Acadia National Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Acadia National Park
iucn_category = II

---

caption =
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = Hancock County, Maine, USA
nearest_city = Bar Harbor
lat_degrees = 44
lat_minutes = 21
lat_seconds = 0
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 68
long_minutes = 13
long_seconds = 0
long_direction = W
area = 47,390 acres (191.8 km²), 45,822.90 acres (185.4 km²) federal
established = July 8, 1916
visitation_num = 2,202,228
visitation_year = 2007
governing_body = National Park Service

Acadia National Park preserves much of Mount Desert Island, and associated smaller islands, off the Atlantic coast of Maine. Traditionally inhabited by Wabanaki Native American hunters, fishers, and gatherers, the area includes mountains, an ocean shoreline, woodlands, and lakes. [See "Asticou's Island Domain: Wabanaki Peoples at Mount Desert Island 1500-2000" http://www.nps.gov/acad/historyculture/ethnography.htm.] . In addition to Mount Desert Island, the park comprises much of the Isle au Haut, a small island to the southwest of Mount Desert Island and parts of Baker Island, also nearby. A portion of Schoodic Peninsula on the mainland is also part of the park. In total, Acadia National Park consists of 30,300 acres (47 square miles or 123 km²) on Mount Desert Island, 2,728 acres (4.6 square miles or 11 km²) on Isle au Haut and 2,366 acres (3.5 square miles or 9.2 km²) on the Schoodic Peninsula.

History

The park was created by President Woodrow Wilson, as Sieur de Monts National Monument on July 8, 1916, administered by the National Park Service. On February 26, 1919, it became a national park, with the name Lafayette National Park in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, an influential French supporter of the American Revolution. The park's name was changed to Acadia National Park on January 19, 1929.From 1915 to 1933, the wealthy philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. financed, designed, and directed the construction of an extensive network of carriage trails throughout the park. The network encompassed over convert|50|mi|km of gravel carriage trails, 17 granite bridges, and two gate lodges, almost all of which are still maintained and in use today.On October 17, 1947, 10,000 acres (40 km²) of Acadia National Park was burned in a fire that began along the Crooked Road several miles west of Hulls Cove [ [http://www.nps.gov/acad/historyculture/fireof1947.htm "Fire of 1947" "National Park Service"] ] . The forest fire was one of a series of fires that consumed much of Maine's forest as a result of a dry year. The fire burned for days and was fought by the Coast Guard, Army, Navy, local residents, and National Park Service Employees from around the country. Restoration of the park was supported, substantially, by the Rockefeller family, particularly John D. Rockefeller, Jr.. Regrowth was mostly allowed to occur naturally and the fire has been suggested to have actually enhanced the beauty of the park, adding diversity to tree populations and depth to its scenery.Acadia National Park is the only national park in New England and the first park on the east side of the Mississippi River

Towns and Tours

The town of Bar Harbor is located on the northeast corner of Mount Desert Island. Southwest Harbor, on the western side of the fjord Somes Sound, is well known for boat-building and fishing, and has the largest year-round population on Mount Desert Island. Northeast Harbor is known for its beautiful private "cottages" yet retains a small town atmosphere. The town of Tremont is home to Bass Harbor Head Light and is located on what locals refer to as the "quiet side" of the island. Cadillac Mountain, named after the French Explorer of the same name who went on to found Detroit, Michigan, is on the eastern side of the island. Its green lichen-covered pink granite summit is one of the first places in the United States to see the sunrise making it a popular tourist attraction. Miles of scenic carriage roads were originally built by Rockefeller, Jr., with great sensitivity to the trees and contours of the land. The mountains of Acadia National Park offer hikers and bicycle riders views of the ocean, island lakes, and pine forests.

Centennial Initiative Project

The National Park Service, as part of their Centennial Initiative celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016, has created a project to promote voluntary, multimodal parkaccess for present and future generations. Going “car free” offers visitors the opportunity toexplore Acadia by foot, bicycle, shuttle bus, commercial tour bus, private automoblie, or private and commercialvessels. The project includes an inter-modal transportation center on state-owned land four miles (6 km) north of the park, multiple-use trails to connect gateway communities with the park, andrehabilitation of historic carriage roads surrounding Eagle Lake.

Wildlife

The park is home to some 40 different species of mammalian wildlife. Among those are red and gray squirrels, chipmunks, white-tailed deer, moose, beaver, porcupine, muskrats, foxes, coyote, bobcats, and black bears. Species that used to inhabit the island include the mountain lion (or puma) and the gray wolf. It is thought that these predators have been forced to leave the area due to the dramatic decrease in small prey and proximity to human activity. Many other marine species have been observed in the surrounding area and waters.

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/acad/ National Park Service: Acadia National Park]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/16acadia/16acadia.htm "Life on an Island: Early Settlers Off the Rock-Bound Coast of Maine," a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan]
*wikitravel|Acadia National Park
* [http://www.nps.gov/acad/historyculture/ethnography.htm "Asticou's Island Domain: Wabanaki Peoples at Mount Desert Island 1500-2000," a 2 volume report (2007) by Harald E.L. Prins and Bunny McBride, commissioned by NPS and freely accessible]
* [http://zeitcam.com/webcam/acadia Daily time lapse animations of a webcam in Acadia National Park]