Geography
Acadia National Park is located at the Atlantic Coast in Hancock County, Maine. It is 46,000 Acres in total. The highest summit in the Park is Mt Cadillac, which tops the park at 1530 ft.
Acadia National Park is located at the Atlantic Coast in Hancock County, Maine. It is 46,000 Acres in total. The highest summit in the Park is Mt Cadillac, which tops the park at 1530 ft.
History
The first reliable report of the island was made by Samuel de Champlain in 1604. Fast forward to 1901, Charles Eliot, President of Harvard University at the time, formed the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations to preserve the natural beauty of Mount Desert Island.
It officially became the first National Park in the eastern United States in 1919, and was named Lafayette National Park. It was renamed Acadia National Park in 1929.
John D. Rockefeller built a network of roads throughout the park between 1913 and 1940. The park was heavily damaged by the great fire of 1947.
The first reliable report of the island was made by Samuel de Champlain in 1604. Fast forward to 1901, Charles Eliot, President of Harvard University at the time, formed the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations to preserve the natural beauty of Mount Desert Island.
It officially became the first National Park in the eastern United States in 1919, and was named Lafayette National Park. It was renamed Acadia National Park in 1929.
John D. Rockefeller built a network of roads throughout the park between 1913 and 1940. The park was heavily damaged by the great fire of 1947.
Tourism
Due to its location, breathtaking beauty and wildlife, the park receives around 3 million visitors annually. It has 125 miles of hiking trails, and Mt. Cadillac is the only mountain with a road to the summit.
Due to its location, breathtaking beauty and wildlife, the park receives around 3 million visitors annually. It has 125 miles of hiking trails, and Mt. Cadillac is the only mountain with a road to the summit.
Wild Life
Here are a few of the many animals found in Acadia National park and their role in a small piece of the parks food web
Here are a few of the many animals found in Acadia National park and their role in a small piece of the parks food web
House Mouse Milk Snake Bald Eagle Peregrine Falcon
House Mouse - This tiny mammal feeds on plants, insects and human food. They tend to live close to humans, so usually in facilities, cellars, and housing. But they also live in in fields, croplands, low elevation forests and beaches. They are one of the main diets for Peregrine Falcons. A female house mouse usually gives birth to about 50-60 mice per year. They are not threatened by humans, in fact, humans help them spread through the world by being transported in food storage units that they snuck into.
Eastern Milk Snake - This reptile feed on House Mice, but only need one mouse a week to survive. They live in woodland, forests, prairies, rivers and lakes. They lay 4-16 eggs during the winter, and the incubation is almost 2 months. They are prey to Bald eagles.
Bald Eagle - This bird mainly feeds on fish, but also rodents and other small animals like the Milk Snakes and the House Mouse. They sit on the higher levels of the food chain in the park. They need to be about 5 years old to be mature to breed, and a male and a female will always be together until one passes away, and that partner would quickly be replaced. They lay about 1-3 eggs every breeding season. This slow reproductive strategy almost put the species to extinction in the United States, as they were heavily hunted until 1948 because they were believed to kill livestock.
Peregrine Falcon - This bird is on the top of the food chain in this park, but endangered. They are crow sized, and attack their prey from the air, charging at it with 100 miles per hour, making it the fastest animal in the world. The impact of this charge usually kills the prey immediately, and allows it to hunt any animal its size or even bigger. Human contribution for this species decline includes nest robbing, catching and hunting the birds, as well as chemical pesticides and industrial pollution dating back to the 1950's. By 1960, it was determined that it will be difficult for them to breed without inbreeding, and many of their subspecies are endangered. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 has helped there being more variety and organisms of this species present today.
Eastern Milk Snake - This reptile feed on House Mice, but only need one mouse a week to survive. They live in woodland, forests, prairies, rivers and lakes. They lay 4-16 eggs during the winter, and the incubation is almost 2 months. They are prey to Bald eagles.
Bald Eagle - This bird mainly feeds on fish, but also rodents and other small animals like the Milk Snakes and the House Mouse. They sit on the higher levels of the food chain in the park. They need to be about 5 years old to be mature to breed, and a male and a female will always be together until one passes away, and that partner would quickly be replaced. They lay about 1-3 eggs every breeding season. This slow reproductive strategy almost put the species to extinction in the United States, as they were heavily hunted until 1948 because they were believed to kill livestock.
Peregrine Falcon - This bird is on the top of the food chain in this park, but endangered. They are crow sized, and attack their prey from the air, charging at it with 100 miles per hour, making it the fastest animal in the world. The impact of this charge usually kills the prey immediately, and allows it to hunt any animal its size or even bigger. Human contribution for this species decline includes nest robbing, catching and hunting the birds, as well as chemical pesticides and industrial pollution dating back to the 1950's. By 1960, it was determined that it will be difficult for them to breed without inbreeding, and many of their subspecies are endangered. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 has helped there being more variety and organisms of this species present today.