The answer is simple. We continued to protect Acadia National Park, provide vital assistance to the Park Service, and work toward improving the quality of life in Mount Desert Island communities.

During the year, L.L. Bean donated $1 million to Friends of Acadia for expansion of the highly successful propane-powered Island Explorer bus system. The buses carried 280,000 passengers, double the 1999 ridership, and reduced the numbers of private automobiles on MDI's too often crowded roads.

Thanks to those who so generously contributed in previous years to our Acadia Trails Forever campaign, national park crews fixed drainages on fifty miles of trail and rebuilt most of the Jordan Pond and Ship Harbor trails. Selected areas were made wheelchair accessible.

Cumulative grants (1995-2002) from our separate endowment for carriage road maintenance reached $1.48 million. Repairs continued to sections of the carriage road system.

Despite the difficult economic environment, we managed our seventh straight year of keeping operating expenses in the black. The value of our portfolios declined along with the general stock market, but our investment performance was significantly better than the benchmarks. Although we are comfortable with our long-term investment strategy, we need to build funds to continue meeting our commitments to Acadia National Park and to undertake other essential initiatives.

During 2002 we welcomed to the board of directors Julia Merck, Heather Mitchell, and Ann R. Roberts. Dianna Brochendorff, Paul Growald, Denny Jacobs, and Philip Worden stepped down with our sincere thanks for their years of service.

In the following pages you can learn much more about the activities of Friends of Acadia during 2002. Your gifts made it all happen. Thank you for helping protect one of Earth's most magnificent places. Get out there and enjoy it with family and friends!

Dianna R. Emory, Chairman
W. Kent Olson, President
H. Lee Judd, Treasurer