WHAT WE DO

   Acadia, the first national park established east of the Mississippi, encompasses granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes and ponds, and ocean shoreline. The donation of separate properties over the years has created a matrix of private and public lands with a complex and irregular park boundary. The diverse habitats encompassed by the park make Acadia a haven for wildlife and plants. More than 1,000 plant and wildlife species, including the bald eagle and other threatened and endangered species, thrive on more than 47,500 acres of Maine's mountainous coastal and island landscape. The park also preserves at least 5,000 years of human history, including that of American Indians, early European settlers, and the "cottage era" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

   In 2002, the 100-acre Schoodic Point, a former U.S. Navy base with 36 major buildings and supporting infrastructure, was transferred to the park with an accompanying increase in operating funds. But Park Service managers estimate that the utility bills alone cost more than $500,000 a year.

   Unfortunately, Acadia National Park's business plan already reveals a staffing and budget shortfall of 53 percent. This translates to a deficit of approximately $7.3 million with a need to increase staff by 109 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees.

   From fiscal year 1980 to fiscal year 2000, Acadia's base funding increased by 280 percent in nominal dollars. But this is misleading: When the dollars are adjusted for inflation, the budget increased by only 82 percent in real dollars and this does not allow the park to keep pace with the rising costs of operation caused, in part, by growth in park size, increased visitation, broader responsibilities, and unfunded mandates. As a result of insufficient funding and staffing, two Civil War-era dueling pistols and museum artifacts that are centuries old sit in boxes at park headquarters. These along with more than a million other objects await cataloging and preservation because there is not enough funding to do the job. The park's complex, 115-mile boundary and miles of roads and trails are not adequately patrolled, resulting in resource damage from illegal snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle use, illegal trail cutting, and poaching. And although Acadia owns or holds conservation easements on more than 70 coastal Maine islands, park staff is unable to routinely monitor and protect important archaeological sites on these islands.

   This year, Acadia National Park is operating with a $500,000 deficit-an 8 percent drop in purchasing power. As a result, 20-30 fewer seasonal staff will be hired, which will directly affect the experiences of summer visitors to this popular park-the ninth most-visited national park in the country. For lack of staff and funding, park managers may close the Islesford Historic Museum, which tells the story of Maine's centuries-old coastal culture through historic documents and artifacts; won't be able to staff the Thompson Island Visitor Information Center, located alongside the main road into Mt. Desert Island; and may cut as many as 40 weekly interpretive programs, affecting approximately 65,000 visitors. Even park restrooms will be cleaned less frequently.