If you’re reading this, you likely share the goal of a thriving Acadia National Park that provides a high-quality visitor experience, protects and preserves our natural resources, has the best trails and carriage road system in the country, fosters tomorrow’s stewards, and is welcoming and accessible to all who want to visit.

What you may not know, is that ALL of those things are powered by hiring the very best seasonal workforce possible that Acadia can hire. Unfortunately, in recent years, hiring that seasonal workforce has been hampered by a severe lack of workforce housing.

Providing affordable employee housing not only helps us recruit the best and brightest to Acadia, but it also gives Acadia a competitive advantage in a tight labor market. That’s why we’re inviting you to help us RAISE THE ROOF and provide affordable seasonal workforce housing to Acadia’s employees, including trail and carriage road workers, emergency services rangers, maintenance staff, visitor information specialists, and more.

Friends of Acadia has launched a $10 million Raise the Roof campaign to help address the seasonal employee housing shortage at Acadia National Park. And what’s even more impactful is that Friends of Acadia’s investment will unlock $10+ million in federal and other funding to provide housing solutions.

Every dollar—every donation—will help us achieve our $10 million goal this year. We’re asking everyone to help us Raise the Roof for Acadia’s seasonal workers.

Acadia aims to hire about 150-175 seasonal employees annually to support its full-time staff in managing the park during the busy visitor season. Last year, it could only hire 115, leaving about 30% of its seasonal jobs unfilled.

Only eight of 36 positions on the trails and carriage road maintenance crew were filled, leaving vital trail work unfinished. This year, the seasonal staffing shortage is similar.

As rental prices increase and housing inventory decreases, a dire housing situation on Mount Desert Island and its surrounding communities is only getting worse. Acadia’s seasonal workers are often left to compete for housing with employers who are struggling to staff their businesses and year-around residents who are looking for homes for their families.

Building housing for Acadia’s seasonal workers is not only vital to the park’s success, but it will also serve the broader island community by relieving competition for housing.

Constructing new housing units at Acadia is imperative for a meaningful and sustainable solution. But constructing buildings within a national park requires careful consideration to preserve park values and experiences. Fortunately, Acadia and Friends of Acadia have identified two suitable sites that could provide housing for 60-plus seasonal employees: the Harden Farm property in Bar Harbor and the Dane Farm property in Seal Harbor.

Both sites are conveniently located near village centers, near Island Explorer routes, and have access to public utilities. And because only the National Park Service (NPS) can build on park land, we are not competing for building lots for other workforce housing efforts.

Friends of Acadia purchased the Dane Farm property in Seal Harbor and is well underway on adding eight bedrooms in two new buildings. Once completed, we will donate the structures and property to the park.

The larger Harden Farm property will accommodate the majority of the proposed new housing units, with the National Park Service leading project design and development. Friends of Acadia’s donation will unlock matching funds through the NPS Centennial Challenge program to help build housing at Harden Farm.

The dynamic partnership between the park and Friends of Acadia allows us to tackle the housing crisis head on. But none of this is possible without you—our Friends.

Each of us has a personal connection to Acadia, nurturing a shared commitment to its preservation for future generations.

Please join us and help Raise the Roof to create the housing necessary to recruit a diverse and dedicated workforce, support Friends of Acadia’s programmatic priorities, and protect the park’s resources for years to come. Together, we’re Raising the Roof and making a difference,
one bedroom, one park ranger at a time.