C-ACADIA+NATIONAL+PARK


 * Acadia National Park was founded on July 8th, 1916
 * The park is located off the coast of Maine on [|Mount Desert Island], [|Isle au Haut], Baker Island, and a part of the [|Schoodic Peninsula]
 * The park takes up 30,300 acres on Mount Desert Island, 2,728 acres on Isel au Haut, and 2,366 acres on the Schoodic Peninsula
 * Acadia has a mild climate for Northern New England, temperature can range from below 0*(f) to above 90*(f)
 * Anual visitors are generally around 2 million per year
 * Most popular sites include Thunder Hole and the Carriage Trails
 * Acadia was the first national park East of the Mississippi River




 * __History__** - Landscape architect [|Charles Elliot] came up with the idea for the park because of it's natural beauty but the park became official on July 8th 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson established it as Sieur de Monts. On February 26th 1919 it officially became a national park and had its name changed to Lafayette National Park in honor of [|Marquis de Lafayette], a French supporter of the American Revolution. The name was later changed to Acadia National Park on January 19th 1929. From 1915-1933 a wealthy philanthropist, [|John D. Rockefeller Jr]. financed and helped design 50mi of [|carriage trails], 17 granite bridges, and 2 lodges throughout the park, all of which are maintained and still used.


 * __Population__** - Of the all the islands in Acadia, the one with the largest year-round population is Mount Desert Island. There are 4 towns on the island, Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and Tremont. [|Bar Harbor] is home to the largest parts of Acadia and is a major tourist spot in the summer. Northeast Harbor is recognized as one of the prettiest villages on the coast of Maine. [|Southwest Harbor] has the largest year-round population of all the towns on the island of 1,966 people (in the summer Bar Harbor's population grows to just over 4,800 people) and was filming location of Stephen King's mini-series // [|Storm Of The Century] //. The last town on the island is [|Tremont], and located on the Southwestern side of the island. Before these towns were established the Wabanaki inhabited the area. The [|Wabanaki] was a Native American alliance between the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot Native American tribes.


 * __Air Quality__** - Due to it's location and the urban and industrial areas in states to the South and West, high concentrations of air pollutants often blow into the park. Acadia National park is considered a Class I area according to the [|Clean Air Act]. This means that the park deserves the highest quality of air. Since 1979, Acadia Park Officials have taken steps to clean the air. Acadia has it's own [|air monitoring site] where air quality is constantly being checked and recorded. Primary pollutants found here include Ozone, Sulfure Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide, VOCs, fine particulates, Mercury decomposition, and acid precipitation. Studies show that the air quality has improved since 1988 but is nowhere near what it should be when compared to whatit should naturally be.
 * __Fire Hazzard__** - Because of it's coastal location, the [|climate] is cool, humid, and has a low occurance of natural ignition sources (lightning, ect). This means that the chance of wildfires is very low when compared to national parks out west. In 1947, a human-made fire burned about 1/3 of Mount Desert Island in Bar Harbor. About 17,188 acres were burnt in the town and 10,000 acres of that were in Acadia. Property damage exceeded $23 million but loss of human life was minimal. Restoration efforts were mainly financed by the Rockefeller family, mainly John D. Rockerfeller, but most of the restoration occured naturally, some say the new trees that grew were not native to that part of the park and enhanced its beauty.
 * __Water Quality__** - Tests show that Acadia has excellent water quality. This is important for the park because water is the park's dominant natural resouce and is one of the main attractions of the park since many who come to the park sail, kayak, canoe, swim, or fish in the park's 14 lakes, 10 ponds, and Frenchman Bay. There are also over 2 dozen streams and over 10 wetland areas within Acadia. The lakes and ponds cover about 7.4% of the total park while another 10.1% of the park is wetlands.
 * __Weather and Climate__** - The climate in Acadia is considered mild for Northern New England. Temperatures range from below 0* (f) in the Winter to above 90* (f) during the Summer. Average precipitation for the park is about 53'' of rain and snow per year. The frequent thawing periods in the area prevent long-term snow accumulations. Due to it's coastal location, fog is very frequent and it isn't uncommon for a hurricane to track up the Eastern Seaboard and pass by Acadia.
 * __Centennial "Car Free" Project__** - With Acadia's 100th anniversary coming up in 2016, the park service has come up with a project to have visitors explore the park "car free" in a effort to further preserve the park. The project gives visitors the opportunity to explore Acadia by foot, bicycle, shuttle bus, park vehicles, and private/commecial vessels. Officials hope that by cutting down on vehicles around the park they will improve air quality and preserve the park for another 100 years.


 * __Recreational Activities__**


 * Park Loop Road -** Drive the 20mi road through the forests, around the coast and along the 3.5mi road up Cadillac Mountain for a great sight seeing adventure.
 * Loop Trail** - Hike the 1/3mi trail up Cadillac Mountain. Great for hikers.
 * Nature Center** - Visit the nature center where you can learn about the plants and wildlife and how the park manages them.
 * Ranger Tours** - Follow a park ranger around Acadia for a walk and talk tour of the park.
 * Carriage Road -** Explore the park's 50mi long carraige trail around the park via bicycle or horse drawn carriage.
 * Ranger Boat Tour -** Take a boat tour around Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut, Baker Island, and around the Schioodic Peninsula.
 * [|Thunder Hole]** - Hike out to the small inlet where waves roll in and launch water up to 40ft in the air, its a popular attraction.
 * Aquatic Activities** - Acadia's numerous lakes and ponds are great for swimming, and fishing along with canoeing, kayaking, and sailing.
 * Snowboarding/Skiing** - Acadia has over 20 mountains, most with ski/snowboarding slopes making the park a great winter attraction.
 * [|Bass Harbor Headlight]** - Visit the only lighthouse in the park.


 * __Wildlife__** - There are over 40 different species of wildlife found in Acadia. These include...
 * White-tail Deer
 * Moose
 * Black Bears
 * Gray Wolves
 * Coyote
 * Mountain Lions
 * Beavers
 * Porcupines
 * Muskrats
 * Foxes
 * Bobcats
 * Harbor Seals


 * __Mountains Around Acadia National Park__**
 * 1) [|Cadillac] (formerly Green) - 1,530ft
 * 2) Sargent - 1,373ft
 * 3) Dorr (formerly Flying Squadron) - 1,270ft
 * 4) Pemetic - 1,248ft
 * 5) Penobscot (formerly Jordan) - 1,194ft
 * 6) Bernard - 1,071ft
 * 7) Champlain (formerly Newport) - 1,058ft
 * 8) Gilmore - 1,036ft
 * 9) Bald - 974ft
 * 10) Mansell - 949ft
 * 11) Cedar Swamp - 942ft
 * 12) Parkman (formerly Little Brown) - 941ft
 * 13) North Bubble - 872ft
 * 14) Norumbega (formerly Brown) - 852ft
 * 15) Beech - 839ft
 * 16) South Bubble - 766ft
 * 17) Huguenot Head - 731ft
 * 18) McFarland - 724ft
 * 19) The Triad - 696ft
 * 20) Acadia (formerly Robinson) - 681ft
 * 21) Youngs - 680ft
 * 22) St. Sauveur (formerly Dog) - 679ft
 * 23) Day - 580ft
 * 24) Gorham - 525ft
 * 25) The Beehive - 520ft
 * 26) Flying - 280ft