Acadia
National Park's centennial summer is almost in the rear view mirror,
and the crowd of visitors has been huge as expected, or in some
cases, feared! Various indicators suggest that traffic and business
in general around Mount Desert Island could be up as much as 40%.
It
is ironic that all of this positive economic activity is happening
around and because of a beloved national park, while at the same time
folks in the economically stressed Katahdin region are arguing over
the designation of a new Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
with about 88,000 acres of land donated by Roxanne Quimby.!
We
at MountDesertIsland.Net have always valued our freedom and
independence very highly, and we tend to be sympathetic to those who
resist too much government control. However, we also recognize the
value of preserving Maine's dramatic, unspoiled coast and her vast
northern wilderness in the face of rapidly increasing development
pressure. What to do?
In
our opinion, government involvement is not always a bad thing.
Sometimes it is necessary to protect the public interest, whether
that interest be economic, aesthetic, or both. The establishment of
the National Park Service 100 years ago and the designation of our
many National Parks like Acadia has been described by Ken Burns as
America's best idea. While some development interests might be
unhappy, we believe most people would agree that National Parks have
been a win, win situation for almost everyone. They preserve and
protect our most scenic areas ,and draw visitors from all over the
world who provide significant economic stimulus to local, often
rural, communities.
As
some 2.5 million, and perhaps as many as 3.5 million visitors to
Mount Desert Island each year can attest, Acadia National Park is a
highly regarded and essential part of our island community. Working
closely with other non-profit conservation organizations like Maine
Coast Heritage Trust, the Nature Conservancy, and Friends of Acadia,
the Park provides a steady hand guiding our dramatic, unusual and
incredibly beautiful landscape safely through the buffeting winds of
change!
Congratulations,
Thank You, and Happy Birthday Acadia! Here's to the next 100 years!