Press Releases

 
Maine's Congressional Delegation at a celebration of Acadia National Park's centennial last summer.

PORTLAND, ME — Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced today that Acadia National Park will receive $192,286 in federal funding to perform deferred trail maintenance. Awarded through the National Park Service’s Centennial Challenge program, the funding has been matched by $259,112 privately raised by Friends of Acadia.
 
“I’m thrilled that Acadia National Park will receive funds to improve its incredible network of trails that draws millions of people to our state every year,” said Pingree. “My thanks to Friends of Acadia for their steadfast support of this Maine gem and their work to meet and exceed this grant’s private match requirement.”
 
Pingree is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment, which oversees funding for the National Park Service.
 
There were 3.3 million visits to the park last year. According to a National Park Service report, Acadia National Park contributed $274.2 million to the state’s economy in 2016 and supported 4,195 full and part-time jobs.
 
“Friends of Acadia is proud to be part of this strong partnership with the Park Service that saw four projects from Acadia successfully compete nationally for Centennial Challenge grant awards.  These funds will allow critical work on Acadia’s trails and carriage roads to move forward at a time when these invaluable resources are seeing more interest and more use by the public than ever before,” said Friends of Acadia President David MacDonald. “Friends of Acadia is deeply grateful for the leadership of Congresswoman Pingree and the entire Maine Congressional Delegation for their unified support for re-authorizing the Centennial Challenge legislation last year.  Programs like this that allow Congressionally-appropriated funds to match and leverage our privately-raised dollars fit perfectly with the long tradition of public-private partnerships here at Acadia.”
 
Friends of Acadia is a membership-supported organization that preserves, protects and promotes stewardship of the natural beauty, ecological vitality, and cultural resources of Acadia National Park and surrounding communities for the inspiration and enjoyment of current and future generations.