Priority wetland protection needs at Acadia National Park

National Park Service, Acadia National Park

From the document: "While wetlands in Acadia National Park (ANP) encompass a relatively small percentage of the land area, they greatly enhance the natural beauty and biological richness of the region. ANP wetlands are diverse and are found in a variety of ecological landscapes including salt marshes, forested and coastal bogs and littoral habitats of the region's many lakes and ponds. Historic land uses in and adjacent to ANP have, however, adversely impacted some of the park's wetlands. Continuing development in the region and increasing park visitation also represent real threats to these systems. Active management and/or manipulation is currently needed to repair past abuses and prevent future impacts. This proposal summarizes 15 important restoration and mitigation actions at ANP to protect wetland habitats and values. Projects focus on restoring natural water flow in drainages, removing fill from wetlands, stabilizing and mitigating erosion along lakes, brooks, and wetlands, reducing non-point and point source pollution into marine and freshwater wetlands, controlling invasive exotic wetland plants, and enhancing public understanding and support for wetland conservation. In the following pages, annotated descriptions of each project are described. Projects are not ranked in priority order. Project numbers reference map locations in Figure 1.