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Acadia National Park
A Half-Day of Volunteering Goes a Long Way
Drop-in stewardship volunteers help keep Acadia’s trails and carriage roads safe, accessible, and looking sharp.
August 2nd, 2022
By SHANNON BRYAN
A few hours spent wielding a rake or pulling vegetation helps keep Acadia National Park’s trails and carriage roads safe, accessible, and looking sharp. The park’s trails and carriage road crews work hard maintaining the trails and carriage roads we enjoy walking, hiking, and biking on, and this season we can bolster those efforts by pitching in as volunteers.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Acadia National Park and Friends of Acadia are excited to welcome back volunteers through the Stewardship Volunteer Drop-In Program. As part of the drop-in program volunteers will be maintaining carriage road and trail drainage systems, cutting back overgrown vegetation, and working on a cadre of other needed tasks.
Projects run 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from now through October (weather permitting), and no experience or reservations are necessary.
“We are delighted to welcome volunteers back to the
park this summer,” said Nikki Burtis, Friends of Acadia’s Stewardship Coordinator. “It’s a great opportunity to learn about and contribute to maintaining our trails and carriage roads. A half-day’s effort volunteering makes a big difference in protecting the park we all love!”
FUN FACT!
Those large blocks of granite that line the park's roads and serve as guardrails are coiled coping stones. They're also often referred to as "Rockefeller's teeth," in honor of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. who built the roads. The process of removing vegetation around them to prevent erosion damage is known as "flossing." This and several other accessible options are available to volunteers and service groups.
Service groups are welcome and can volunteer for a half day, full day, a week or more. Reservations are required. Please visit friendsofacadia.org/get-involved/volunteer/stewardship-volunteers for more information.
Whether you volunteer for a few hours, a few months, or year after year, you will see a new side of Acadia, feel a deeper connection to the park, and leave this national treasure a little better than you found it.
Volunteers should arrive in work clothes, closed-toed shoes, and bring a backpack with water and a snack. Stewardship Staff and Volunteer Crew Leaders provide the rest, including tools, safety gear, and transportation from Park Headquarters to the morning’s work site. Participants meet near the flagpole at Acadia National Park Headquarters, 567 Eagle Lake Road, Bar Harbor.
Over the years, hundreds of volunteers have contributed thousands of hours on crucial projects, making a real and lasting difference for Acadia National Park. Come lend a hand this season and keep Acadia’s trails and carriage roads in excellent shape for decades to come.
Learn More about the Drop-In Stewarship Program
SHANNON BRYAN is Friends of Acadia’s Content and Website Manager.
