leverage donated funds. We operate on a sound financial basis, leveraging member dues and other gifts to bringthe highest conservation return per donated dollar.

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Friends of Acadia

Cadillac Mountain from Wonderland

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V I S I O NFriends of Acadia seeks an Acadia National Park that is the best funded, best managed, and

best maintained national park for its size and volume of use. Mount Desert Island is distinguishedby its intact natural character and the quality of village life. The air is clean, the water pure.Low-emissions public transit, funded primarily by park entry fees, contributes to conserving

Acadia’s special qualities. Park visitation conforms to sensible carrying capacities.People feel a powerful reverence for their great national park and its host island.

They want to keep this place beautiful for all generations. They help protect its outstandingnatural, cultural, and economic attributes by supporting Friends of Acadia.

O P E R A T I N G P H I L O S O P H YTo accomplish our mission, we...

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The Rusticators’s Journal, a lovely book ofessays and photographs of Mount DesertIsland and Acadia National Park

A one-year subscription to the Friends ofAcadia Journal

A Friends of Acadia window decal

A Friends of Acadia lapel pin

The satisfaction of knowing that membershipin Friends of Acadia helps to preserve theremarkable beauty of Acadia National Park

Q U E S T I O N :

WHAT’S THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE PERSONWHO IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SHOP FOR?

A N S W E R :

A GIFT MEMBERSHIP IN FRIENDS OF ACADIA

Share your love of Acadia by giving a special gift

membership in Friends of Acadia. For a limited time,

we’re giving a special gift membership package for

only $40. Here’s what the recipient will receive:

We will send gift memberships with a card noting that the gift is from you. Think of all the people you

know who would enjoy being a part of the only nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Acadia

National Park and its surrounding communities!

Yes! I would like to buy a gift membership for:

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G I F T R E C I P I E N T #1

A D D R E S S

C I T Y / S T A T E / Z I P

Check one: Membership Special — Individual $40 Membership Special — Family $105

Be sure to fill in your name and address on the return envelope. For more information about giftmemberships, call Kelly Dickson or Terry Sosa at 800-625-0321 or e-mail: [email protected].

G I F T R E C I P I E N T #2

A D D R E S S

C I T Y / S T A T E / Z I P

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Check one: Membership Special — Individual $40 Membership Special — Family $105

Friends of Acadia 43 Cottage Street PO Box 45 Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 207 288-3340 1 800 625-0321

Friends of Acadia

The mission of Friends of Acadia is to preserve and protect the

outstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality, and cultural distinctiveness

of Acadia National Park and the surrounding communities, and thereby

to ensure a high quality experience for visitors and residents.

Mission

PRST STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLEWISTON, MAINE

PERMIT #82

Spruces in Snowstorm, Somes Sound

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