UMaine students restore scenic outlooks at Acadia

BAR HARBOR (AP) — With the flood of summer tourists only weeks away, University of Maine forestry students began work Monday on an ambitious program to restore some of the most spectacular views at Acadia National Park.

During their 10-day forestry camp, the 30 students plan to remove decades worth of tree growth that obscures the view from the Cliffside Bridge, near the popular Jordan Pond House.

The work is part of an $8 million effort to restore and maintain the park’s 45-mile network of carriage roads built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. early this century.

The expertly engineered roads featured elaborate drainage systems and massive stone bridges, along with spectacular views of the ocean and mountains.

But three decades after Rockefeller’s death, many of the roads have fallen into disrepair, their gravel surfaces eroded and choked with weeds.

The restoration project, funded by a $4 million federal appropriation and another $4 million being raised privately by Friends of Acadia, got under way two years ago.