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JOHN. KATHLEEN. ROGER. THANK YOU. AS AMERICA CELEBRATES ITS 250TH, WE ARE BRINGING YOU STORIES FROM ACROSS THE NATION. THE PEOPLE, THE PLACES, AND THE MOMENTS THAT MAKE THIS COUNTRY REMARKABLE. AND TONIGHT, HERE AT SIX, SCOTT MCDONALD TAKES US TO MAINE’S ICONIC COASTLINE. SOARING ABOVE THE FIRST NATIONAL PARK EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. WITH VIEWS LIKE THIS, IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY ITS FOUNDERS FOUGHT FOR ACADIA. AND ONCE THEY GOT IT, THEY GAVE IT AWAY. PRIVATE CITIZENS DONATED THIS LAND AND TOLD THE NATION THIS SHOULD BELONG TO EVERYONE. A SEAGULL’S VIEW OF MOUNT DESERT ISLAND FLYING OVER BAR HARBOR. THE JUMPING OFF POINT FOR ACADIA ADVENTURE. BUT THE VIEWS ON THE GROUND ARE PRETTY GOOD TOO. JUST ASK CINDY ANDERSON, WHO CAME ALL THE WAY FROM TEXAS. THIS IS MY AMERICA TO 50 TOUR. A BUCKET LIST STOP FOR HER AMERICAN ADVENTURE. WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IS JUST A CULMINATION OF ALL THE BEAUTY I’VE SEEN IN OTHER PARKS. IT’S JUST ALL IN ONE SPOT HERE. THAT’S THE THING ABOUT ACADIA. IT’S A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. ALL CRASHING TOGETHER ON THE COAST OF MAINE, WHERE THE MOUNTAINS MEET THE SEA. IT’S WHAT INSPIRED ACADIA’S EARLY ADMIRERS TO PROTECT THIS PLACE. MEN LIKE JOHN D ROCKEFELLER JR. HE WAS FUNDING JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. AND GEORGE DORR, KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF ACADIA. IT WAS ALL ESSENTIALLY DONATED TO THE GOVERNMENT. NOT TO KEEP IT PRIVATE, BUT TO MAKE IT A PARK. THEY WANTED FUTURE GENERATIONS TO SEE WHAT THEY SAW. BUT AT ACADIA, THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO SEE. DRONES ARE NOT ALLOWED AT NATIONAL PARKS, BUT WE FOUND ANOTHER WAY TO GET ALTITUDE. WE’RE GOING OLD SCHOOL. WE WENT UP WITH SCENIC FLIGHTS OF ACADIA FROM HIGH ABOVE THE SCALE OF THE PARK REALLY SINKS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND CONTRAST WITH THE OCEAN IS REALLY SPECIAL. THE COASTLINE, IT’S DEFINITELY A VERY AMERICAN PLACE. NEARLY 50,000 ACRES. AND FOR THE PILOTS WHO FLY IT EVERY SINGLE DAY, IT’S AN OFFICE WITH QUITE THE VIEW. I KNOW THAT I AM LUCKY EVERY DAY THAT THIS IS MY JOB, AND I GET TO SHARE IT WITH EVERYBODY. I DON’T THINK IT GETS OLD. ACADIA STORY HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE WIDE VIEW. IT’S A STORY OF CONSERVATION, AND THAT CONTINUES TODAY. THESE ECO FRIENDLY BUSSES HAVE OPENED THE DOOR TO CONSERVATION EFFORTS AND A PARTNERSHIP WITH ONE OF MAINE’S MOST ICONIC COMPANIES. L.L. BEAN. THEY HAVE STAYED WITH US THROUGH TOUGH TIMES. COVID WAS A TOUGH TIME THROUGH THICK AND THIN. THEY’VE BEEN THERE FOR US AND RECENTLY INCREASED THEIR GRANT TO US BY 50%. 34 PROPANE POWERED BUSSES, MOVING PEOPLE THROUGH ACADIA AND KEEPING CARS OFF THE ROADS. THE IMPACT IS HUGE. 4 MILLION FEWER VEHICLES, MORE THAN 33,000 TONS OF GREENHOUSE GASES PREVENTED. BECAUSE PROTECTING A PLACE LIKE THIS ISN’T SOMETHING YOU DO ONCE. WHAT WE WILL NEED IN THE PAST, AS WELL AS THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE. JUST A PLACE TO ENJOY A
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A gift to the nation: The story of how Acadia National Park was created in Maine
Acadia National Park is the first national park to be established east of the Mississippi River. It was also the first to be created from private lands that were donated to the federal government.
As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a number of people are making visits to national parks to mark the occasion.Texas resident Cindy Anderson decided to travel to Maine to visit Acadia National Park, the only national park in the Northeast, as part of her America 250 tour.”What you have here is just a culmination of all the beauty I’ve seen in other parks. It’s just all in one spot here,” Anderson said.”It’s where the mountains meet the sea,” said Richard MacDonald, owner of The Natural History Center.The beauty of Mount Desert Island, where the majority of Acadia National Park is located, inspired its early admirers to protect it.George Dorr, known as the father of Acadia National Park, and others established the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations with the sole purpose of preserving the land. By 1913, the corporation acquired 6,000 acres of land, which became the nucleus of the park, and gifted it to the public. “It was all essentially donated to the government,” MacDonald said.John D. Rockefeller Jr. personally acquired and donated about 11,000 acres of forest, shoreline and scenic areas to the park. He also spent millions to build 51 miles of carriage road for the park.”He was funding just about everything,” MacDonald said of Rockefeller.In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act establishing Lafayette National Park, the first national park east of the Mississippi River. The national park’s name was changed to Acadia a decade later.”The mountains in contrast with the ocean is really special, and the coastline,” said Tate Anderson, a pilot with Scenic Flights of Acadia. “It’s definitely a very American place.”Acadia National Park currently encompasses more than 47,000 acres.”It’s stunning,” said Erin Meltzer, who is a pilot with Scenic Flights of Acadia. “I know that I am lucky every day that this is my job and I get to share it with everybody. I don’t think it gets old.”Past meets presentFrom the start, the story of Acadia National Park has been about conservation, and that mission continues today.The Island Explorer, a fare-free, propane-powered bus service that connects the park and neighboring towns, has eliminated 4 million vehicles from park traffic and has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 33,000 tons.The eco-friendly buses have also opened the door to a partnership with one of Maine’s most beloved companies, L.L.Bean.”They have stayed with us through tough times. COVID was a tough time. Through thick and thin, they’ve been there for us and recently increased their grant to us by 50%,” said Paul Murphy, executive director of Downeast Transportation.Since 2002, L.L.Bean has invested more than $5 million in the Island Explorer bus service through a partnership with Friends of Acadia.
As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a number of people are making visits to national parks to mark the occasion.
Texas resident Cindy Anderson decided to travel to Maine to visit Acadia National Park, the only national park in the Northeast, as part of her America 250 tour.
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“What you have here is just a culmination of all the beauty I’ve seen in other parks. It’s just all in one spot here,” Anderson said.
“It’s where the mountains meet the sea,” said Richard MacDonald, owner of The Natural History Center.
The beauty of Mount Desert Island, where the majority of Acadia National Park is located, inspired its early admirers to protect it.
George Dorr, known as the father of Acadia National Park, and others established the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations with the sole purpose of preserving the land. By 1913, the corporation acquired 6,000 acres of land, which became the nucleus of the park, and gifted it to the public.
“It was all essentially donated to the government,” MacDonald said.
John D. Rockefeller Jr. personally acquired and donated about 11,000 acres of forest, shoreline and scenic areas to the park. He also spent millions to build 51 miles of carriage road for the park.
“He was funding just about everything,” MacDonald said of Rockefeller.
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act establishing Lafayette National Park, the first national park east of the Mississippi River. The national park’s name was changed to Acadia a decade later.
“The mountains in contrast with the ocean is really special, and the coastline,” said Tate Anderson, a pilot with Scenic Flights of Acadia. “It’s definitely a very American place.”
Acadia National Park currently encompasses more than 47,000 acres.
“It’s stunning,” said Erin Meltzer, who is a pilot with Scenic Flights of Acadia. “I know that I am lucky every day that this is my job and I get to share it with everybody. I don’t think it gets old.”
Past meets present
From the start, the story of Acadia National Park has been about conservation, and that mission continues today.
The Island Explorer, a fare-free, propane-powered bus service that connects the park and neighboring towns, has eliminated 4 million vehicles from park traffic and has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 33,000 tons.
The eco-friendly buses have also opened the door to a partnership with one of Maine’s most beloved companies, L.L.Bean.
“They have stayed with us through tough times. COVID was a tough time. Through thick and thin, they’ve been there for us and recently increased their grant to us by 50%,” said Paul Murphy, executive director of Downeast Transportation.
Since 2002, L.L.Bean has invested more than $5 million in the Island Explorer bus service through a partnership with Friends of Acadia.
