A Magazine about Acadia National Park and Surrounding Communities · 2018-01-19 · Friends of...

Spring 2011Volume 16 No. 1

A Magazine about Acadia National Park and Surrounding Communities

PURCHASE YOUR PARK PASS!Whether driving, walking, bicycling, or riding the Island Explorerthrough 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 projectsthat 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 Year-Round:Acadia National Park Headquarters (Eagle Lake Road)

Open May through November:Hulls Cove Visitor CenterThompson Island Information CenterSand Beach Entrance Station Bar Harbor Village Green Bus Center Blackwoods and Seawall CampgroundsJordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain Gift Shops

For more information visit

www.friendsofacadia.org

1Friends of Acadia Journal Spring 2011

This year marks Friends of Acadia’s 25th

anniversary—25 years dedicated tothe protection of Acadia National

Park. We will be celebrating all year long, atour events, in our publications, and throughspecial initiatives. Among the accomplish-ments to celebrate: The granting of more than $15.5 million dollars to conservationprograms, like the restoration of the historiccarriage roads and trail system, in AcadiaNational Park and the surrounding com-munities. FOA programs and partnershipsthat have built trails in the communities, created opportunities to introduce the nextgeneration to Acadia, and provided meaning-ful opportunities for volunteers of all ages to give back to the park. And the collectivevoice of FOA and its members, advocatingfor sensible management of and adequatefunding for Acadia.

Our efforts are intended not to replace thefederal obligation to fund the ongoing careand management of Acadia, but to enhancethe park’s ability to do its best work.

That work is based on the National ParkService mission, established in 1916 to “con-serve the scenery and the natural and historicobjects and the wild life therein and to pro-vide for the enjoyment of the same in suchmanner and by such means as will leave themunimpaired for the enjoyment of future gen-erations.” At the heart of the NPS’s ability to carry out that mission is funding—the ability to hire and train staff to understandthe complex balance of protection and enjoy-ment and to manage that balance effectively.

Currently our national parks are operatingunder a temporary budget while Congressworks to negotiate a budget for the remain-der of this fiscal year, which ends September30th. The financial decisions facing our sen-ators and representatives are complex anddifficult in this economic and political cli-mate, as demonstrated by the deep dividebetween the appropriations bills proposed inthe two houses of Congress. Negotiations arebeginning, with the need to close that divideand pass a budget for this fiscal year. Yet

Acadia has its work to do, and its mission tocarry out. Right now the park must preparefor the summer season, uncertain if fundingfor seasonal staff, land protection, summerprograms, and other endeavors will be cut—a little or a lot—or funded at levels original-ly proposed for this year.

FOA is working with national park part-ners across the country to support strongfunding for our parks. We will be talking withour congressional delegation and relevantcommittee staff, to share the local view ofwhat proposed budgets mean on the ground,in Acadia. We are fortunate in and grateful to Maine’s senators and representatives, whounderstand the value of Acadia to our state,as well as to our nation.

Acadia National Park is a powerful economic generator for Maine. In 2010 thepark had 2.5 million visits. Park visitors generated $158 million in economic activityin the state, and supported more than 3,000Maine jobs. But, the park must have adequatefunding to continue to protect its resourcesand provide opportunities for current visitorsto enjoy those resources without impairingthem for future visitors.

Over the year, FOA will call upon ourmembers and partners to join us in support-ing adequate funding for Acadia NationalPark—adequate to protect its resources andto meet the needs of its visitors, today and inthe future.

I invite you to visit the 25th anniversarypage on our website, which includes high-lights of the achievements our members andvolunteers have made possible over the years. And this summer, please plan to joinus for our Annual Meeting on July 13th, for aspecial celebration of 25 years of protectingAcadia. The park’s future is much brightertoday because of your support and partici-pation in Friends of Acadia. Thank you!

—Marla S. O’Byrne

25 YEARS OF PROTECTING ACADIA

President’s Column

Nor

een

Hog

an

Our efforts are intended not to replace the federal obligation to fund the ongoingcare and management ofAcadia, but to enhance thepark’s ability to do its bestwork.

2 Spring 2011


FEATURE ARTICLES

8 A Golden Anniversary and a New Relationship Aimee BealExciting times at the Wild Gardens of Acadia

10 Reversing the Environmental Wrongs of the Past Gregory BurrConsidering the value of unique habitats for fish and wildlife

11 Aquinas at Acadia Ann Karasinski Secrets of a successful service-learning program

12 Adapting to a Changing Climate in Acadia Malcolm BursonA DEP report highlights threats and recommends actions

14 Managing Invasive Plants in Acadia Aleta McKeageProtecting our native plant communities

16 Help Keep Insect Invaders Away! Judy Hazen ConneryAcadia officials are spreading the word: Don’t Move Firewood

25 AYCC: Hard Work, but So Rewarding Catherine Smith

ACTIVITIES/HIGHLIGHTS5 Memorial: Donald and Elizabeth Straus

7 Special Person: Rosemary Levin

18 Updates

26 Advocacy Corner

27 Book Reviews

DEPARTMENTS1 President’s Column 25 Years of Protecting Acadia Marla S. O’Byrne

3 Superintendent’s View It’s a Matter of Priorities Sheridan Steele

6 Poem Leaving David Sloan

28 Chariman’s Letter 25 Years, Past and Future Lili Pew

BOARD OF DIRECTORSLili Pew, Chair

Edward L. Samek, Vice ChairJoseph Murphy, TreasurerMichael Siklosi, Secretary

Emily BeckGail Clark

Andrew DavisJohn Fassak

Nathaniel FentonCookie Horner

Jack KelleyDebby Lash

Ed LipkinBarbara McLeod

Meredith MoriartyMarla S. O’Byrne

Andrea PerryDonna ReisJack Russell

Howard SolomonNonie Sullivan

Christiaan van HeerdenSandy Walter

Dick WolfBill Zoellick

HONORARY TRUSTEESEleanor Ames

Robert and Anne BassCurtis and Patricia BlakeRobert and Sylvia Blake

Frederic A. Bourke Jr.Tristram and Ruth Colket

Gail CookShelby and Gale Davis

Dianna EmoryFrances Fitzgerald

Sheldon GoldthwaitNeva Goodwin

Paul and Eileen GrowaldJohn and Polly Guth

Paul HaertelLee Judd

Linda LewisLiz MartinezJulia Merck

Gerrish and Phoebe MillikenGeorge J. and Heather Mitchell

Janneke NeilsonNancy Nimick

Jack PerkinsNancy Pyne

Louis RabineauNathaniel P. Reed

Ann R. RobertsDavid Rockefeller

Jeannine RossPatricia ScullErwin Soule

Diana Davis Spencer

EMERITUS TRUSTEESW. Kent Olson

Charles R. Tyson Jr.

FRIENDS OF ACADIA STAFFAimee Beal, Communications & Outreach Coordinator

Theresa Begley, Projects & Events CoordinatorMary Boëchat, Development AssistantSharon Broom, Development Officer

Sheree Castonguay, Accounting & Administrative AssociateStephanie Clement, Conservation Director

Lisa Horsch Clark, Director of DevelopmentDiana R. McDowell, Director of Finance & Administration

Marla S. O’Byrne, PresidentMike Staggs, Office Manager

FriendsFriends of of Acadia Acadia Journal Journal



Ionce read that management is “doingthings right” and that leadership is “doingthe right things.” I do believe that focus-

ing on a few of the right things is essential if an organization is to accomplish anythingof significance. Having too many goals, orgoals that continually change, is a sure wayto wander off course or not accomplish muchof anything. Without a map, any road willdo, as they say. That’s why early in my tenurehere at Acadia, I have focused my energieson four goals: filling in the “holes” of privateparcels within the park boundary, assuringthe success of SERC, maintaining andenhancing the quality of the visitor experi-ence in Acadia, and engaging youth in theoutdoors and their national parks. Why arethese important?

Fill in the holes: The essence of anynational park is the land within the parkboundary, containing the natural and culturalresources that we are charged with protect-ing and that draw visitors to the park. Acadiahas more than 130 private parcels withinthe legislated boundary yet to acquire. Everyone of them is a potential threat to importantpark values or an otherwise high-qualityvisitor experience. Given the small size ofAcadia, any incompatible use of land withinthe park will have “spillover” effects on parkland around it. For example, lawn mower orchain saw noise carries a great distance, andthese unnatural sounds would either drivevisitors away from the noise or detract fromthe peacefulness of their Acadia experience.And bright lights can affect the dark nightsky, which is another important park asset.With the assistance of Friends of Acadia andother concerned organizations and individ-uals, we are working to acquire each of thesein-held parcels as they become available.

Assure SERC success: In 2002 theNational Park Service took over the formerNavy base at Schoodic, and we are now con-verting it into the Schoodic Education andResearch Center. Once work is completed byJuly 2011, we will need to significantlyincrease new mission-related activities to

make the operation economically viable. Thismajor new facility must not drain fundingfrom essential visitor services and resourceprotection work—it must pay its own way.Developing new partnerships and workingwith the nonprofit SERC Institute will be essential to success. Our vision is thatSERC will be a world-class research andlearning institution, providing knowledgeand transformational experiences necessaryfor harmony between humankind and thenatural world. We want to create inspiringeducational opportunities for people of allages but especially youth, advance mission-related science to benefit Acadia and otherparks, and promote nature-inspired art that connects people to their natural and cultural heritage.

Maintain and enhance the high-qualityvisitor experience in Acadia: We want allvisitors to “bond” with Acadia National Park,to be inspired by the incredible natural beau-ty and wonderful history of their park, andto leave with a greater understanding andappreciation of this very special place.Someone once said “we must eliminate thestatic so people can hear the music.” Parkmanagers and partners are working on waysto reduce negative experiences from trafficcongestion, inadequately maintained facili-ties, lack of appropriate services, and the like.One example is the acclaimed Island Explorerbus system. Last summer, the Island Explorercarried over 412,000 visitors with an averageof 4,829 passengers per day. That meansroughly 2,500 vehicles that were not on theroads each day. We hope to continue improv-ing the Island Explorer service by extendingthe season, adding more buses, and reduc-ing intervals between buses.

Engage youth in the outdoors and their national parks: With teenagers spending, on average, 7.5 hours per day onelectronic media, and with a declining participation rate in outdoor recreation bythose under 18, there appears to be less interest in outdoor activities and the environ-ment among today’s youth. The Center forDisease Control says the current generationof youth may be the first to live shorter livesthan their parents because of health issuesassociated with a sedentary lifestyle and obesity. If these trends are correct, they havefrightening implications for the future of conserved lands, environmental protection,and even the way we relate to each other.We at Acadia want to find new ways to engagekids in nature and the wonderful array of values preserved in their national parks.

—Sheridan Steele

IT’S A MATTER OF PRIORITIES

Superintendent’s View

Pete

r Tr

aver

s With the assistance of Friendsof Acadia and other concernedorganizations and individuals,we are working to acquire eachof these in-held parcels as theybecome available.

4 Spring 2011 Friends of Acadia Journal

Acadia Winter Trails

At its meeting on February 7th, 2011, theAcadia NP Advisory Commission had alengthy discussion about the excellentcross country skiing conditions on the carriage roads of Acadia National Park this year. The abundance of snow and consistent cold temperatures both con-tributed to good conditions, but equallyimportant have been the efforts of the volunteers of the Acadia Winter TrailsAssociation, a committee of Friends ofAcadia. The Commission voted to sendthis letter of thanks in appreciation for themany hours of hard work those volunteershave dedicated to grooming the carriageroads. We recognize that the frequencyand intensity of the storms this year havemade their job even more challenging.

We also thank Friends of Acadia forproviding the grooming equipment and forsupporting the winter trails program.

In addition, we would like to thank themembers of the park staff, especially AlanFarnsworth, for keeping the groomingequipment operating.

On behalf of the Acadia National ParkAdvisory Commission and the winter usersof Acadia, please accept our sincere thanksand appreciation for a job well done.

—Steven Katona, Chairman Acadia National Park

Advisory Commission

Sharing Acadia with Friends

My wife and I visited Acadia during theColumbus Day weekend and broughtalong with us a couple who had neverbeen to Acadia. They fell in love with thepark just as we have been for years.Together we hiked Great Head as well asthe new Jesup Path. The beautiful workdone on the boardwalk through the GreatMeadow confirmed for me that my contri-butions to the Friends of Acadia are beingwell spent. The stars were spectacularevery evening and the colors were nearpeak across the island! I personally got tohike the Precipice Trail for the first timeand knocked off one big item from my“bucket list.”

—Steve HansenNew Hampshire

Happy Memories in Acadia

My gifts are often made in memory of my late wife, who died in 2007 after athree-year battle against colon cancer. Ifirst introduced Eileen to Acadia in thesummer of 1992 when she was pregnantwith our daughter. We had just traveledthrough Maine, New Brunswick, PrinceEdward Island, Cape Breton, and NovaScotia, and finished up our two weeks oftravel with a ferry ride from Yarmouth overto Bar Harbor for a two-day stay. Eileen’sreaction: “Why did we go all those otherplaces!”

When my daughter was three or four,we started traveling back to Bar Harborand Acadia for a week-long visit everysummer. Those continued for a decadeuntil our last visit as a family in 2006.Throughout the years, we often broughtfriends and family along with us. Since mywife’s death, my daughter and I have beenable to return for a visit every summeruntil this year. I myself still hope to get upto visit Acadia for a day or two beforeThanksgiving—the quiet season with toomany of our usual favorite spots closed forthe season, but I will still need “my Acadiafix”....It will do my heart and soul and spirit a world of good.

Thank you to your organization forhelping to preserve one of my favorite cor-ners of this world, where so many happyfamily memories remain fresh within me.

—Rich BeebeConnecticut


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.

The Journal is published three times a year.Submissions are welcome.

Opinions expressed are the authors’.

You may write us at43 Cottage Street / PO Box 45

Bar Harbor, Maine 04609or contact us at207-288-3340800-625-0321

www.friendsofacadia.orgemail: [email protected]

EDITORAimee Beal

POETRY EDITORChristian Barter

DESIGNMahan Graphics

PHOTOGRAPHER AT LARGE Tom Blagden

PRINTINGPenmor Lithographers

PUBLISHERMarla S. O’Byrne

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

soy-based ink, using wind power.

Notes from Friends

Chasm Brook BridgeCover photograph by Tom Blagden

Tom

Bla

gden



Beth and Don Straus were awarded the MarianneEdwards Distinguished Service Award in 2003.

Memorial

DONALD AND ELIZABETH STRAUSThey Dearly Loved This Place

With sadness we mark the passingof Elizabeth Allen Straus onDecember 6th, 2010, and

remember, too, her husband Donald BlunStraus, who passed away on September 3rd,2007. Don and Beth came to Mount DesertIsland from New York, first as summer resi-dents but ultimately living year round in theirSomesville home. They dearly loved thatproperty and they dearly loved MDI, andtheir sense of place coupled with remarkablepublic-spiritedness led them to live in amanner that undoubtedly enriched us all.

If you think Somesville is a beautifulMaine village, notice how much undevelopedland surrounds individual private homes.You’re looking at the power of the conser-vation easement—private land whose open-ness is a protected part of the view, as mucha part of the scenic landscape as the parkitself. Acadia National Park holds moreconservation easements than any other unitof the National Park Service: 184 propertiesin 18 towns—more than 12,000 acres.

Beth was involved in the founding ofMaine Coast Heritage Trust, and believedshe should lead by example. Soon afterpurchasing their property, Beth and Dondonated a conservation easement to AcadiaNational Park through MCHT, preserving alarge in-town meadow bordered by Route102 and Somes Harbor. This was 1974, andtheir generous gift was among Acadia’s firsteasements. Don and Beth participated inthe start of a domino effect—easement aftereasement, often through Maine CoastHeritage Trust, came to Acadia National Parkin the following years.

This act was far from singular in their lives,however, but of a piece. Don served as chair-man of the board of the Planned ParenthoodFederation of America, and on the boards ofthe International Council of CommercialArbitration, the Population ResourcesCommission, the Society of Human Ecology,the Carnegie Endowment for International

Peace, the Institute for Advanced Study,and of the College of the Atlantic. Beth’s wide-ranging interests in horticulture, parks, andcultural institutions led her to serve onMOMA’s Board of Trustees and volunteerfor the New York Botanical Garden, both forover half a century. As vice president of theIsland Foundation (now the Mount DesertLand and Garden Preserve), Beth wasinstrumental in the grant to Friends ofAcadia that led to a wheelchair-accessibletrail near the Jordan Pond House.

Beth and Don were major donors toFriends of Acadia, and he joined the boardin 1992, serving for a dozen years. Recallsthen-president Ken Olson, “Don was the onewho could pointedly—but with a smile—figure out the logic in any stance we mightwant to take.” Beth and Don were awardedthe Marianne Edwards Distinguished ServiceAward in 2003, and together were namedhonorary trustees in 2004. Adds Olson,“They were wonderful people. FOA wasfortunate that both of them came within itscompass.” ❧

—Aimee Beal

The Alcyon CenterBob and Cheryl Anderson

Nena AntoneLen BerkowitzAnnette BlankKent Carter

Stephanie ClementTim and Barbara Cole

Pat HayesScott and Linda Curtis

Tim DrewEdith and Doug DuBois

EmmiThom and Cathy Foreman

Friends of Acadia Board and StaffJD Hague

Nanette HerbstHiking! Cross Country Skiing! Walking!

Cookie and Bill HornerJhin Family

Lee and Gail KatzChuck and Claudia Knudsen

Debby and Jim LashMr. and Mrs. William McNulty

My FamilyHelena Oswald

Our FamilyMargaret N. Pearson

Lili PewCaleb Reed

Rob RobbinsMicah Rosenblum

Ed and Martie SamekJulius Schachter

Patricia ScullJohn and Jean Smith

Charlotte Stetson and Lesley StraleyJulie Banzhaf Stone and Steve Stone on their birthdays

Bob TaylorVolunteers at Harrison Middle School Library

Jane Whitney and Richard Hero

October 1, 2010–January 31, 2011

IN NOMINEWe gratefully acknowledge gifts

received in honor of:


Leaving

The air feels filled with frankness today,a welcome inescapability.

The leaves are coppered and hammered out thinenough to let light through. After the dazzle,

the understated dwindling begins. Robustto sere, the center shrivels, dying in earnest.

No more strutting, struggle, avertingof eyes. I, too, want no part of showing off.

Give me earth-colored robes.Taking a bow becomes bowing before…

what? Call it a coherence—the leaves, light,geese overhead, a rake leaning in a porch corner,

the self ready for a ripe and rising wind.

—David Sloan

Poem

An English and drama teacher at Merriconeag Waldorf HighSchool, DAVID SLOAN is the author of two books on Waldorfeducation. His poems and articles have been published inNorthern New England Review, Western Poetry Quarterly,and Renewal.

Friends of Acadia2010 Poetry Award 3rd Prize

David J. KriegerAndrew Krueger

Doug LelandHolly Lewis

Jennifer Sue LissMary Lucas

Sharon Scott LucasMrs. Arla MacDonald

Sally A. MagyarRuth H. Manchester

Marlene MarburgJohn Marisic

Mary MatthewsEllsworth D. Minor Jr.

Richard MorganStephanie Muir

My Chesapeake Bay Retriever, CodyBryant Fennelly Nicholson

Eunice Thompson OrrLouisa Jeanne Papaccio

Lucille Pfister and Gordon RamseyVirginia PritchettDavid Rabasca

James Paxton Roberts Jr.John T. RobertsKatie RobertsIrene RouleauJean Rourke

Marie E. RussellCarmen D. Ruzzo

Mrs. Charles K. SavageRichard Sawyer

Gertrude Stanley SchmidtJeanne B. SharpeNancy Silverman

Henry Springer and William Walker StarbuckJames D. SteptoeEdward W. StoolEileen M. TateoThomas Witt

Theresa Yerkes

Shirley B. AllisonRobert Apgar

Adrian AshermanJet and Banshee

Walter and Christine BeadleBob Beallor

Edward McCormick BlairBlue Bear

Sarah Vanneman BradburyWilmer Bradbury

Ethelyn and Benjamin Breeze Sr.Francis H. Brooks

George BuckCharlotte and Stan Buff

Charles E. BybeeDow L. Case

Al CharbonneauMuriel ClementBeverly ColemanDick Cossaboon

Lynn DalyFrancis W. and Sallie M. Dinsmore

George B. DorrGeorge L. Dover

Burch DunnZsa Zsa EnglandDonald C. Esty

Francis C. and Rachel W. EvansDani FaramelliRichard Frost

Richard P. GagnonRalph L. Genova

Nicholas GervasioJames W. GrantDonald Higgins

Milton HodgkinsLorraine Horsch

Benjamin C. HubbardDavid KeisterKel and Abbi

Olin Kettlekamp

IN MEMORIAMWe gratefully acknowledge gifts received in memory of:



Special Person

ROSEMARY LEVIN

In 2004 Rosemary Levin was looking fora way to support Friends of Acadia’s mission of protecting and promoting

stewardship of Acadia. “I really love whatFOA does for the park, especially with respectto maintaining and preserving the carriageroads. I wanted to contribute in a meaningfuland unique way.” She and her husband,Garry, were already active members of theFOA Schoodic Committee—they live inCorea. An accomplished visual artist,Rosemary had begun making hooked rugs of hand-dyed wool over a decade ago. Sheconceived of a project combining two thingsshe loves: a series of seventeen hooked rugsdepicting the seventeen stone bridges ofAcadia’s carriage road system.

Rosemary decided that she would donatea “bridge rug” to the FOA Benefit Auctioneach year, featuring each bridge in the orderthey were built. In January 2005, Rosemary,her husband, Garry, and their dog, Lucky,hiked to Cobblestone Bridge, built in 1917.Cobblestone Bridge is the only carriage roadbridge constructed primarily of cobble-stones collected from the area immediately surrounding the bridge, rather than locallyquarried and cut stone blocks. Working fromher on-site photos and drawings, Rosemarycreated the design and blended dyes to give the piece its individual palette. She completed the rug that May, and donated it to the Benefit in August.

Little Harbor Brook Bridge was next in2006, followed by Jordan Pond Dam Bridgein 2007, Hemlock Bridge in 2008, WaterfallBridge in 2009, and Deer Brook Bridge in2010. For 2011, Rosemary will feature oneof the smallest of the 17 bridges, HadlockBrook Bridge. Modeled after a bridge thatcrosses a lake at 59th street in New York’sCentral Park, Hadlock Brook Bridge is set ina picturesque glade that will become the focusof the rug. “The bridge and its environmentare tranquil,” Rosemary explains. “I want to capture the quiet beauty of the forest thatsurrounds this bridge.”

Friends of Acadia is fortunate to have thesupport of many highly talented artists whosegenerosity makes the Annual Benefit Auctionsuch a successful event. Rosemary’s grand 17-year vision represents a special kind of commitment. Says Friends of Acadia Directorof Development Lisa Horsch Clark, “Theexceptional commitment and generosity of

artists and donors like Rosemary Levin help to ensure that the Annual Benefit will continue to support vital stewardship programs in Acadia far into the future.” Sheadds, “Rosemary’s rugs are always a hot ticket item at the Benefit.”

Says Rosemary, “While we love to clamberalong the shoreline, hike the trails and climbthe mountains, whenever we go to Acadia wewalk the carriage roads. They are a respite,an opportunity to quietly be a part of the natural environment. I am proud to createand contribute a rug each year, and to support Friends of Acadia in this way. I thrill to the opportunity to combine hook-ing with the FOA effort to ensure that the carriage roads are comfortable and accessible,and that they will continue to serve as a testa-ment to the harmony that is possible betweenman and nature.” ❧

—Aimee Beal and Garry Levin

Rosemary Levin at work in her Corea, Maine studio The 2010 Deer Brook Bridge rug shows Rosemary’sdistinctive use of colors and patterns.

The exceptional commitmentand generosity of artists and donors like Rosemary Levin helps to ensure that theAnnual Benefit will continue to support vital stewardship programs in Acadia far into the future.

Gar

ry L

evin

(x2

)


Wild Gardens of Acadia

A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY AND A NEW RELATIONSHIP

When the Bar Harbor GardenClub sponsored a hugelysuccessful wildflower

propagation contest in 1961, its mem-bers went looking for a permanent habitat to maintain the plants. AcadiaNational Park superintendent HaroldHubler agreed to allot a three-quarteracre plot to the project, stipulating thatonly plants native to MDI could beincluded. And so, beside a clear, wind-ing brook fed by Sieur de Monts Spring,the Wild Gardens of Acadia have offeredboth a serene garden haven and aunique educational resource to AcadiaNational Park visitors for the past 50 years.

Although it’s well known that glacialactivity carved Acadia’s rugged mountainsand magnificent coastline, not everyone isaware that glacial effects also contributedto a remarkable diversity of plant life nativeto Mount Desert Island. By the time MDIstarted to emerge from the last ice age,around twelve thousand years ago, it hadbeen scoured and shaped by a mile-plus-thick ice sheet for over ten thousandyears. The durable granite of MDI’s moun-tains, formed by volcanic action some 370million years ago, partly withstood the glacier as it moved from north to south.Weaker rock types fared less well; the glacier scraped mountains bare or nearlybare of soil and created deep and poorly-drained valleys between steep eastern andwestern slopes. When it retreated, the gla-cier left behind acidic glacial till, and marineclay deposits that encouraged wetland for-mation. And, when the ice was finallygone—the sea level having risen from melt-water and the land having rebounded fromthe removal of the ice’s weight—this groupof mountains happened to end up just at theocean’s edge.

As a result, MDI has many ecosystems,from subalpine to peat bog to saltwater,

within a very small area. The entire state of Maine supports 105 natural plant com-munities; on less than one percent of Maine’s land area, MDI hosts more than 50percent of those communities. In addition, a number of plant species reach the north-ern or southern limit of their range withinAcadia National Park, and do not growbeyond this point. It’s no exaggeration, then,to say that Acadia has a unique naturalresource in its native flora. And in the WildGardens of Acadia, the park has a uniqueeducational resource that offers opportunitiesfor all ages and interest levels to learn aboutthe area’s native plant diversity.

To support a representative variety ofplant communities, the founding volun-teers of the Wild Gardens created twelve

habitats that capture the range ofMDI’s ecosystems. They brought insand to create a beach and a granitedome for a mountain, and workedwith existing wetlands to create apond, bog, and marsh. They got permission to collect native speciesfrom private property and lands slated for development. They heldplant sales and committed their personal resources to nurturing theGardens.

By the 1990s, they were a belovedand integral part of Acadia. But, saysWGA committee member AnneKozak, “it was an untenable situation.”

Funding for the Gardens was never secure,though the next generation of volunteers hadunhesitatingly continued the founders’ tra-dition of purchasing the necessary soilamendments, tools, and other inputs. Time,too, was an issue: the welcome assistance oftwo students interns (the first funded by the park, with a second funded by FOAbeginning in 2001) required that a volunteeralways be present to supervise the students’work, and the regular demands of main-taining the Gardens made it impossible forthe volunteers to offer significant educationalor interpretive programs to visitors.

According to WGA Chairman BarbaraCole, many solutions were discussed—everything from the park taking over the program, to abandoning the Gardens altogether. But Acadia lacked the resourcesto run the Gardens, and the volunteers weredetermined that the project would survivebeyond them. A “big breakthrough,” accord-ing to committee member Sue Leiter, camein 2008 when Friends of Acadia committedto hire a professional head gardener with theexpertise and ability to supervise the interns.She adds, “the head gardener position offerscontinuity; volunteers can come and go,but someone will be there with institutionalknowledge, with the big picture in mind.

Wild Gardens Chairman Barbara Cole teaches three Junior Rangers about native plants. The FOA-funded head gardener gives volunteers more time for educational programs.

Aimee Beal

The Wild Gardens of Acadia

offer opportunities for all ages

and interest levels to learn about

the area’s native plant diversity.


And it will allow volunteers to look at otherways to make the gardens meaningful,through education and interpretation.” Thecurrent head gardener, Geneva Langley, hasa background in horticulture and botany, andworked for the park before coming to theWild Gardens.

Finally, in 2010 Friends of Acadia signeda memorandum of understanding (MOU)with Acadia National Park, establishing a formal relationship with the Wild Gardensof Acadia to ensure their stability and success. According to the MOU, WGA volun-teers will continue conducting their usualactivities—staffing, raising funds, main-taining the gardens, and implementing educational programs. In addition to hiringthe supervisory gardener, FOA will help theWGA committee with volunteer support,fundraising, and administrative tasks. AcadiaNational Park will continue to host the gardens and provide utilities, technicalexpertise, interns, and maintenance.

Says Anne Kozak, “A great deal of creditgoes to Marla, Lili, and Sheridan” for mak-ing the MOU a reality. She adds, “The MOUis dramatically important to our long-termviability.” It will offer support and continuityfor the next generation of volunteers who willcome to serve the Wild Gardens of Acadia.Its positive effects were felt immediately. In 2010, FOA volunteer crews and park staff assisted with maintenance projectsincluding felling trees, fixing paths, and

building stone patios, and Friends of Acadiastaff worked with volunteers from the Wild Gardens and the Hancock CountyMaster Gardener Program to create a highly popular guide to the Gardens’ fern species.

What do the next 50 years hold for theWild Gardens of Acadia? Maintaining andimproving the visitor experience is top onthe list. The committee is thinking about neweducational programs like the fern guide, and seeking new volunteer docents to greetvisitors, give tours, and answer questions. In addition, some of the habitats need re-vitalization and others suffer from periodicflooding; the committee, together with thehead gardener and Acadia maintenance staff, are developing a plan to ensure that thequality of the Gardens is not impaired.

The Gardens’ educational value can alsobe enhanced by increasing their role in rareplant rescue in the Acadia region. The com-mittee used to have a plant rescue chairper-son, but that position is currently vacant. SaysSue Leiter, “Every time someone builds adriveway or a house, the Wild Gardensshould be called.” Volunteers have longresponded to such calls, searching areas slated for development and transplantingthreatened rare or noteworthy plants to theGardens. Some species in Acadia are so rare,and others have such challenging cultivationrequirements, that this is the sole means vol-unteers have of bringing them into theGardens. Each plant rescue give volunteers

another opportunity to study the cultiva-tion of that species, and shows WGA visitorssomething they might never see otherwise.

One last piece of the sustainability puz-zle will be to grow the WGA fund, with along-term goal of establishing an endowmentfor the Gardens’ perpetual maintenance.Friends of Acadia’s charitable status gives the Gardens the necessary standing for a significant fundraising campaign, and the excellent track record and collectiveexpertise of FOA’s Investment and FinanceCommittee will assure donors that endowedand operating funds will be protected in perpetuity.

The remarkable hard work and tenacityof the volunteers of the Wild Gardens ofAcadia have given park visitors a very spe-cial place over the past half-century. Now,with two strong allies standing behind them,the volunteers will be able continue to nurture and grow this award-winning microcosm of Acadia’s uniquely varied plantcommunities for many years to come. ❧

AIMEE BEAL is the communications and outreachcoordinator at Friends of Acadia.

The twelve habitats of the Wild Gardens offer peacefully meandering pathways for visitors to explore. This pink lady’s slipper was rescued from an area slat-ed for development. In a year or two it will use upthe beneficial fungus in the soil it came with, and willnot survive. Yellow lady’s slippers, on the other hand,come back every year in the Gardens.


Natural Resource Protection

Even before the great industrial revolu-tion people aspired to make their liveseasier, more convenient and comfort-

able, and their surroundings aestheticallypleasing. These beautifications, comforts,conveniences, and efficiencies often came atcost to our natural resources. Because the pro-tection of natural resources was not on theforefront of people’s minds, the technologyto help preserve habitats, plants, and animalsdid not advance hand-in-hand with develop-ment. Many environmental compromiseswere, at the time, felt to be necessary to pro-tect human lives, infrastructure, and jobs.Dams were built for hydro and electric power;rivers were widened, blasted, and straight-ened for log drives; streams were dug out forfire protection, beautification, and recreation;and bigger roads were constructed for moreefficient travel. Little thought was given to the value of unique habits, or the fragility offish and wildlife species or rare plant com-munities that help make a landscape diverseand special.

If we take the microcosm of Mount DesertIsland as an example, this beautiful place thatwe hold up as one of the geographic gems ofthe US has not been immune to environ-mental alterations that are still in place today and that degrade the value, quality, andquantity of both terrestrial and aquatic plantsand animals. Observe around you—you don’thave to look far. Storm runoff and septic flowscontaminate our intertidal areas, making their marine species off limits for human consumption. Golf courses and other largelandscaping projects destabilize stream banks,fill in waterways, and change recharge rates,making them prone to flooding; they increasenutrient loading with the use of high phos-phorous and nitrogen fertilizers, creatingalgae blooms that decrease oxygen levels; andthey cut tree canopies above streams, warm-ing the water and affecting native coldwaterfish and inspect communities. Streamsdammed for fire protection or ornamentalgardens act as heat sinks, and block spawn-

ing migrations and summer coldwater refugesfor native eastern brook trout, Maine’s number-one inland fish resource. Roads thatwere built too close to lakes, ponds, andstreams cause nutrient loading and eutro-phication that rob cold spring-fed waters ofoxygen necessary for our native aquaticspecies. Roads built in natural stream chan-nels, or crossing streams with undersized culverts, block fish spawning migrations andare prone to flooding, erosion, and sedimen-tation that lead to habitat degradation fornative species.

If we could go back and build our com-munities over, we would do it with the mindset of protecting our resources for futuregenerations. That good news is that we nowknow in many cases what our lands andwaters need to be healthy, and we can reversemany of the mistakes we’ve made. Today we have the technology to redesign and retro-fit our roadways, recreation areas, septic

and storm water runoff flows, dams, andlandscaping practices. At the Maine Depart-ment of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, we areworking with many individuals, companies,and federal and state agencies to design,redesign, and retrofit many problematic, outdated mechanisms responsible for degrad-ing our natural resources, quality of life, quality of place, and economic potential.We can help through community education,by finding funds for individual land ownersand companies to redesign aging infrastruc-ture, and by working with state and federalenvironmental regulatory agencies to ensurethe future protection of our fish, wildlife, and plants. ❧

GREGORY BURR grew up in Northeast Harbor andgraduated from Mount Desert Island High School.He holds a B.S. in fisheries management from UnityCollege, and is the head fisheries management biol-ogist for all inland waters on Mount Desert Islandand Hancock and Washington Counties with theMaine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

REVERSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL WRONGS OF THE PAST

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How can a fish navigate that? This undersized culvert on Stanley Brook was also vulnerable to washout in major floods. Inset: The fish-friendly culvert installed by park maintenance crews in 2010 reconnects theupper quarter mile of the headwaters to lower reaches of Stanley Brook.

Gregory Burr


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Volunteers

By college-student standards, the daystarted early—eight o’clock—and itstarted hard and fast with a climb up

the steep St. Sauveur Trail carrying packs,tools, and rough-cut cedar logs eight feet inlength. The first job for one crew of AquinasCollege students was constructing a bogwalkover a flooded portion of the upper trail; theremaining students spent the day brushingthe trail beyond the construction site, distracted only by a breathtaking view ofSomes Sound.

On Monday, October 18th, 2010, a groupof thirteen students from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan began a week of volunteer work at Acadia National Park.Their visit continued a partnership that wasestablished more than a decade ago, pro-viding service-learning opportunities forAQ students nearly every fall since its inception in 1999.

From 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. each day,the students and two AQ advisors, along with FOA Field Crew Leaders Cliff Olson and Jim Linnane, worked on projects thatwere organized by Jonathan Gormley, the vol-unteer coordinator at Acadia. After Monday’swork on St. Sauveur, Tuesday’s efforts includ-ed carriage road grooming near Jordan PondHouse and removal of lobster traps washedup on Hunter’s Beach. Wednesday morningbrought a hike up Dorr Mountain’s KurtDiederich’s Climb to the East Face Trail,where students retrieved tools and equipmentno longer needed by the park crews repair-ing granite steps near the summit. Wednesdayafternoon was spent removing silt fences andclearing brush near the Amphitheatre Bridge,and Thursday, the last day of work, wasdevoted to slinging gravel at the rehabilitatedValley Trail and completing a new section ofbogwalk at Hunter’s Beach.

During the week, students not only learnedskills—how to build a crib and level a bedlog—they developed capacity and problem-solving strategies. Relying on the expertiseand experience of Cliff and Jim, the students

supported each other, promoted good jobquality, worked safely, and collected plentyof stories. The two FOA field crew leadersalso shared history and stories about the parkand the island. The variety of projects gavethe students a broad tour of Acadia, includ-ing the east and west sides of Mount DesertIsland, from mountain to forest to sea.

Prior to working together at Acadia, mostof the AQ students had never met each other.But friendships were quickly formed, andwhen the workday was finished the studentsexplored the park together. Many took on thechallenge of the Precipice and thrilled at therigor of the climb and the teamwork utilizedto ensure the success of each student. Insearch of a sunset, the students were amazedat how quickly Cadillac Mountain wasshrouded in clouds, obscuring a view of theocean that was new to many.

On Friday afternoon, the week concludedwith a lobster lunch and a presentation aboutNational Park Service employment. In aroundtable discussion with park and FOApersonnel, many AQ students reported howthe pristine beauty of Acadia inspired them,and how they intended to return home andwork on environmental issues in their ownbackyard (and beyond—to date, three stu-dents have returned to Acadia as seasonalemployees).

Jonathan Gormley identified several thingsthat contribute to the successful Aquinas-Acadia partnership. The first, which Jonathancalled esprit de corps, is the development ofexcellent relationships between the studentsand their crew leaders, which in turn createa sense of unity and purpose. Another is theoutstanding amount of work accomplished;Jonathan reported that Acadia has a lot ofgreat student volunteers, but the AQ studentsare special in that they come for a week andput in four full days of work. “The studentsfrom Aquinas are easily one of our favoritegroups,” he said. “The work ethic is super.”The educational opportunity is another benefit, giving students an understanding ofconservation and park history.

For over ten years, Acadia National Parkhas provided Aquinas College students withlearning opportunities, volunteer experience,and friendships. But most importantly, theAQ students have lived the legacy that is Acadia. By working together, they’ve contributed to something that will be cherished and enjoyed forever. ❧

ANN KARASINSKI is a writer whose work hasappeared on NPR and in essay collections and news-papers. A former school psychologist and an out-doorswoman, she visited Acadia with her husband,Gary, the director of Student Support Services atAquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Theyare eager to return as volunteers.

AQUINAS AT ACADIA

The 2010 Aquinas College crew with ANP and FOA leaders. From left to right, front row: Jim Linnane,Jessica Lawrence, Kaytlin Speaks, Samantha Buehler, Jacqueline Puente, Melanie Wisneski, Abigail Koprowicz,Ann Karasinski, Cliff Olson; back row: Matt Kuch, Caleb Uecker-Herman, Nick Signore, Jake Sabourin, Stu Clapp, Joe Kremer-Herman, James Zordan, Jonathan Gormley, Gary Karasinski.

Ann Karasinski



ADAPTING TO A CHANGING CLIMATE IN ACADIA

Malcolm Burson

The climate of the Acadia region, aseverywhere else on the globe, ischanging. Familiar and ordinary

signals—such as the gradual rise of annual average sea level in Frenchman Bay, earlierleafing and blooming of native and ornamental plants, increases in ocean stormseverity, and changes in the extent and timing of precipitation—all indicate that ourclimate is changing around us now, while anoverwhelming scientific consensus tells usthat these effects on the natural and humanenvironments will only increase in thedecades and centuries ahead.

A changing climate affects our personal andcommunity life at the local and regional scale.And since we will only know after the factthe precise extent and timing of climateeffects—such as changing temperatures, rising sea level, increases in plant and animal disease vectors like deer ticks or invasive species like Asian shore crabs, orflooding from severe rains—the planning andimplementation of local measures to adapt tolikely changes is both prudent and necessary.

The Maine Legislature underscored this in2009 when it directed the Department ofEnvironmental Protection to convene adiverse group of stakeholders to make initialrecommendations on how the state shouldadapt to climate change. Their report (available at www.maine.gov/dep/oc/adapt/index.htm) identifies a number of steps that municipalities and local groups shouldconsider to make their communities moreresilient and sustainable.

While much public interest centers onincreases in seasonal and average temper-ature, often called “global warming,” thatdirect impact may not be the most importantfor the Acadia area. The climate system as awhole is extremely complex, and there issome evidence that coastal currents in theGulf of Maine may put Mount Desert Islandin a cooler summer climate zone. At the sametime, temperature increases elsewhere will

likely bring more people to Acadia to escapesummer heat. The principal temperatureeffect, however, will be realized in sea levelrising from the thermal expansion of seawaterand glacial meltwaters. The Maine GeologicalSurvey and some state planning regulationsassume a minimum local sea level increase of two feet by the year 2100.

Acadia’s natural environment, on which itdepends to attract visitors to the park, willcertainly be affected by these and related

factors. As the accompanying map illustrates,ANP officials are already working to identifycoastal salt marshes that will be at risk as sealevel rises. The marshes (like Pretty Marsh)themselves will seek to adapt by moving“up”—that is, as low marsh is inundated yearby year, the species that currently flourishthere will replace those “high marsh” speciesthat can’t tolerate wet feet. The high marshplant and animal species will try to migrateinto upland areas. But in many cases,

This map of MDI shows the range of wetlands in and around Acadia. Coastal salt marshes will be greatly asrisk as sea level rises.

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natural features and human developmentmay keep that from happening. Naturalresources managers must plan for this by,for example, protecting currently open areasinto which these critical wetland species canmove over time. One locally uncommonspecies is particularly at risk. The sharp-tailedsparrow nests in the area immediately abovethe high-tide mark, and Acadia’s only knowncolony breeds along the MDI causeway. Two feet of sea level rise may make nestingimpossible.

In addition to the effects of sea level riseon the natural environment, there is clearlya need to assess the potential vulnerabilitiesof this area’s built environment. For instance,any increase in the frequency or intensity ofocean storms, which is likely, will have animpact on the area’s many wharfs, piers, andjetties. Current boat launches, ramps, andshoreside businesses may need to be raisedor moved landward. And transportation officials will want to identify those roads likely to be inundated more frequently during storm surges on top of sea levelincreases, particularly to assure emergencyaccess when needed.

The other most significant impacts Maineand the Acadia region are likely to experiencein the coming decades will result fromchanges in the timing and intensity of precip-itation. Once again, precise forecasting isn’tpossible, but what we are seeing already is agood indicator of what to expect as we receivemore frequent and heavier rain events, a shift in snowfall to a later and wetter pattern,and (paradoxically) greater likelihood oflate summer drought. These changes haveimplications for public services such asstormwater and wastewater management,and for public and private drinking watersupplies.

These changes in Acadia’s climate andweather, possibly combined with warmertemperatures, will also affect public healthand welfare. We’re already aware of the explosive spread of Lyme disease in Maine,which is directly related to warmer wintertemperatures that no longer inhibit deer ticks.Wetter late winter conditions are a cause ofmold and mildew problems, particularly inolder homes, and this can be exacerbated byefforts to “button up” for energy conservationsince such buildings typically are not well

ventilated. Should extreme summer heatbecome more common, public health officials must consider how best to respond,while school authorities may need to assessschool ventilation systems as the local climatewarms up earlier in the summer, and remainswarm into “back to school” season.

The waters of the Gulf of Maine, and thecool coastal summers they bring, are a keynatural resource supporting the area’s economy. There is significant evidence thatthe world’s ocean waters are becoming moreacidic as a result of increasing carbon dioxidelevels in the atmosphere, and this has a directimpact on the ability of lobsters, crabs, andmollusks to form shells. The gradual warm-ing of coastal waters is already encouragingthe spread of the Asian shore crab, an invasivespecies detrimental to the fishery that hasalready been found in the mid-coast. And assummer climate heats up farther to the south,the demand for tourism infrastructure inAcadia can only increase: will Bar Harbor and adjacent towns be prepared to takeadvantage of the opportunity?

So how best to respond? At present, leader-ship on climate change at the national levelis unlikely, and the change of administrationin Maine and diminished state governmentresources mean that the most effective locusfor actions to assess risk and vulnerability,develop plans, and implement “no risk”strategies that will be valuable regardless ofthe course of climate change, lies at the localand regional level. Tools to support this arebeing developed at the state and internationallevels. Elsewhere in Maine, the Southern

Maine Regional Planning Commission is leading an effort among the towns ofScarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Biddeford,and Saco to plan together for the effects ofsea level rise, including adoption of commonmodel shoreland zoning ordinances. The Cityof Belfast is working with ICLEI: LocalGovernments for Sustainability to lowergreenhouse gas emissions and develop adaptation plans. The Hancock CountyPlanning Commission has held at least oneseminar on climate adaption, and it may beworthwhile for municipalities and local interest organizations such as land trusts toconsider taking further steps together in orderto share resources.

While the reality of a changing climate isnot within our control, and while the precisecourse of this change will never be certain,taking local action to plan and implementeffective actions to help the communitiesbecome more resilient is key to assuring thatthis region is prepared for a sustainablefuture. ❧

MALCOLM BURSON is the Climate AdaptationProgram Manager in the Commissioner’s Office atthe Maine Department of Environmental Protection,and the principal author of the report to the MaineLegislature noted above. He was also the principalauthor of “A Climate Action Plan for Maine 2004,”which made 54 recommendations to mitigategreenhouse gas emissions in Maine in order to meetstatutory reduction targets.

For more information, see “Maine’s Climate Future: An Initial Assessment” (2009) by the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine: h t tp : / / c l imatechange .umaine .edu/mainesclimatefuture/index.html

Acadia’s many unpaved roads and paths—including carriage roads, trails, and gravel roads like the Seal CoveRoad, shown here following Hurricane Hanna in 2008—are vulnerable to severe washouts from increasinglyintense storms.

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MANAGING INVASIVE PLANTS IN ACADIAAleta McKeage

Travelling the roads and trails of AcadiaNational Park, we see dense spruceforests, birch and aspen stands, and

rocky slopes, and sense that this protectedand relatively isolated landscape is largelyunspoiled. While there is some truth to this,especially when the park is compared to thelandscapes where most of our visitors reside,there are insidious threats to the ecologicalhealth and naturalness of our island. Invasiveplants have made their way to coastal Maine,and without intervention are on their way todoing more damage than we can readilyimagine.

As a plant ecologist, I have spent a significant amount of time studying the problem of invasive exotic plants. Even so,it took a recent trip to southern New Englandto show me the potential ecological threatthese plants present. As I drove back roadsin western Rhode Island, I realized that thelovely lush undergrowth was in fact a denseand thorny tangle of exotic multiflora rose.Nothing else was growing in the understory;not on the ground, not in the shrub layer. Formiles and miles.

Subsequently, my travels took me to otherareas choked by invasive plants, includingJapanese barberry (another thorny understoryshrub), glossy buckthorn, and Japaneseknotweed. I saw wetlands and riverbanksoverrun with flower spikes of purple looses-trife, as impenetrable to ducks, mink, andmuskrats as the Rhode Island forest was tome. I saw Japanese knotweed taking overalong riversides, on the edges of city parksand roads, and even deep in the forest. Itbecame obvious that the natural places I love might well be nearly destroyed by theseinvasive exotic plants.

Any particular exotic plant might grow vigorously, but what makes some of theminvasive, and why should we be concerned?What does it matter if there are new plantsin our landscape—especially if they are attractive and provide food for wildlife?

The answer is never simple. Indeed, overa quarter of the plants growing in AcadiaNational Park now are not native, many being

ornamental landscaping plants that jumpedthe fence. But as soon as a plant has disruptedan area’s natural ecological relationships and processes, it can be said to be invasive.Even without completely dominating a land-scape invasives can crowd out many natives,including rare plants. Invasives can distractpollinators from native plants, providewildlife with fruit and foliage less nutritiousthan that of native plants, and even createphysical barriers to wildlife moving freelythrough an area, detecting or evading predators, and finding shelter. As time andconditions allow, certain exotic plants willtake over landscapes, wiping out native wild-flowers and shrubs and with them the complex community of life dependent onthose native plants.

Invasive plants have been in the UnitedStates since the nineteenth century but havein recent decades reached a critical mass, withpopulations exploding all over the country.Environmental changes have likely con-tributed, including factors that stress nativeplants and give invading plants an edge. Withthe development of land for agricultural and residential use, deer populations haveexploded. Deer graze preferentially on thenative plants they are accustomed to, while

leaving thorny or less palatable invaders likebarberry. Development creates open areasand disturbed soil that offer exotic plantsplenty of sunlight and less competition.Atmospheric pollution, pathogens, and invasive insects can stress natives and giveinvasive plants a competitive edge. Manyconifers in New England, including redspruce, red pine, and hemlock, are currentlydeclining due to environmental stresses. Tocompound the problem, a warming climatestresses our native forests and extends thenorthern range of many invasive exotics,bringing the ecological destruction I saw inRhode Island closer to Acadia each year.

Plants that become invasive generally sharecertain advantages, including adaptability,resilience, and astounding capabilities toreproduce. A single purple loosestrife plantcan produce millions of seeds that are highly viable and spread easily in wet areas.Barberry, oriental bittersweet, and buckthornproduce fruits that birds and other wildlifehappily eat; the seeds will pass unharmedthrough an animal’s digestive system to bespread wherever it goes. Other plants, suchas Japanese knotweed, don’t even need seeds but spread by vigorous underground rhizomes. Even a tiny fragment of knotweed

Oriental bittersweet has taken over areas of forest edge near the Jordan Pond House and is becoming established throughout the historic open vista—threatening the blueberry, huckleberry, and other nativeshrubs that have been nurtured there. Inset: Oriental bittersweet.


in roadwork fill can start an infestation thatwill choke miles of nearby roadsides, fields,and forests. And we’re now becoming awareof hybrids between native plants and vigor-ous agronomic or foreign strains, such as par-tially native reed canary grass, that grow moreaggressively than their all-native cousins.

Acadia’s resource management staff hasbeen at the forefront of efforts to control inva-sive plants in the national parks, beginningin the mid-1980s with a far-sighted effort to control purple loosestrife in the park’s wetlands. Loosestrife is now nearly eradicat-ed, and only requires a few days to surveyand manage each year. Acadia is now in anintensive multi-year campaign to control 15species of invasive plants before they becomeunmanageable. This work began with aninventory and ranking of exotics in the park,and a management plan for 22 species identified as most threatening. Now, crewsare working each summer and fall to eradicate these invasive plants.

Glossy buckthorn has invaded park landsnear Great Meadow and Bear Brook for overa decade. Without management, buckthornwould eventually dominate the forest under-story and wetlands, entirely crowding out the alders, aspen, birches, and willows thatprovide food and cover for wildlife such asbeaver, deer, and grouse. Over 40,000 plantson 245 acres have been pulled or treated withherbicide applied to cut stems or foliage,depending on the size of the plant. The badnews is that buckthorn has been found creep-ing upstream along Bear Brook and has evencolonized rocky slopes and higher-elevationpitch-pine forests at the edge of the GreatMeadow, showing the amazing adaptabilityof this lowland plant. Significant buckthorninfestations have also been discovered onadjacent private lands; without an effort bylandowners to remove buckthorn on theirproperties as well, it will be impossible toeradicate.

Resource management staff is assessingpotential problems with hybridized reedcanary grass, and is managing other speciesincluding giant hogweed, Canada thistle,colt’s foot, and spotted knapweed. Staff members, working with “weed watcher”volunteers, have pulled over 110,000 garlicmustard plants in the last two years. Japaneseknotweed is close to being eradicated at the45 known sites in the park. Acadia is manag-

ing several exotic shrubs that have proven tobe highly invasive in other parts of the EasternUS which are present in Acadia but not yetdominant. Japanese barberry, exotic honey-suckles, and oriental bittersweet all pose anincreasing threat as the climate of coastalMaine warms.

Oriental bittersweet that has become estab-lished in a few locations in Acadia. Originallycultivated for its striking orange and redberries, the vines can carpet an entire area,choking out all other vegetation, and growthick woody stems which can overwhelm andkill even large trees. The area around JordanPond House shows what bittersweet can doif left to its own devices. The forest edgenear the building is dominated by a densebittersweet mat that is beginning to swallowthe adjacent forest. Bittersweet is becomingestablished throughout the historic openvista, threatening the blueberry, huckleberry,and other native shrubs that have been nur-tured there. The Park Service has begun toremove bittersweet from the Jordan PondHouse area. Evidence of success can be seenjust west of the building near the bicycleparking area. Park staff and the Jordan PondHouse concessioner are working on a reveg-etation plan, tied into upcoming rehabilita-tion of the tea lawn. In the coming seasons,park staff will continue to sensitively managebittersweet in this historic area, treating theinfestation one section at a time.

Volunteers and private and municipallandowners can play a key role in controllinginvasives and preserving the natural bio-diversity of the park and surrounding privatelands. Friends of Acadia volunteers and others have been vital to our efforts in thepark, and additional volunteer assistancelocating stands of invasive plants is needed.Landowners can provide invaluable help by eliminating invasive plants on their property and not planting invasive species intheir landscaping.

Although many of these plants are difficultto control once established, in AcadiaNational Park many invasive plants are recentinvaders with low, manageable populations.Acadia’s intensive exotic plant managementcampaign has incorporated early detectionand rapid response, controlling many of theworst infestations before they becomeunmanageable and thus preserving more thanjust the park’s spectacular scenery. With care-ful attention now and in the future, Acadiawill not suffer the fate of other areas, whereinvasives have won the battle, but remain adiverse, healthy, and beautiful example of acoastal New England landscape. ❧

ALETA MCKEAGE leads the exotic plantmanagement program at Acadia National Park.To learn more about invasive plants and howyou can help eradicate them, contact her at [email protected].

A volunteer cuts a large glossy buckthorn tree near the Beaver Dam Pond. Inset: Glossy buckthorn.



HELP KEEP INSECT INVADERS AWAY!Judy Hazen Connery

Ahandful of non-native insect speciesthreaten the very nature of the forestsof Acadia, and have park officials

joining with other state and federal agenciesto get the word out: “Don’t Move Firewood!”Calling these invasive insects “potentially the greatest threat to Acadia’s forests in mylifetime,” park Chief of Resource ManagementDavid Manski and others on park staff areworking to enforce the state ban on bringinguntreated firewood from out of state and prevent these pests from getting a free ride to Maine on infested firewood or landscapingmaterials.

Particularly threatening are two beetles,Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ashborer, introduced to the US on wooden pack-ing materials accompanying productsshipped from Asia. The larvae of these beetles girdle and quickly kill the hardwoodtrees they infest. If not contained, the impactof these beetles will be similar to the devastation from chestnut blight and Dutchelm disease combined.

The Asian longhorned beetle’s favoredfoods include many tree species found inAcadia, including the sugar and red mapleswhose striking fall colors attract millions ofvisitors to New England every year. In 2008an infestation of Asian longhorn beetles wasfound just a few hours’ drive south of Acadia,in Worcester, Massachusetts. Within four daysthe area had been quarantined. To date, about30,000 street trees have been cut and chippedinto one-inch pieces, leaving bare neighbor-hoods once covered by stately, spreadingtrees, and the quarantine area has beenexpanded to 94 square miles. The integrityof the adjacent northeastern hardwood forest and the animals and industries dependent upon it is at stake.

Emerald ash borers attack and kill allspecies of true ash, including the park’s greenand white ashes that shade our carriage roadsand paint our hillsides yellow in autumn.Federal officials estimate that more than 30million ash trees in Michigan alone have been

killed since emerald ash borers were firstdetected in 2002. On their own, borers wouldmove just a few miles each year. Aided byhumans moving firewood or landscapingmaterials, they can spread hundreds of milesin a single day. The beetles can now be foundas close to Acadia as Quebec and along theHudson River.

Hemlock woolly adelgid, a tiny aphid-like insect covered in a woolly mass, threatens the majestic hemlocks that shadeour streams and provide habitat for a host of

species. Hemlock woolly adelgids were introduced into Virginia in the 1950s, andafter decimating hemlocks from Georgia to Massachusetts have recently moved intosouthern Maine. They have already beenfound on Mount Desert Island twice—inboth instances inadvertently imported onnursery stock. Thanks to the watchful eyesof gardeners on these private properties, both infestations were caught immediatelyand the trees were destroyed before theinsects could spread.

In fact, almost all early detections of invasive exotic insects are made by alert,informed community members. Because ofthe important role park neighbors and visitors can play in both preventing long-distance movement and finding invadersbefore they spread, our efforts to protectMaine’s forests focus primarily on education.We are telling campers before they leavehome about the environmental dangers ofmoving firewood. Articles, public present-ations, and posters will help visitors andneighbors identify and report Asian long-horned beetle, emerald ash borer, and hemlock woolly adelgid. If visitors bring out-of-state firewood to park campgrounds,they will be told to burn it all within 24hours, or turn it in to campground offices soit—and the insects it may harbor—can bedestroyed before they spread.

These non-native insect invaders and several other serious forest insect pests sitpoised on Acadia’s doorstep. Should theyhitchhike their way here, there will be littleforest managers can do to protect the park’slovely forests. Our greatest hope is to keepthem away. So please, on your next visit toAcadia, leave your firewood at home. ❧

JUDY HAZEN CONNERY is a natural resourcespecialist at Acadia National Park. She managesthe park’s vegetation and environmental compliance programs. For information on invasive insect pests, she can be contacted [email protected].

Please be on the lookout for these invaders! Fromtop to bottom: hemlock woolly adelgid, emeraldash borer, Asian long-horned beetle.

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We are pleased to welcome ournewest friends:

Dorothy AbbottKaren AbelJane and David ActonWilliam and Susan AraceFrances ArietaLa Von ArmsJames and Diane AshAsherman FamilyMarjorie BairdSusan BakerMeleta BakerDonna and Ernie BarbieriJohn and Mary BarnettEllen BarrJanet BartelmayEdward and Carol BartholomewMary and Ed BartlettElaine BellCharles BenjaminMr. and Mrs. Anthony J. BerenatoJack and Donna BielaczycKathleen and Richard BlewettMichael and Tricia BlytheJane BoettgerJennifer BonaventuraRobert and Vanessa BoydBrenda Brandon and

Max BlumenthalDavid BraunerMuriel BrittonVincent Brotski, Esq.Nancy and Raymond BruniWillem Brutsaert and Lieve DurantElia BuckAaron BurgusSusan BurtoffDaphne ButlerJason ButlerCaleb C. & Julia W. Dula

Educational and CharitableFoundation

Kevin CallahanClaudia and Duke CameronDr. Richard and Peggy CancelmoCape Elizabeth High School

Field Hockey BoostersAnthony and Marie CappuccioChristopher CastleChimani, LLCChris Claus and Kathy CatlinPat ClineDeborah and Albert CoffrinPearl CohenStephen and Cynthia CookLucinda CorkhillJackie Stack and Alton CoulterDiane CourchesneWinfield Crigler and Timothy HarrMargot and Sam CrothersBradley CurtisLucinda and John DautrichCarolyn de BerryKenneth DeckerDan and Gina DeddensDavid and Patricia Taylor DomzalskiJames and Mary Ann DonahueSusan DreierCraig DunkerleyMr. and Mrs. Charles DunlopTom and Nancy DunnellsBruce Eckert

Sally Ellis and Stuart TaylorHilary EmeryWilliam ErkelenzAndrea and Tom EveliusBarbara Ewen and Ted LyszczarzTeresa FeboCraig and Janice FerrellSusan FoggElizabeth ForrestKathleen FurgiueleVince GabrielsenLouis GadrinabElissa GalloNancy and Darryl GarfinkelGE United Way CampaignAlexandra GerryKen GleasonLouis GoldbloomMarlene GoodmanNatalia GorawskiPatricia GoudvisBruce GrahamDrayton GrantKathy GrantGloria GrantAngela Earle GrayJonathan GreeneWayne and Gerry Kush GregersenMadelyn and Skip GriffithNancy and Peter GrovePatricia HaighSybil HannahMadeline and William HarbisonDonald K. Harrington Jr.Lydia HarrisHolly Hartley and Oscar AndersonJenny and Steve HaugeDiane HellensJoyce and Don HencklerBruce HertzRyan HewsFielder HissSusan HoganJudy and Mike HoldenSharon HosleyMarlene and James HowardPaul and Lori HuberCharlton HudsonGrenville and William HudsonPeter HuntMeehee HwangIsleview MotelScott and Yardly Roberts JenkinsLeslie JonesPat JonesJames KaiserFrances and William KasprzynskiEllen KatesPaula KatsetosColin KelleyWarren and Patricia KelleyMary KelloggJames KendallBarbara and Paul KernGail and Bill KincaideJohn and Lynn KingJulie KocherSurender and Annette KohliAnne and Mark LandmanElizabeth and James LewisLaurie LiebermanSandi Lieb-GeigerNelly LincolnMike Little

Lucinda LittletonKimberly LiuRobert LoveJuergen LudwigLori LuttonCharlotte MacLeayDrs. Joan and Fred MansfieldMollie and Richard MarescoSally MarisicHolly MarkushScott MartinMichael and Grace MartinMassachusetts General HospitalDiana and John MatherDeb MatthewsDavid MaysuchSally McCaddenTom McCloskeyCarol McGonegal and Colby MungerJoshua McIntyreMeader & Son Funeral HomeSpencer and Joanna MeyerJodi Michael and John SevernEmilie MillerAbraham Miller-RushingJudith MinorMr. and Mrs. John MontgomeryMargaret MooreWendy MorganSarah and Jay MorganMorgan FamilyDavid MoskowitzSusan and David MoyerJamie MurrayGary and Christine NelsonTim NewmanRobert and Anna NickersonLisa and Peter NitzeKevin and Edie O’BrienCynthia OcelScott O’GaraBarbara O’Hare and Kenneth

WaxmanFrederick OlsenMary and David OpdykeOppenheim Charitable FoundationMuriel ParkerM. J. PennElisabeth and Robert PetersonJoe PeznolaJohn PeznolaBenjamin R. PierceRichard PlattRachel PlattusAlan Plattus and Nancy BerlinerRyan PoyneerPhyllis ProutBill and Mollie PurdyDr. Irving and Barbara RaksinLissa and Jeff ReadyKenneth ReichJanice and Peter ReillyPatty RenaudKurt RepanshekScott Riccio and Staci DrakeBarbara and Dana RicePolly RiggsFrank Roberts and Erin HoganMicah RosenblumScott and Courtney RosevearJosh and Sarah RoyBarbara RushworthKay and Richard RyderPeter and Barbara Sartorius

Kumi SatoScott SchirtzingerWilliam Schroeder and Susan BoyerVincent and Donna SciosciaCornelia SeidelLinda ShawRonald and Charlotte SheldenMary SherburneAdam ShreckhiseSusan ShulerHarold and Jane ShuteRichard SlatteryTravis SmithJohn SoiferChristopher and Nancy Kent SowaMeghan StarrCharles and Susan StarrDrs. Eric and Tina SteinMiriam and Morton SteinbergKaren StewartCecilia and Herman StorickJacqueline SwartzT.E. Middle School Faculty ClubEmily and John TempletonBarbara TennentThe Langeley SchoolThe Swordspoint FoundationSharon and Miles TheemanCarolyn TheisCourtney and Ben ThompsonSheryl Tilton and Carol MurdockJames TuckerWinston and Deborah TurnerCaleb Uecker-HermanFrank Herron and Sandra UrieTracey UttingEllen and Jack Van TassellLinda VanosMollie and Michael VardellReese Vaughn and Pat HathcockDavid and Michele VogelsongBill Voorhies and Tina JeffordsVeronica Voorhies and

Maury SteigmanJanet Voorhies and Kem Wirt-BartonRobert WaldmanDaniel WaldronHelen and Wallace WallaceKeegan WardwellSusan Warren and Dave ShepardJoan and Andy WarrenDavid WatersPatricia WatersDeidre WattersStephen and Susan WeberRuth and Sandy WerierPaul and Anne WhalenCaptain and Mrs. Sean WhitmoreDixie WigtonJinny and George WilkesCorbin WilkesDana WilliamsKatherine Mary WilsonLouise and David WinsteadNancy and James WittClaire WoolfolkJoanne WyszynskiSis and Bob ZiesingDee and Deni Zodda


New Members


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Serving from noon to close daily.

Proudly serving NortheastHarbor since 1883.

Tel: 207-276-3344 www.asticou.com

Westside ChallengeWe did it! In early November 2010, Friendsof Acadia members met the WestsideChallenge issued the previous year by ananonymous Fernald Point friend. The chal-lenge—to raise $5,000 to support the rehabilitation of trails on the west side of the island—was completed with the help offorty members who have a great passion forhiking in the park. We thank these friendsand the challenge donor for their continuedinvestment in Acadia’s trails!

The anonymous donor was so pleased, she has issued another challenge—this timefor $10,000—for Westside trails. “With much work slated for the Westside in 2011,these additional funds will enable us to putadditional staff and volunteers on the job ofrestoring trails,” says Terry Begley, projects andevents coordinator at FOA. Westside trailsscheduled for work in 2011 include FlyingMountain, the Canada Cliffs connector, andthe Valley Trail.

To be a part of the 2011 WestsideChallenge, simply mail a check, payable toFriends of Acadia, in the envelope providedwith this Journal. Or call the office at 800-625-0321 or visit our secure website at www.friendsofacadia.org to charge your gift. Be sure to note that the gift is for theWestside Challenge. Happy hiking!

Acadia Winter Trails AssociationThanks to plenty of great snow and hundredsof grooming hours provided by the volun-teers, cross country skiing at Acadia was

terrific this year. Grateful skiers left numer-ous messages of thanks along with donationsto the grooming program, using the envelopesprovided at two of the trailheads. One wrote:“We had some great skiing on the trails thiswinter! Our thanks for excellent grooming!”Another shared this: “We spent the first weekof January enjoying the park and miles ofgroomed ski trails! We are not regular visitorsto the park and had not been there duringwinter; what a surprise to find such nice skiing conditions during winter on the parkroads. Thanks to all of the volunteers for keeping the trails up!”

Trenton Trails In late fall the National Park Service’s Riverand Trails Conservation Assistance Programgranted Friends of Acadia a second year ofBurnham Martin’s expertise in trail planning.In November, FOA programs staff hiked aflagged trail route behind the Acadia GatewayCenter with Martin and trails consultant LesterKenway. After reviewing Kenway’s report, the Trenton Trails committee supported hisrecommendation to make the trail a rusticfootpath with boardwalks where needed anda viewing platform with interpretive panels at the heath. The committee has continuedrefine the trail route through the wintermonths and is currently developing its 2011work plan, including a trail management plan.Friends of Acadia plans to host an inauguralstewardship project on Saturday, June 4th, forNational Trails Day.

Updates

The volunteers of the Acadia Winter Trails Association groom the carriage roads for both classic and skate-style cross country skiing. The snow was terrific this winter!

Tours Daily at 10:00 a.m.and 2:00 p.m.

207-288-0300


22nd Annual Friends of Acadia Benefit

When the big tent goes up at the Asticou thisAugust, Friends of Acadia anticipates havingclose to five hundred guests mingling and bid-ding on auction items. Plans are alreadyunderway to make this year’s Benefit the bestever. Volunteers have a hard act to follow afterlast year’s record-breaking year led by Benefitchairs Gail Clark and Juliet Van Alen. Thisyear’s committee of one hundred volunteersis led by Margaret Hamner, with Noelle Wolfserving as vice-chair. Martha Stewart will bethis year’s honorary chair.

As with last year, the committee will havea preview party for Benefit Patrons to previewthe live auction items. New for 2011, someauction items will be available for purchaseonline using the website Charity Buzz. “Usingthis new online service will enable us tobroaden our audience and potential biddersand will also allow July residents and otherswho usually miss the Benefit, to participate inbidding,” says Lisa Horsch Clark, director ofdevelopment.

For underwriting or advertising oppor-tunities, to become a patron, to volunteer, orto donate an auction item, please contact Lisa Horsch Clark at [email protected].

Schoodic CommitteeSeveral members of the Schoodic Committeeattended a January 14th public meeting to provide input into the National Park Service’splan to rehabilitate the historic RockefellerBuilding on the Schoodic Education andResearch Center (SERC) campus. TheNational Park Service hopes to turn the building into a welcome center with an information desk and interpretive displays,office space for the SERC Institute, a smallconference space, and campus lodging.Visitors attending events such as the SchoodicSculpture Symposium have shown great interest in seeing the inside of the buildingand learning more about the history of theNavy and the National Park Service at the site.

Following this meeting, the SchoodicCommittee met to plan events for the yearincluding roadside and shoreline clean-ups,special lectures, and new partnerships aroundJunior Ranger Day in April and the AcadiaNight Sky Festival in September.

Running for AcadiaFriends of Acadia has been involved in theMDI Marathon since its early days, manningaid stations and funding the Island Explorerbuses to shuttle participants between BarHarbor and Southwest Harbor. In 2010, the MDI Marathon started Beyond the FinishLine, inviting runners to raise money for partner charities in return for guaranteed race entry, and Friends of Acadia becameone of twelve local organizations to benefitfrom the program.

Nine FOA runners raised $9,921 forFriends of Acadia. Each runner finished therace and received an FOA t-shirt, hat, andgoody bag in addition to FOA membership.The runners’ finishing times were: EricMauricette 2:57:54; Joe Peznola 3:58:58; JohnPeznola 3:58:58; Team Llama Racing(Jonathan Greene and Chris Castle) 4:02:02;Juergen Ludwig 4:04:20; Molly Moulton4:09:16; Leslie Jones 4:15:21; Marnie Owen4:23:46.

FOA runner Eric Mauricette placed six-teenth overall. Pre-race he wrote on his blog,“being stewards to the outdoors, FOA makesit possible for future generations to enjoythis beautiful national park.” Post-race Eric

Benefit Committee Member Maura Benjamin and 2010Benefit Co-Chair Gail Clark compare notes while bidding at the silent auction.

Bonn

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birchbayvillage.us 207 288-8014


Tom

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For over 119 summers upholding the traditionsof hospitality and leisure on the coast of Maine.

C L A R E M O N T H O T E L

FINE DINING - COTTAGES- SUMMER HOTEL

{www.theclaremonthotel.com} 1-800-244-5036

FORESIGHT & GENEROSITY

WAYS YOU CAN GIVE“One of the greatest satisfactions in doing any sound work for an institution,

a town, or a city, or for the nation, is that good work done for the public lasts,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 collective activities an immortality of its own.”

—Charles W. Eliot, Sieur de Monts Celebration, 1916

Please consider these options for providing essential financial support to Friends of Acadia:

Gift of Cash or Marketable Securities. Mail a check, payable to Friends of Acadia, to P.O. Box 45,

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 offerincome tax benefits, as well as savings on capital gains.

Gift of Retirement AssetsDesignate 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 PropertyGive 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 WillAdd 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.

Tom

Bla

gden

For over 126 summers upholding the traditionsof hospitality and leisure on the coast of Maine.

{www.theclaremonthotel.com}1-800-244-5036


wrote to his donors and supporters,“Awesome event! …A Boston [marathon]qualifier. Enjoyed every moment….Thankyou everyone for your support!”

Friends of Acadia looks forward to nextfall’s MDI Marathon and the new team of FOA runners in the Beyond the Finish Line program. For more information about themarathon, visit www.mdimarathon.org.Many thanks and congratulations to 2010FOA MDI Marathon Runners!

Cliff Olson Retirement PartyIn December of 2010, FOA bid farewell toSenior Field Crew Leader Cliff Olson. Cliffwas an invaluable member of the Friends ofAcadia team for 10 years, and was deeply dedicated to FOA, Acadia, and the volunteerprogram. Cliff had a remarkable ability to con-nect with thousands volunteers, both youngand old and from all walks of life, always mak-ing them feel right at home volunteering onAcadia’s trails and carriage roads and leavingthem eager to come back for more. Cliff has promised to return to the program as avolunteer—Friends of Acadia will hold himto that!

2011 Acadia Quest Let’s Move Outside The Acadia Quest has a new approach andnew activities this year. Tying in to first ladyMichelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, Quest

teams will be encouraged to “move outside”in Acadia while interacting with the park froma variety of perspectives: biking on the car-riage roads, kayaking on Echo Lake, photo-graphing the bridges, completing a scavengerhunt in the Wild Gardens, or attending anFOA stewardship or educational event. Thechallenge for teams this year is to try new waysto be active outside as they explore, protect,and learn! The Quest will begin in late April;details and registration information will beavailable on the Friends of Acadia website atwww.friendsofacadia.org.

2010 Acadia Quest “team St. Ammand,” with L.L.Bean representative Peter Christopher (far right), won thedrawing for one of three family camping packages generously donated by L.L.Bean.

Cliff on the Cliff Trail. Cliff Olson was an inspirationto volunteer crews on Acadia’s trails and carriage roads.

Serving the Downeast community since 1883

Alison M. King


ONE SUMMIT ROAD • NORTHEAST HARBOR, MAINE 04662

www.KNOWLESCO.com207 276 3322

Distinctive properties.Legendary service.

Real estate professionals since 1898.

Looking for the perfect gift for summerhouse guests, hosts, or anyone youwould like to introduce to Acadia?Give the gift of membership in Friends of Acadia.

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY, STATE, ZIP

TELEPHONE NUMBER

To give a gift membership, simply mail this form (or a photocopy), along with acheck made payable to Friends of Acadia, in the envelope provided or visitwww.friendsofacadia.org

All contributions to Friends of Acadia are used to preserve, protect, and promotestewardship of the outstanding naturalbeauty, ecological vitality, and distinctivecultural resources of Acadia National Parkand the surrounding communities. All giftsare tax deductible.

GIVE THE GIFTOF ACADIA

Gift package includes:• Greetings from the Heart of Acadia, a

packet of six lovely note cards designedespecially for Friends of Acadia

• A one-year (three issues) subscription tothe Friends of Acadia Journal

• A Friends of Acadia window decal

• The satisfaction of knowing that mem-bership in Friends of Acadia helps topreserve the remarkable beauty ofAcadia National Park

Friends of AcadiaP.O. Box 45 • Bar Harbor, ME 04609

www.friendsofacadia.org207-288-3340 • 800-625-0321

HANNAFORDSUPERMARKETS

86 Cottage StreetBar Harbor

Where Shopping is a Pleasure.

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ACADIA BY THE NUMBERS

Riding the Island Explorer

412,132Number of riders in 2010

158,512Estimated number of automobile trips

eliminated in 2010

1,444Estimated tons of greenhouse gas

emissions prevented in 2010

21Percentage of riders surveyed who

are year-round or summer residents of the Acadia region

67Percentage of riders surveyed

using the Island Explorer for the first time in 2010

12Percentage of riders surveyed using

the bus to get to work

100Percentage of riders surveyed

who feel the Island Explorer is animportant service to continue

99Percentage of riders surveyed who

feel it is somewhat or very important to keep the service free

*Survey statistics from the Island Explorer PassengerSurvey 2010, conducted August 3rd and 5th, 2010.519 surveys were distributed to groups boarding eight of the Island Explorer routes, with 502returned for a 97% response rate.


Wild & Scenic Film FestivalIn July Friends of Acadia will join Patagonia,Cadillac Mountain Sports, and the CriterionTheatre to co-host the Wild & Scenic FilmFestival Tour. The Festival, held in NevadaCity, California for the past nine years, show-cases environmental and adventure films thatillustrate the Earth’s beauty, the challenges facing our planet, and the work communitiesare doing to protect the environment, with agoal of motivating people to go out and makea difference in their community and aroundthe world. While planning is still in the works,the Wild & Scenic Film Festival will take placeon Saturday, July 23rd, with a kid-friendlymatinee at 2:00 p.m. and an evening show at7:00 p.m., music by local performers, localwine and beer tastings, and a panel discussionrelevant to the films. Updates and detailswill be available on the Friends of Acadia website. Proceeds will benefit Friends ofAcadia and the Criterion Theatre.

Visit Us on Facebook!Get up-to-date news of FOA programs inAcadia, notices of events, job opportunities,photos and videos of the park in every season, and more—delivered right to your Facebook profile wall. Go to www.facebook.com/FriendsofAcadia and “Like” Friends of Acadia. But you don’t need to have a Facebook account to viewour fan page. In addition to postings from

FOA, you’ll see photos, comments, and linksfrom fans. A growing and lively communityhas been developing since the page’s re-launch last November. Check it out!

Wild Gardens Benefit Plant SaleThe Wild Gardens of Acadia celebrates its 50th

anniversary this year, and so does its benefitplant sale. Since 1961, the volunteers of theGardens have held a plant sale each springto help pay for amendments, tools, and otherneeds. Offerings include vegetable seedlings,herbs, annuals, and perennials. Plants are generously donated from several privateestates on MDI, local nurseries, and many ofthe WGA volunteers’ personal gardens. Thesale will be held Saturday, June 18th in thecloister of St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church inBar Harbor, from 9 a.m. until noon. All proceeds help support the Wild Gardens of Acadia.

Hel

en K

och

The Wild Gardens of Acadia benefit plant sale is a wonderful spring tradition for area gardeners.

In Gratitude

IN-KIND DONORSAcadia Corporation

Berry, Dunn, McNeil and ParkerBecky BrushTom BlagdenAlan Gregory

Machias Savings Bank Maine Natural History Observatory

Joe PaganWallace Tent & Party Rental

ACADIA WINTER TRAILS ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS

Tim Adelman Dirck Bradt

Mia Thompson BrownPeter Brown

Abigail CurlessMark FernaldMatt GerrishMike GilfillanPaul HaertelMike HeniserBill JenkinsDavid Kief

Stephen LinscottBob Massucco

H. Stanley MacDonaldDennis SmithAdam WalesCharlie Wray

OFFICE VOLUNTEERSJudy Corder and Pat Hayes

Jenn DonaldsonJean Evans

Jeannie HowellAnna KennedyEileen Linnane

Barbara LovelandDee LustuskyMarsha Lyons

Joe PaganMary Ann Siklosi

Jean SmithRita and Mel Timmons

TAKE PRIDE IN ACADIA DAY SPONSORS

Anniversary Event SponsorBar Harbor Bank & Trust

Event SponsorsThe First

The Knowles Company Real EstateHale & Hamlin

Hannaford Supermarket

In-Kind DonorsJanet Anker, Cakes

Clif Bar & Company Coastal Kayaking

Downeast TransportationMount Desert YMCA National Park Tours

National Park Sea Kayaking ToursPoland Spring

ACADIA QUEST SPONSORL.L.Bean

24 Spring 2011 Friends of Acadia Journal24 Friends of Acadia Journal

207 276.5238 | Seal Harbor, Maine

www.nelsongoodwin.com

“Sustainable architecture looks to the future by

looking at the past,”

-Stephen Gist

www.nelsongoodwin.com

AACADIACADIA FFOREVEROREVEREstate Planning—Supporting the Mission of Friends of Acadia

Preserving and protecting the outstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality,and cultural distinctiveness of Acadia National Park and the surrounding

communities is a wise investment.

It’s simple. Add only one of the following sentences to your will, or a codicil:

• I hereby give ______ % of my residuary estate to Friends of Acadia, Inc.,a Maine charitable corporation, P.O. Box 45, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609,for its charitable purposes.

• I hereby bequeath $_________ to Friends of Acadia, Inc., a Maine charitable corporation, P.O. Box 45, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, for itscharitable purposes.

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

Your concern and appreciation for Acadia and Mount Desert Island will extendfar beyond your own lifetime. It will be a lasting legacy, enriching the lives ofmillions now and in the future.

For more information, call the office at 800-625-0321, e-mail the director of development at [email protected], or visit our website atwww.friendsofacadia.org.

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Tom

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gden


MICHAEL L ROSSATTORNEY AT LAW

[email protected]

953 Bar Harbor RoadTrenton, Maine 04605

207-667-1373

WINE & CHEESE244-3317

353 Main Street, Southwest Harbor, Maine 04679

Youth Voices

AYCC: HARD WORK, BUT SO REWARDING

Catherine Smith

BRUCE JOHN RIDDELLLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

27 PINE STREETBAR HARBOR, MAINE 04609

207.266.5450

Creative & Innovative Landscape Architecturefor Residential & Estate Gardens

www.landartdesigner.com

Tom

Bla

gden

In the spring of 2010, I was looking for ajob. I remember that I was getting desper-ate enough to apply almost anywhere

because time was running out. For a highschooler, it isn’t easy to find work on MDI forthe summer. There are lots of job openings,but they fill up pretty quickly because of summer visitors or college students whocome back to the island.

One day I was talking to my friend andhis parents about my job troubles when they mentioned AYCC, the Acadia YouthConservation Corps. My friend was applyingand I decided that I should apply, too.

The Acadia Youth Conservation Corps is asummer work program run by Friends ofAcadia and Acadia National Park. Each sum-mer, 16 high school students, ages 15–18, arechosen to build new trails and maintain existing trails on the island, improve the car-riage roads, cut wood, and make the a parka nicer and safer place for those who visit.

I got the job. I was terrified. I didn’t knowwho I would be working with, what I wouldbe working on, or where I would be work-ing. So in the middle of June, at 6:00 in themorning, my dad woke me up and droveme to the Acadia National Park Headquartersat 7:00. It was raining and I was deathly nervous. I recognized and was pretty goodfriends with about a dozen of the fifteen otherkids who were there. We had no idea whatwe were getting ourselves into until they started showing us the tools we would use.

Pick axes, chains, pulley levers, and heavysteel bars to move rocks were among themany things we would use during the sum-mer. We were divided into four groups of four,and we would stay in those groups for thesummer, although every two weeks we wouldswitch our group leader. The four of us even-tually became very close.

With chains we hauled rocks down thesides of mountains for steps, broke them withsledge hammers to make a path. It was hard

work but it was so rewarding—the fact thatI helped build a trail that will be around for such a long time and make Acadia sucha beautiful place makes it worth it. The experience was truly spectacular.

Another part of the job was to cut firewoodat Blackwoods Campground in Otter Creekand a few times at the Seawall Campgroundin Southwest Harbor. We would use a woodsplitter and make sure that there was enoughwood for the campers to burn. That wasnice because every day we would take a backroad and take our lunch break on the rocksnear the ocean. We also cleaned up the carriage roads around Acadia National Park,raking leaves out of the drainage ditches andclearing sticks from the roads to preventflooding.

I gained a lot from working with the AYCC.I gained strength, self confidence, andendurance. To be honest, I wanted to quitafter about a week, but I felt that I couldn’t—that I had committed to this job by signingup, and I had to stay through. I am happythat I did. ❧

CATHERINE SMITH lives in Otter Creek and is astudent at MDI High School. She loves to run andis active in cross-country and track and she playsthe flute in the MDIHS band. Her hobbies arereading, writing, and photography.

Catherine Smith (upper left) and her fellow AYCCcrew members on the Canada Cliffs connector.

Cat

heri

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Acadia Advocacy Network membershave responded to two recent alertsabout issues important to Acadia. On

February 10th, Friends of Acadia PresidentMarla O’Byrne testified before the MaineLegislature’s Joint Select Committee onRegulatory Fairness and Reform at a publichearing in Bangor. She spoke about the valueof Maine’s environmental laws to AcadiaNational Park and to the Maine economy.Joining her were FOA Board Chair Lili Pew,Advocacy Committee Chair Jack Russell, and several concerned FOA members, whotestified as Maine citizens. This was one ofseveral hearings held around Maine to solicit suggestions for regulatory reform toaid economic growth.

Earlier in the year, Governor LePage hadreleased a list of ideas for regulatory reform,many of which would have rolled backdecades of carefully considered environ-mental laws supported by bipartisan legis-lators and a majority of Maine residents.Friends of Acadia opposed several ofGovernor LePage’s proposals, focusing ourtestimony on three concerns: 1) preventingmercury and other harmful pollutants fromcontaminating Maine’s waters and prevent-ing sulfur dioxide from contaminatingMaine’s air; 2) ensuring that large-scaledevelopment is considered carefully beforebeing implemented; and, 3) ensuring

adequate fish passage for Maine’s native fish-eries when installing new culverts for roads,and protecting significant vernal pools and wading bird, waterfowl, and shorebirdhabitat. The Joint Select Committee will consider the testimony from around the state,as well as Governor LePage’s suggestions, asthey formulate and debate a final package of reforms.

Acadia Advocacy Network members alsoresponded to a federal budget threat to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) by contacting House Leadership to encourage full funding in FY 2011. Five months into a continuing resolution,Congress is still working on the FY 2011appropriations bills, and big cuts are beingdiscussed. Acadia National Park was slatedto receive $1.76 million to acquire a 37-acreparcel (with a total pricetag of $3 million)inside park boundaries at Lower HadlockPond, but this funding would be lost at thelower appropriation levels. Maine Represent-atives Michaud and Pingree helped fight offamendments to decrease the Land and WaterConservation Fund and President Obama has recommended full funding for LWCF in FY 2012—including the full $3 million for Lower Hadlock Pond—but Congressionaldebate continues. ❧

—Stephanie Clement

Advocacy Corner

Telephone or Fax: 667-621035 Commerce Park, Bar Harbor Road

P.O. Box 552, Ellsworth, ME 04605

TENTS DANCE FLOOR LINENS

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Acadia National Park hopes to use LWCF funds to acquire 37 acres on Lower Hadlock Pond, shown here witha view of Parkman Mountain’s Bald Peak.


Native Plants for Your Maine GardenBy Maureen HeffernanDown East Books, 2010128 pp., Softcover

Maureen Heffernan’s Native Plants for YourMaine Garden brings both the simple andextraordinary beauty of native plants to thehome landscape. The focus of Ms. Heffernan’sbook is on selecting and caring for native trees,shrubs, and herbaceous plants with the bestfit for a variety of garden conditions andvisions. Are you looking for a shrub for a shady,damp area of your garden? A tree with texturedbark for four-season interest? A fruitinggroundcover that attracts birds and otherwildlife? Do you want a “wild” garden, or doyou prefer plants that fit within the orderly layout of your cultivated landscape?

Native Plants for Your Maine Garden show-cases over 140 trees, shrubs, groundcovers,herbaceous perennials, grasses, and fernsnative both to Maine and to the surroundingnortheast region. Color pictures capture the beauty of each plant with inset photos highlighting details. The accompanyingdescriptions cover hardiness zones, plantheight, bloom time, and requirements for light,soil, and moisture, and describe the distinc-tive characteristics of each plant. Cleverly,Heffernan also includes specialized lists ofplants so the reader can quickly see all theplants that, say, tolerate dry soil or resist deerbrowse. Additionally, planting instructions andbasic garden designs are included to help thereader get started.

One of the best features of this book is thatit showcases plants that the home gardener can actually find for purchase. There are noempty enticements with page after page of rareor hard-to-find plants that leave the reader frustrated and empty handed. To find andenjoy these native beauties, and to encouragethe ethic of leaving wild plants in the wild, Ms. Heffernan lists excellent sources for onlineand nursery purchase and includes refer-ences for obtaining additional informationabout Maine’s native plants.

Why native plants? Aside from the usualgardening aesthetics, Heffernan offers persua-sive arguments that adding native plants toone’s garden “strengthens a sense of place” andpreserves the northeast region’s “botanical heritage.” As more and more native landscapesare lost to commercial activities, development,and infestation by nonnative invasive plants,gardening with native plants can be one wayto bring Maine’s natural heritage closer tohome. Native Plants for Your Maine Gardenshows you how.

—Geneva Langley

Playing Smart Against InvasiveSpecies: How to Enjoy andProtect the Great OutdoorsUSDA Forest Service, 2010DVD

Last year, a video crew from the US ForestService spent some time in Acadia, filmingFriends of Acadia volunteers and others aboutthe park’s invasive plant management program. That footage and more now appearsin a 26-minute video titled Playing SmartAgainst Invasive Species, an excellent lesson-in-a-nutshell about one threat to native plant andanimal communities, and how we all canprotect against it.

Shot in Maine, West Virginia, Arizona,Oregon, and elsewhere, the film exploresspecific species that threaten different regions,and looks at how a variety of outdoor activities—from birding to caving to four-wheeling—present specific challenges andopportunities for invasive plant management.In some 90 interviews filmed across the

country, experts from U.S. Fish & Wildlife,State and National Parks, outdoors guides andoutfitters, and others organizations speak about invasive species they encounter in their work.

The key message of the film is that invasivespecies are a critical threat to the integrity ofAmerica’s natural ecosystems, but there’s muchthat outdoor recreationists can do to preventthe spread of invasives in places they love. First,be aware of invasive species that threaten theenvironments you live in and visit. Second,prevent the spread of invasives by such tech-niques as checking clothing and equipmentfor seeds and plant fragments when movingfrom area to area. Third, be active in reportingany invasive species you sight in areas youenjoy. The video also discusses volunteeringin species control programs.

A quick search online finds numerous bookson invasive species, including several for kids, but this video provides an accessibleintroduction to the topic. Truly spectacularscenery throughout the video makes thisextended lecture quite watchable. A short version includes the key points in 16 minutes,and a bonus feature provides additional footageand examples. The video is available for freeon DVD—Friends of Acadia has copies inour office. Just call or drop by to request a copy.The video can also be viewed online athttp://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies.

—Aimee Beal

Book Reviews


As I begin this letter, our preciousAcadia is still covered in snow butyielding each day to brighter sunlight

and longer days. It’s hard to believe that myNew Year’s sunrise ski to the summit ofCadillac welcomed in the dawn of the 25th

anniversary for Friends of Acadia. Whilewatching the first light of the year reach frombeyond the horizon across the vast ocean tomeet our rocky coastline, I was filled withgratitude and pride for what Friends ofAcadia has accomplished over the yearsthrough the power of effective grantmaking,strong partnerships, and most of all, dedi-cated members and volunteers.

A visitor to Acadia may spend their timehiking the trails, getting out on the carriageroads, or exploring the rocky shores, andthrough these activities build a powerful bondwith the park and the natural word—a bondthat crosses generations and touches lives inunexpected ways. But even to these devotedvisitors, the vitality of Acadia’s naturalresources may not be fully apparent, nor thededicated, ongoing work that is needed tokeep Acadia’s ecosystems healthy. The advocacy, volunteer, and program work thatgrew out of the FOA vision 25 years ago has contributed to a remarkably healthynatural place—particularly considering the

intensity of park use here in Acadia. Ourfocus on grants and initiatives to benefit theenvironment has supported efforts that are helping to restore fishways, eradicate invasive species, and fight pollution and theeffects of climate change. We are learning day in and day out that this ongoing workhas lasting and momentous impact onAcadia, and far beyond.

One very special place and an epicenter ofeducation about Acadia’s native naturalworld, is the Wild Gardens of Acadia. FOArecently established a formal relationship withthe Wild Gardens, just in time for their 50th

Anniversary. What started in Sieur de Montswith a group of enthusiastic volunteers anda thumbs-up from the park has grown intoa laboratory for the collaborative cultivationof plants native to Acadia—including trees,shrubs, mosses, and flowers. The WildGardens is one of the most visited areas inthe park. Environmental groups, students,

botanists, gardeners, and interested visitorscome to the Gardens to learn about indige-nous plant communities and see sustainablelandscaping in action.

This in turn spreads the word about thebenefits of gardening with native plants,which grow more successfully, benefit nativepollinators, and especially, avoid introducinginvasive species that can be extremely damag-ing to the diverse, healthy ecosystems of ourpark. It is shocking how much it can cost to eradicate invasive species once they areintroduced. Good stewardship begins witheducation, and we are so very fortunate tohave the Wild Gardens of Acadia, along withWild Gardens leaders like Sue Leiter, AnneKozak, and Barbara Cole who have workedwonders to position the Gardens to thrive for another 50 years. Friends of Acadia willbe proud to be a part of it.

The promising future of the Wild Gardensis just one example of the power of FOA’spartnership efforts to steward the preciousresources of Acadia National Park. In an issueof Trust (the magazine of the Pew CharitableTrusts) that focused on environmental initia-tives, I recently read: “The one sure thingabout the future is that it will always be there.The important question is, what kind offuture will it be?” The future that the FOAboard, staff, members, and volunteers envision includes Acadia National Park protected against all threats, so that futuregenerations may enjoy its magnificence as we do today. We began working toward this future 25 years ago. Today, I welcomeeach of you to join me on this journey bybecoming a member of FOA, joining ouradvocacy network, or helping as a volun-teer. Let’s carry forward the past quarter-decade’s legacy of gratitude, pride, andenrichment into the next 25 years, and seewhat more we can accomplish together forthe benefit of Acadia.

—Lili Pew

Chairman’s Letter

25 YEARS, PAST AND FUTURE

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WGA committee members Barbara Cole (far left) and Sue Leiter (far right) share the Gardens withtwo visitors.

25 YEARS OF PROTECTING ACADIA

For more information about these and other FOA events, visit www.friendsofacadia.org or call us at 207-288-3340.

Friends of Acadia turns 25 this year!We’re celebrating all year long—wehope you’ll join us!

VOLUNTEER!

Advocacy Network—Be an advocate for the park! [email protected] to join the Advocacy Network andreceive alerts about issues and legislation affecting Acadia, with suggestions about how to contact legislators and make your voiceheard. When: Year round

Family Fun Day—Celebrate summer in Acadia! Volunteers are needed for set up, break down, greeting visitors, and assisting withactivities. Stay for an hour or the entire event. Volunteers receive afree t-shirt and lunch. Contact Terry Begley at 207-288-3340 [email protected]. When: Sunday, July 10, 2 p.m.–5 p.m.

Membership Table—If you love to share your love for Acadia, join us at the FOA membership table outside the Jordan Pond House. Volunteers personally tell the story of Friends of Acadia citizen stewards preserving and protecting the park. Training is provided. Contact Sharon Broom at 207-288-3340 or [email protected]. When: Weekdays from mid-June through Labor Day.

Office Volunteers—Working in our Bar Harbor office, volunteers help with data entry, prepare mailings, and otherwise lighten the load on our staff. Volunteers with computer data entry skills are especially needed. Contact Sharon Broom at 207-288-3340 or [email protected]. When: Year round

Schoodic Committee—In love with Acadia’s mainland? TheSchoodic Committee organizes programs focusing on the SchoodicPeninsula, including roadside and shoreline cleanups, lectures, andspecial events. Contact Stephanie Clement at 207-288-3340 [email protected]. When: Year round

Stewardship Volunteers—Trail work, carriage road maintenance,roadside and shoreline cleanup, weed watchers….There are lots ofways to help in and around the park. Come for a morning, a season,or a lifetime. Visit www.friendsofacadia.org for more information, orcontact Terry Begley at 207-288-3340 or [email protected]: Spring, summer, and fall.

Wild Gardens of Acadia Docents—The Wild Gardens at Sieur deMonts Spring display over 400 species of native plants, grouped intotwelve typical habitats. Volunteer docents greet visitors, give tours,and answer questions from “Where are the bathrooms?” to “What isthis tree?” Training is provided, and new docents are partnered withexperienced volunteers. Contact Stephanie Clement at 207-288-3340or [email protected]. When: Summer and fall throughColumbus Day

Volunteer opportunities are fun and flexible to fit your schedule. Everyone is welcome—come be a part of it!

2011 Calendar of EventsApril 30......................Earth Day Roadside CleanupMay 15 ......................Tremont Trails Day June 4 ........................National Trails Day July 7 ........................Acadia Society EventJuly 10 ......................Family Fun DayJuly 13 ......................Annual Meeting—An extra-

special celebration of our25th anniversary

July 23 ......................Wild & Scenic Film FestivalAugust 13 ..................Benefit AuctionSeptember 6 ..............George B. Dorr Society EventSeptember 17 ............Clean Water, Clean ShoresSeptember 22–26 ......Acadia Night Sky FestivalNovember 5 ..............Take Pride in Acadia Day

Tom

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There are so many ways to give back to Acadia. Friends of Acadia has been organizingand supporting volunteers for 25 years.

MissionFriends 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

Friends of Acadia

PRST STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLEWISTON, MAINE

PERMIT #82

Tom

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Beaver in pond by Eagle Lake

A Magazine about Acadia National Park and Surrounding Communities · 2018-01-19 · Friends of...

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