Acadia National Park

by Mike Graf

  By the mid-1960s, however, no breeding peregrines existed anywhere in the eastern United States. Initially nest robbing, trapping, and hunting devastated the peregrine population. But the falcons also ingested pollutants and pesticides, especially from eating toxic songbirds, a primary source of prey. The buildup of toxins in peregrines caused them to not be able to have babies. All of this led to peregrines becoming an endangered species.

  The 1973 Endangered Species Act provided for protection of all animals and their habitats that are included on the list. A plan was developed to have a self-sustaining population of peregrines back in the Acadia area. From 1984 to 1986, twenty-two peregrine chicks were hatched in Acadia on the cliffs overlooking Jordan Pond. The first adult nested again in the park in 1991. Now there are several nesting pairs living on Mount Desert Island. The program has been so successful, peregrines have been removed from the endangered species list.

  After the group dispersed, the Parkers stayed a few minutes longer, watching the birds in their nest. Mom said to her family, “It’s great to see peregrines anywhere!”

  The Parkers then swam and rested at the much warmer Echo Lake for the remainder of the day. At one point Dad took a break to hike the nearby Acadia Mountain Trail.

  When Dad came back, he was clearly sweating. “How was your hike?” James asked.

  “Remote and wonderful,” Dad replied. Then he jumped into the lake and swam out to the buoy while James and Morgan followed.

  Echo Lake

  8

  Rockefeller’s Gift

  The Parkers took their rented bikes from a shop in downtown bar Harbor and walked over to the nearby Island Explorer bus stop. There they loaded their bikes on a carrier and got on the bus for Eagle Lake and the carriage roads.

  A short time later they got off the bus, unloaded their bikes, and gathered together. Morgan noticed all the other riders also starting their journey on the park’s special roads. “It sure is a popular thing to do here,” she mentioned.

  Out of habit, Dad checked the air pressure in the tires on each of their bikes, then he looked at the twins. “Are we all good to go?”

  Morgan and James nodded, and Mom agreed. They put on their helmets and within seconds the family was peddling along the east side of Eagle Lake.

  The well-maintained gravel road skirted along the shore of the lake, but also wandered into the forest. The Parkers kept a casual pace, basking in their new park activity and admiring the scenery.

  Soon they came to a junction. James checked the map, then said, “It’s this way up to Jordan Pond.”

  The family turned onto the “Around the Mountain” carriage road. As they climbed up a gradual hill, Dad said, “I could do this every day on roads like this.”

  “And we don’t have to worry about cars,” James added.

  Up ahead, a family had gotten off their bikes and were bent down near the bushes at the side of the road. As Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad approached, they noticed the family picking berries off the small shrubs.

  Mom stepped off her bike. “What have you found there?” she said to a young child.

  The little girl replied by holding up a tiny berry. “Blueberries!” she exclaimed.

  Mom’s eyes lit up. “I was hoping we’d find some along here.”

  Mom put the kickstand down on her bike and called the rest of her family over. “C’mon, it’s snack time!”

  The Parkers started searching for their own blueberry-filled section of shrubs. “Over here!” Mom called.

  Morgan, James, and Dad joined Mom. They started picking, and immediately plunked the ripe blueberries into their mouths. “Mmmm, sweet,” James reported.

  “The one I just had was a little sour,” Morgan admitted.

  While the Parkers searched and picked, the little girl from the other family wandered over. “Look at my bag,” she said, holding up a plastic baggie with dozens of the delicacies inside.

  “Whoa!” Morgan replied. “Lucky you!”

  The little girl smiled. “Do you want some?”

  “Oh, thank you so much,” Morgan beamed. “But just one, since we’re picking our own. I don’t want to take any from your yummy supply, OK?”

  The other family came over and introduced themselves as Mike, Kimberly, and three-year-old Maggie from Boston.

  After the Parkers introduced themselves and told where they were from, the mother responded by saying, “Boy, you’ve come a long way!”

  “But it has been so worth it,” Dad replied.

  James then said, “I’m not able to save the blueberries like you did, Maggie. I just eat them right on the spot.”

  After each of them had eaten quite a few more, Mom said, “We had best head out now.”

  They said good-bye to the family just as Maggie was being loaded back into the child carrier behind a bike.

  The Parkers pedaled on, eventually getting glimpses of Jordan Pond. “We know what lies ahead!” James exclaimed.

  Mom, Dad, James, and Morgan kept a steady pace around the lake. Soon they arrived at the main Jordan Pond area. There they filled up their water bottles, locked their bikes, and got in line for lunch at the Jordan Pond House.

  “Popovers await!” Morgan exclaimed.

  The Parkers opted for the outdoor tables with views of Jordan Pond and the glacially sculpted North and South Bubbles in the distance.

  After indulging in the popovers and a light lunch, the Parkers returned to their bikes and rode on. Their trail took them to the majestic Jordan Pond Gate House. They stared at the stately building. “Looking at that makes me feel like we’ve stepped back in time,” Dad said.

  Morgan snapped several photos. They passed by the gate and were back on the carriage roads again.

  The road meandered into the forest, climbing steadily but not steeply. After a good several miles of riding, the Parkers came to another body of water, Bubble Pond. The serene pond was nestled in a bowl surrounded by Acadia’s forested domes of rock.

  Mom said while pedaling, “This just might be my favorite spot of our whole ride today!”

  Rockefeller’s Gift to Acadia

  * * *

  Acadia’s carriage roads were designed to draw attention to nature and the natural surroundings. The roads were located so that they would blend with the landscape around them. Trees were saved when possible, and island granite was used in the construction. John D. Rockefeller Jr. directed and paid for the building of the roads so that people who visited Acadia would be able to enjoy the park’s lakeshores, forests, wetlands, and valleys. They were designed to meander from place to place without having specific destinations to lead people to. Rockefeller also built seventeen stone-crafted bridges among the carriage roads as well as gatehouses like the one at Jordan Pond.

  James added, remembering where Bubble Pond was on the map, “You know, if we didn’t ride our bikes out here, we may never have come to this pond.”

  The Parkers rode to the north end of the large pond. There they got off their bikes and walked up to the gravely shoreline. Morgan noticed signs prohibiting swimming. “There’s always Echo Lake!” she said.

  Meanwhile, Morgan was also noticing something in the water near shore. “Look—giant pollywogs!”

  The family came over and saw several especially large pollywogs in the shallow waters. “That one is already growing legs,” James said. “It’ll soon become a frog.”

  After hanging out at the pond for some time, the family pedaled on, soon returning to the much larger Eagle Lake, but this time on the eastern shore.

  They rode along Eagle Lake and eventually returned to the parking lot where the bus originally dropped them off. After they got off their bikes, Mom said, “This has been my favorite of all our days here in Acadia.”

  James took out his map and showed Mom. “It doesn’t have to end yet.” He pointed out on the map the short carriage road loop circling Witch Hole Pond to the north.

  “Let’s do it!” Dad exclaimed.

 
The Parkers got back on their bikes, rode underneath the highway, and pedaled on.

  Eagle Lake

  While passing the small body of water called Breakneck Ponds, Dad said, “I think this is the most scenic and pleasant fifteen or so miles I have ever ridden.”

  Just then Morgan called out, “I found the mother lode of blueberries!” She quickly ditched her bike and dashed over to the shrubs.

  The family spent quite some time picking and eating again. After a while, James said, “How many of these are we allowed to take in a day, anyway?”

  “Up to a gallon per person,” Dad replied.

  “OK, then we can still eat some more,” Morgan said.

  When they got back on their bikes, Mom said, “You just have to be grateful to Rockefeller for setting up these roads. They’re such a unique and great gift to the park and to all of us.”

  As the family rode around Witch Hole Pond, they noticed a few beaver lodges in the distance. Then they saw a small group of people with nets sloshing in a marsh, trying to catch things.

  The Parkers rode up and watched a ranger pluck a frog from the pond. He took several pictures of the amphibian and wrote something down in a log book. He released the creature where he found it before resuming the search for other living things.

  Mom was curious. “Can I ask what you are doing out here?”

  The ranger answered, “We’re on a twenty-four-hour BioBlitz. We’re identifying species of life in selected areas and documenting what we find.”

  “What have you found so far?” James asked.

  “Well, last year in our BioBlitz, we noted over three hundred types of moths in the park, including several species that were unknown to scientists until we discovered them here. This year, though, we’re focusing on aquatic insects. But we just got started in this area, so who knows what we’ll find.”

  The ranger picked up on the Parkers’ keen interest. “You know, anyone can volunteer to help do this. If you are interested, just get information from the park visitor center or our website for future BioBlitzes.”

  “Oh, we absolutely will,” Mom replied.

  The Parkers watched the BioBlitz for a few more minutes. Then they continued their loop around Witch Hole Pond and eventually back to Eagle Lake. After waiting a few minutes, the bus came. They loaded their bikes and climbed inside.

  Once seated, Dad said, “Well, that was quite a day!”

  9

  The Adventures of Mini-Ed

  After a quiet morning in camp, the Parkers made their way back through Bar Harbor and onto the campus of the College of the Atlantic. There they found the pier leading them to the boat Starfish Enterprise. They boarded with about twenty-five other passengers for the Dive-In Theater.

  “Hey,” Morgan said while her family found seats. “There’s the family we saw yesterday picking blueberries on the carriage road.”

  As soon as everyone was seated, a man introduced himself as “Diver Ed.” He then introduced his crew, which included his wife, known on board as “Captain Evil,” a national park ranger, several other crew members, and two large black Newfoundland dogs he called Newfies.

  Then Diver Ed gave a life jacket demonstration, using one of the large dogs.

  As the boat headed out to sea, the ranger narrated their unique tour. She pointed out birds, islands, a porpoise gliding along the ocean surface, lobster buoys, views of Mount Desert Island, and other features of the Gulf of Maine.

  Somewhere out at sea, near small, rockbound Egg Rock Island, Diver Ed began to don his wet suit and gear.

  “He’s getting ready,” Dad said with anticipation.

  Captain Evil began slowing the boat down.

  But before the much-anticipated events developed further, Captain Evil turned the boat so the passengers could see the lighthouse on the island. The ranger pointed out two bald eagles on the rocks near shore. She also pointed to a dozen or so harbor seals in the water nearby.

  “They’re poking their heads out of the water and looking right at us!” Morgan observed.

  Soon the boat completely stopped, and the crew lowered an anchor.

  Diver Ed stepped in front of the passengers, and while putting on the rest of his gear, he explained, “I need this weight belt to help me go lower in the water. Without it, I would be too buoyant to get to the bottom.”

  Diver Ed also pointed out the valve that would regulate the pressure as he dove down and returned to the surface.

  Next Diver Ed said a microphone and a camera would accompany him on his journey. “With all this equipment,” he said while looking at a large television screen mounted on the boat above his head, “you’ll be able to see every creature I encounter and all the dangers I face under the sea.” Diver Ed lifted up a camera with lights attached to it, so the audience could see how they would view his underwater adventure.

  Then Diver Ed donned his mask and smiled through all the gear.

  “Hey, Everyone! Make a clear path for Diver Ed!” Captain Evil called out.

  Diver Ed

  Diver Ed waltzed to the back of the boat, turned to the audience, waved, and fell backwards into the ocean.

  Captain Evil told everyone that Diver Ed was connected to a six-hundred-foot cable, so that he was never really detached from the boat.

  Once Diver Ed was underwater, the passengers focused their attention on the TV screen. A moment later, Diver Ed showed himself on camera, waved, and said cheerfully, “Hello, everyone!”

  Captain Evil now narrated the journey. “Diver Ed’s heading to the ocean bottom,” she said while referring to the screen. “You can see that everything is becoming green and dark.”

  Mini-Ed

  Diver Ed turned on a light, then he introduced everyone to someone else. “Say hi to my friend, ‘Mini-Ed.’” He held up a small plastic scuba figure to the camera.

  All the passengers waved hello to Mini-Ed.

  Captain Evil explained. “Diver Ed gets lonely down there,” she joked. “But, really, he uses Mini-Ed to show perspective. We can see how big the creatures at the bottom of the ocean are by comparing them to Mini-Ed, who is just three inches long, or about the size of an adult finger.”

  Diver Ed called out, “I’m at the bottom now. It’s forty-two feet deep, and I’ve already got a cool blood star!”

  Diver Ed dropped Mini-Ed by the blood star. Mini-Ed landed right next to the whitish deep-sea echinoderm. They were about the same size.

  Captain Evil commented, “Nice find, Diver Ed!”

  Diver Ed picked up the blood star and turned it over. In his other hand he took Mini-Ed and had it “kiss” the blood star on its “mouth,” as Diver Ed said. Then he plunked the ocean creature into a netted bag.

  James leaned over to Morgan. “That blood star looked just like the one you found.”

  Morgan smiled. “I know. For a moment I thought it might be the same one!”

  Diver Ed spoke into the microphone. “Look at these cool shrimp down here.” He held the camera to show a group of orangish yellow shrimp moving on a rock.

  “Way to go, Diver Ed!” Captain Evil said to her husband. Then she told the passengers, “They’re actually skeleton shrimp, pretty amazing. They’re scuttling along that rock like a bunch of underwater praying mantises.”

  Diver Ed spoke again. “I’ve got a lobster down here!” He turned the camera to a dark and jagged crevasse between the rocks.

  Captain Evil told the audience, “Lobsters love to hide among the rocks, especially when they shed their shells. We like to call those under water cracks and rocks ‘lobster condominiums.’”

  Captain Evil asked, “Are you going to try and get the lobster?”

  “Not yet,” Diver Ed replied. “Look at what’s on the rock!”

  Diver Ed pointed the camera to an orange sea star with one long arm and four clearly shorter ones. He took it off the rock, then placed the sea star into the net.

  Captain Evil told the crowd, “That sea star has lost at least four arms
in its life. Those shorter arms are all being regenerated.”

  Diver Ed said, “Now I’m going after that lobster—it’s huge!”

  He pointed the camera at the crustacean just peeking out of its nook. The passengers could see the top of one of its claws, its tiny beady eyes, and the orange, green, and yellow colors of its shell.

  Captain Evil said, “It’s a big lobster, Diver Ed. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Diver Ed replied, “Let me send Mini-Ed down there first to scope out the situation.”

  The passengers on the boat cruise watched Mini-Ed drop down, right in front of the lobster’s den, and land on the ocean bottom.

  The lobster flinched backward, then crept forward right toward the plastic figure. Suddenly it reached out an enormous claw and clamped onto Mini-Ed, instantly tearing off a piece of the toy figure.

  Diver Ed screamed, “Mini-Ed has been attacked! I’m going to have to put the camera down.”

  Diver Ed dropped the camera onto the ocean floor. Between that, Diver Ed’s quick movements, and the lobster’s assault on the plastic figure, all the audience could see was a cloud of sand mixing with the water.

  Amid the turmoil, Diver Ed spoke. “Don’t worry, Mini, I’m going to rescue you!”

  Then after more tumult, Diver Ed said, “I found his mask and head.”

  “Is he OK?” Captain Evil asked with concern.

  For a moment all was quiet. Then Diver Ed reported, “I think I can fix him. Hold on.”

  The passengers continued to watch the screen showing the dark, green ocean bottom. Then a jerky movement indicated that Diver Ed was picking up the camera. He held up Mini-Ed in front of the camera and said, “He’s made an amazing, quick, and full recovery!”

  The passengers on the boat cheered and clapped.

  Mom turned to Dad. “This is so fun! I’m glad we came.” Then she looked at the twins. “I think they’re glad, too.”