Updated equipment is helping park staff do their work, thanks to donors like you.

Last year, Friends of Acadia purchased a new excavator, two dump trucks, and a diesel tractor for Acadia National Park. Heavy equipment is integral to keeping Acadia’s trails, roads, structures, and carriage roads in good shape, from schlepping stone and gravel to moving soil, sand, and the remnants of wind-toppled trees.

It’s also crucial to cleanup and repair in the aftermath of severe storms, like those that impacted the park last winter.

The purchase of the excavator was made possible in large part thanks to funds raised during last year’s Acadia Storm Damage Giving Challenge. Donors Kay and Bill Koplovitz offered a $100,000 gift, which was more than matched thanks to gifts large and small for a total of $250,000. Those dollars also went toward post-storm repairs, as well as volunteer cleanup days at Schoodic, Seawall Picnic Area, and other locations in the park throughout the season.

Our 2024 Paddle Raise also raised funds for heavy equipment, including two dump trucks purchased last year. These purchases replaced heavy equipment purchased in the early 90s as part of the carriage road restoration project. The park did an exceptional job keeping that equipment in great shape for as long as they did!

An Acadia National Park staff member uses a new excavator purchased using funds raised by Friends of Acadia. (Evie Linantud/Friends of Acadia)

Park staff pose with the new excavator. (Evie Linantud/Friends of Acadia)

Dollars raised during our 2018 Paddle Raise continue to fund repairs at the historic Bass Harbor Head Light Station. This year, the lightkeeper’s house got a new roof.

The park acquired the light station from the United States Coast Guard in 2020, and the Paddle Raise helped make restoration efforts possible. (The Coast Guard still maintains the light.)

Like any home, there’s always work to be done – and Bass Harbor Head Light Station was built in 1858!

Luckily funds from this Paddle Raise continue to help restore it and transform it into a permanent cultural and educational resource.

Repairs and new roof for the Bass Harbor Head Light Station funded by the 2018 Friends of Acadia Annual Benefit Paddle Raise. (Photo: Kip Wing/Aerial Aesthetic/FOA)

Workers on the roof of Bass Harbor Head Light Station in fall 2024. (Photo: Kip Wing/Aerial Aesthetic/FOA)