Cadillac Mountain Workshop Summary, 5th Northeastern Alpine Stewardship Gathering, Schoodic Education and Research Center, Acadia National Park June 8 - 9, 2007

Jacobi, Charles

'On June 8 and 9, 2007, the National Park Service (NPS) hosted the 5th Northeastern Alpine Stewardship Gathering at the Schoodic Education and Research Center in Acadia National Park (hereafter Acadia). The Gathering brings together alpine managers, researchers, planners, and volunteers from the Northeastern U.S. and Canada every 2-3 years to share knowledge to protect the ecological and human values of these unique high mountain areas (see Appendix 1 for participant list). The National Park Service, Friends of Acadia, Acadia Partners for Science and Learning, and the Waterman Fund supported the Gathering financially or with in-kind services. Acadia's summits are considerably lower than the high alpine peaks of the Northeast and their flora is usually described as sub-alpine. Nevertheless, these summits have the same barren, rock-strewn mountain landscape, thin soils, and severe weather as their cousins to the north and west. Many of the same alpine mountain issues confront Acadia managers, from climate change to intensive visitor use and impacts. Cadillac Mountain, 1530 feet above sea level and the highest point on the east coast of the U.S., is the focal point for visitor use and impact issues in Acadia. A road and four hiking trails to the summit bring an estimated 500,000 visitors annually to enjoy the spectacular views. The NPS offered to host this Gathering because of concerns about natural and cultural resources and visitor experiences on Cadillac Mountain. The core of the Gathering was a "Cadillac Mountain Workshop" developed by park staff. This report summarizes recommendations emanating from the workshop.' 'Most park staff participating in the Gathering felt that it was successful in generating some excellent ideas for managing the Cadillac Mountain summit, as well as motivating us to continue. Here are some emerging themes and ideas from the workshop that resonated with us, most of which are no surprise: - The summit is heavily impacted by visitation. - Resource protection should be the primary goal. - The ecosystem of the summit is more than the plants and soil. - Whether to move from a dispersal strategy to a concentration strategy is the key question for the park. Most workshop participants supported such a move. - If a concentration strategy is adopted, more trails and designated open ledges will be needed to accommodate the number of people visiting the summit, and to provide access to most of the places visitors want to go. - More of the summit area should be closed to visitors to protect existing resources and allow recovery or restoration to occur. Some restoration is recommended.' /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /MOUNT DESERT ISLAND/Cadillac Mountain/

Cadillac Mountain Workshop Summary, 5th Northeastern Alpine Stewardship Gathering, Schoodic Education and Research Center, Acadia National Park June 8 - 9, 2007

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