Report: Acadia National Park's harm to nature of 'significant concern'

MOUNT DESERT, Dec. 22, 2024 - Acadia National Park has the worst rating given by the National Parks Conservation Association for the condition of its plants, trees and wildlife.

In a report earlier this year which did not receive wide coverage, NPCA, a non-governmental organization, said the effect of pollution on Acadia’s vegetation and species was of “significant concern’ - the worst of three grades for assessing the impact of climate change in national parks. Two other National Park Service-supervised properties in Maine - Katahdin Woods and Waters Monument and the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway near Canada received grades of “unsatisfactory.”

The parks also received “unsatisfactory” grades in other categories - hazy air and unhealthy air - except St. Croix’s air was green lighted as of low concern.

“NPCA continues to work directly with state agencies and lawmakers, providing data and expertise, helping to secure strong state plans to limit haze pollution, and defending existing plans — in court, if necessary,” it stated in its findings.

Acadia is an appropriate proxy for all of Mount Desert Island, half of which is park land.

Much of the data cited is several years old, so conditions may be worse than reported. For instance NPCA did not include rising seas as a major threat to Acadia. That was before winter storms destroyed Seawall Road in January, closing a major access way to park campgrounds and two popular waterfront trails in Southwest Harbor and Tremont.

By all measures, the island’s natural resources face unprecedented threats.

On April 20 I reported that the island’s largest watershed was cited as “an impaired water body,” the first time a watershed on MDI received that designation from the state DEP.

I obtained a memo from ANP chief of water quality William Gawley expressing alarm at the pace of development on the island. Gawley stated that development pressure surrounding the park is growing “exponentially” and that tools are “urgently needed” to evaluate future land-use and climate changes on nutrient loading to protect the Northeast Creek estuary.

Gawley has not returned calls since that article and park officials stated they have nothing more to disclose on the matter.

The park has a major effort underway to build staff housing on a 55-acre parcel off Crooked Road in the Town Hill section of Bar harbor near seven vernal pools, including one one identified as “significant.”

The proposal has the support of the town planning department and Friend of Acadia.

NPCA, which reported that 97 percent of national parks suffer from significant or unsatisfactory levels of harm from air pollution, wants individuals and groups like FOA to join its efforts “to hold federal agencies, states and industrial polluters accountable.

“Do you live near a polluting coal plant that refuses to clean up its dirty emissions? Is there flaring of methane gas in the county next to you?

“Whatever your story or personal connection to the importance of clean air and a healthy climate, your voice is critical to ensuring our efforts are successful.”

NPCA did not mention cruise ships specifically in its report.

Few of the national parks have a large cruise ship presence like MDI’s.

On Nov. 26, the Guardian newspaper called for action to stem the ships’ “license to pollute.

“As revealed this week in a series of Guardian articles, The real cost of cruises – the environmental and social impact of this fast-growing industry - goes way beyond individual cities, and requires action on a global scale.

“The carbon emissions of a cruise are roughly double that of the equivalent flights plus a hotel stay. The industry is also responsible for a vast quantity of waste discharged directly into the sea, as well as high levels of toxic air pollution in the ports where ships are docked – usually with their engines running.”

Local organizations like the FOA and College of the Atlantic, which should be natural advocates to fight polluters, have shown counter-intuitive impulses.

An FOA vice president spoke passionately at the town meeting in 2023 to restore $60,000 to support cruise ship visitation services. Otherwise, FOA’s main focus has been to bolster needed staff housing so ANP may continue to serve historically high visitation.

Former and current COA employees voted as members of the Planning Board and Town Council to repeal a citizens cap passed Nov. 8, 2022 to limit cruise ship visitation. A COA professor was a paid consultant to the law firm working to repeal the same ordinance which was again upheld by voters on Nov. 5

The greenwashing continued last week when the Town Council accepted from its “task force on the climate emergency” a generic report which could have produced by any AI app and which, of course, did not mention cruise ships.

FOOTNOTE: On Dec. 16, President Biden designated the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark in Newcastle, Maine as the newest national monument, the 433rd national park site.

Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet as secretary of labor under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She was a driving force behind the New Deal.

“Our national parks are places to explore and learn about our nation’s history,” said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association. “With the addition of Frances Perkins’ story, we now have 13 national park sites dedicated to the contributions of women. Millions will now know the woman who transformed American culture for the better by ending child labor, providing a safety net for the unemployed, and designing a Social Security program we depend on to this day.”

The designation comes after a successful grassroots campaign led by the nonprofit Frances Perkins Center and the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).

“Frances Perkins’ values have shaped the American workplace. From the 40-hour work week to the minimum wage, to workplace safety and fire prevention, to the abolition of child labor, to the creation of Social Security, Perkins remains one of the most influential women in US history,” said Keith Mestrich, Chair of the Board for the Frances Perkins Center and long-time labor advocate.

“And the Frances Perkins Homestead makes it possible to see and touch history, with significant artifacts from Perkins’ life and times. Under the management of the National Park Service, the homestead will introduce Perkins legacy to more people and inspire new generations of leaders who can put their values to work for others.”

The Frances Perkins Center owned and managed the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark when it purchased the 57-acre riverfront property in 2020 from Perkins’ only living descendent, Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall.

The center, which is a two-hour drive from MDI, is open to the public June 15 to Oct. 12.