At this writing, Friends of Acadia and Island Explorer partners are planning to celebrate the ground breaking for the Acadia Gateway Center—a long-envisioned capstone to the Island Explorer bus system. The Maine Department of Transportation, Acadia National Park, Downeast Transportation, L.L.Bean, the local chambers of commerce, and others will join to turn over that first shovelful of dirt, kicking off the on-the-ground accomplishment of the Gateway Center.

In its first phase, the Acadia Gateway Center will provide a maintenance center and storage area for the fare-free, propane-powered Island Explorer buses; offices for Downeast Transportation, the non-profit organization managing the system; and commuter parking. When the Center is completed, it will provide parking for visitors to catch the Island Explorer buses into the park, and provide a first stop opportunity to buy park, passes and gather information about Acadia and the region.

Island Explorer partners celebrated two milestones this year—the 10th anniversary and 3-millionth passenger. Over the first decade, the Island Explorer system grew from carrying an average of 1,800 riders daily in 1999 to more than 3,200 daily riders this year—a 78% increase. In July, we celebrated the 3-millionth passenger to ride the buses and by the end of the season more than 3.3 million passengers had ridden the buses, through Acadia and around Mount Desert Island.

The benefit to the region is tangible. Traffic congestion is reduced on the area’s roads— an estimated 1.2 million vehicles left behind by folks preferring to ride on the Explorer. Were we to line up the vehicles not driven from 1999 through 2009 because people rode the buses, we would create a traffic jam extending from Bar Harbor down the Atlantic seaboard, around the tip of Florida, and heading up its west coast to end in Freeport, Florida—more than 2,300 miles.

The environmental benefits related to this reduction in vehicles driven on area roads include the prevention of an estimated 17.9 tons of smog-causing pollutants and 11.5 thousand tons of green house gases.

As an original partner in the planning for the Island Explorer, Friends purchased the land for the Acadia Gateway Center, selling what was needed for the center to the Maine Department of Transportation. Friends retained 217 acres, and is currently working with Trenton residents and trails enthusiasts to explore trail possibilities on the property, connecting to the Center and various destinations in the town. The National Park Service Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance program is working with Friends and the new Trenton Village Connector Trails Committee to research and plan community trails that will be easily accessed by residents and those who stop at the welcome center.

Over the years, the Island Explorer buses have proven themselves to be the “little buses that could,” as former FOA President Ken Olson coined them. With the advent of the Acadia Gateway Center—the first official home site for this effective transportation system— these powerful buses will continue to grow and provide tremendous benefits for Acadia National Park and the region.

We end this year with gratitude to our members and donors who have supported innovative programs like the Island Explorer and Acadia Gateway Center, that protect the tranquil character of Acadia and the local communities; to L.L.Bean for its early, generous sponsorship of the Island Explorer; and to the partners who have creatively, and with determination, developed a model transportation system for Acadia and the region.

I wish you many great memories in Acadia next year!

—Marla S. O’Byrne, President