Until further notice, typically mid-August, Penobscot East Trail, Jordan Cliffs Trail, Precipice Trail, and Valley Cove Trail are closed for Peregrine falcon nesting season. Also, as roads reopen, the Precipice Trail parking lot will remain closed. More
Historic carriage roads closed until further notice for "mud season"
Spring thaw has led to temporary closures to protect Acadia's historic carriage roads during "mud season." Walking, bicycling or riding horses in these wet and soft conditions can cause costly ruts and potholes that channel water and exacerbate erosion. More
Using citizen science apps in the field is a great way to learn about nature while helping future researchers.
Image courtesy of Schoodic Institute
Help us learn more about how Acadia is changing, and how we are responding to change, by documenting and sharing the animals, plants, fungi, and lichens you encounter using iNaturalist and eBird. Scientists can’t be everywhere all the time. By submitting records to these platforms, you expand global databases of biodiversity while helping us protect Acadia.
How do park managers and scientists in and beyond Acadia use the data you contribute? Here's just a few examples:
to evaluate how biodiversity is changing as a result of reconnecting water flows in Great Meadow.
to understand how plant and animal populations are changing by comparing contemporary and historical records.
to locate specific species that are the focus of research, such as sea stars, eiders, or three-toothed cinquefoil.
Join us, and become part of a long legacy of people paying attention to the nature of Acadia, and provide information that will be valuable to future generations.
Be apart of Acadia's Science Story
Left image
Members of the Champlain society document their day's findings in journals.
Credit: Image courtesy of Mount Desert Historical Society
Right image
Bioblitz participants gather around to discuss their collection of images from the day
Credit: Image courtesy of Schoodic Institute
Volunteers using iNaturalist to document trees in the Great Meadow along the Jesup trail.
Photo courtesy of Schoodic Institute
How does it work?
Both eBird and iNaturalist are Internet-based platforms that can be accessed from a mobile device or desktop computer. Your records automatically become accessible to park managers and are available for researchers to answer questions about our changing world.
iNaturalist is primarily photo-based, and encompasses plants, animals, fungi, etc. Users submit a picture of an organism, along with the date and location of when and where it was seen. Users suggest an identification and other iNaturalist users then refine and confirm the identification, making the observation “research grade” and available to scientists around the world. For those just getting started, the mobile application Seek can be a helpful learning tool that is connected to iNaturalist. Some people use iNaturalist to keep a record of their own personal observations over time or in a specific place, others use it to improve their identification skills, and still others use it to connect with other nature enthusiasts.
Bird observations can be submitted to iNaturalist, but eBird is specifically for birds. You can track your bird sightings throughout the year and from year to year, learn where and when to find birds, and connect with other bird enthusiasts. For those just getting started, the mobile application Merlin can be a helpful learning tool that is connected to eBird.
Past Citizen Science Efforts in Acadia
Since 2003, the National Park Service has hosted a series of field events to help document the biodiversity of Acadia National Park. Over the course of 24 hours during each BioBlitz event, biologists and naturalists conduct a rapid assessment of a specific group of invertebrates. While BioBlitzes cannot provide a complete inventory, they can document species occurrence, provide estimates of species richness, and identify rare and unique species.
The goals of Acadia National Park's BioBlitz program are to:
build upon a legacy of past natural history studies;
develop new science partnerships with science institutions and organizations;
increase awareness and excitement about the park's biodiversity, and;
establish new baseline information about little-known plants and animals.
The park has conducted the following citizen science events in the past:
Locations:Acadia National Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Saguaro National Park
Offices:Desert Research Learning Center, Schoodic Education and Research Center
National park visitors are using mobile-friendly platforms like iNaturalist to collect valuable data on biodiversity. Their observations help park managers monitor and respond to emerging threats, from stinknet in Saguaro National Park to the hemlock woolly adelgid in Acadia.
What goes into designing a new citizen project? Good protocols, for starters. Two young professionals at Acadia and the Schoodic Institute share their experience developing and refining methods that yield good science and keep volunteers engaged.
An invasive crab is altering coastal environments on the east coast of North America. Middle school citizen scientists are collecting data to help understand the problem. They get their hands and feet wet with the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Amistad National Recreation Area, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Thicket National Preserve, Cape Cod National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Denali National Park & Preserve, Everglades National Park, Gateway National Recreation Area, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Homestead National Historical Park, Hot Springs National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Redwood National and State Parks, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Voyageurs National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Parkmore »
Offices:Air Resources Division, National Natural Landmarks Program, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Wild and Scenic Rivers Program
Read the abstract and get the link to a published paper on how dragonfly mercury studies uncover unexpected atmospheric delivery pathways: Janssen, S.E., C.J. Kotalik, J.J. Willacker, M.T. Tate, C. Flanagan Pritz, S.J. Nelson, D.P. Krabbenhoft, D. Walters, and C. Eagles-Smith. 2024. Geographic Drivers of Mercury Entry into Aquatic Foods Webs Revealed by Mercury Stable Isotopes in Dragonfly Larvae. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c02436
Offices:Archeology Program, Submerged Resources Center
A beached shipwreck on Sand Beach in Acadia National Park was a staple of the landscape that shaped the imaginations of visitors of all ages. They could explore along the beach, wondering: Where did it come from? Whose ship was it, and why did it end up on here? If the ship’s wooden planks could talk, what stories would they tell?
Locations:Acadia National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Fire Island National Seashore, Gulf Islands National Seashore
Offices:Archeology Program, Submerged Resources Center
Climate change compels National Park archeologists to use science to save valuable data from deteriorating and disappearing back into the sea. In response, the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center (SRC) and its partners are expanding their shipwrecking timber tracking initiative, the Shipwreck Tagging Archaeological Management Program (STAMP), to encompass all national parks with bodies of water.
Barbara Patterson was a citizen scientist who recorded over 23 years of bird banding data on Mount Desert Island. This data, held in Acadia National Park’s archives, is used for scientists to assess changes over time of bird behavior and activity.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Arches National Park, Buck Island Reef National Monument, Channel Islands National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Homestead National Historical Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, Pinnacles National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Tonto National Monument, Weir Farm National Historical Park, Yellowstone National Park, Zion National Parkmore »
Citizen science volunteers collect massive amounts of crucial scientific information. They gather it from sources as varied as oceans, mountainsides, and historic archives. Smart new tools are making their contributions even more powerful.
