Superintendent's View: Top Ten Reasons Why Acadia is Unique

Acadia is truly a special place and it is unique for many reasons. I would like to offer my top ten:

10. The values preserved: a coastal and island landscape of rare scenic beauty; bold and rocky shores, granite mountains, clear lakes, verdant forests, scenic roads, dramatic views from the miles of historic carriage roads and hiking trails, and a rich tradition of individuals working for the benefit of many.

9. Acadia was the first national park east of the Mississippi River, established as Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916 by President Wilson and renamed Lafayette National Park in 1919.

8. Acadia was the first national park created out of private lands rather than from the public domain, as was the case with the great national parks in the West.

7. The park was started with all private donations. George B. Dorr obtained donations of key lands and also used his personal fortune to buy others to assemble the 6,000 acres that he conveyed to the United States to become the National Monument. Mr. Dorr later became the first park superintendent but worked for just one dollar per year. So, perhaps he was the first official volunteer, as well!

6. The historic 55 miles of carriage roads built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and 130 miles of hiking trails built by village improvement societies and volunteers make up some of the major attractions for visitors to Acadia National Park. Sixteen unique stone bridges on the carriage roads, grand scenic vistas, the Precipice and Beehive trails, and my personal favorite, the Jordan Cliffs and Penobscot Mountain loop, add to the special character of Acadia. I doubt the safety and environmental experts would support construction of those trails today.

5. Acadia is the most visited park per acre in the National Park System. Yellowstone is 60 times larger but has roughly the same number of visitors. At 35,000 acres, Acadia is one of the smallest national parks and one of the most visited annually. This combination of small size and many visitors adds to the challenges of maintaining the high quality environment and visitor experience.

4. The blend of public and private lands. Most western national parks are large rectangular blocks of land with a few distinct entrances, while Acadia is a combination of small and large areas of park land interspersed with private lands, and even shares Mount Desert Island with many different towns. Furthermore, Acadia has a mainland piece on Schoodic Peninsula and parts of various islands, as well as Isle au Haut.

3. Two park boundaries. Acadia is the only national park that I know of with two different boundaries: one for fee acquisition and another for conservation easements. Acadia manages 35,000 acres of land owned outright, of which 82 percent was donated. The park manages an additional 12,000 acres of conservation easements (totaling more than 190) outside the primary park boundary. More than 95 percent of those easements were donated by generous, forward-thinking people. Conservation easements generally protect scenic values without providing public access.

2. The continuing role of private philanthropy. Acadia has benefited greatly from the early efforts of George B. Dorr and John D. Rockefeller Jr., as well as the donations of land and labor of many other individuals too numerous to name. Thankfully these benefits continue. Today, Acadia is a very special place thanks to the extraordinary support of more than 3,000 volunteers who donate nearly 40,000 hours annually and the thousands of donors who have contributed money for park improvements and the endowments that care for the carriage roads and hiking trails.

1. And the number one reason that Acadia is unique is DEDICATION. From Acadia's earliest days, individuals have eagerly stepped forward to lead and to work toward a common purpose - to accomplish something special for the benefit of the American people. Individual efforts and the private contributions of land, money, and skill have made Acadia a true national treasure for all to enjoy. Partners like Friends of Acadia and people like YOU demonstrate a commitment to quality and purpose that makes it possible for us to protect the remainder of the land within the boundary and improve public facilities and services to complete the vision of Acadia's founders and supporters alike.

- Sheridan Steele, Superintendent