At Acadia, everyone needs a park pass

Guilty? Me? Well yes, I am a transgressor. With fewer excuses than most, since I should have known. So, no more wallowing in the “Why didn’t anybody tell me?” swamp – I now count myself as a convert to the proper view: Everyone who uses Acadia National Park must have a park pass!

A little history. My grandfather, John D. Rockefeller Jr., helped create Acadia National Park, over a period of 30 years. From 1910 when he bought “The Eyrie” on Barr Hill, to 1940 when the last carriage road was completed, he and many others donated funds plus certain lands that became the core of this great natural and cultural asset. His children and grandchildren have continued to be deeply involved with the park and the carriage roads ever since. And we have watched with admiration as millions of Americans have supported the national parks in so many ways as volunteers or as park personnel or from their own pocketbooks.

But somewhere along the line, the parks began to suffer a shortage in congressional funding. Acadia’s annual budget, for example, is 53 percent underfunded. As an independent charity, Friends of Acadia makes substantial grants to the park but cannot replace funds due from public sources. Congress alone is obligated to produce basic revenues. This is where entry passes come in.

In 1997 Congress authorized some parks to experiment with entry fees. Acadia has since generated $13.3 million, retaining 10.6 million for important projects. But nobody knows exactly how many users don’t pay. Many of us somehow escaped the obligation, including me. What an embarrassment.

Like many other Mount Desert Island residents and visitors, I assumed that funds collected at the park’s Sand Beach station were a toll for the Loop Road. In reality, the visitor pass is required no matter where one enters. All park users must have one whether they bike in, walk, drive a private vehicle or ride the fare-free Island Explorer buses. Fee revenues underwrite trail rehabilitation, the Island Explorer, and other important conservation projects. Friends of Acadia often matches these fees with private contributions, making possible even greater protection for this incomparable landscape.

So, as you can see the fees are really a simple and direct way for us who so enjoy the amazing gifts of this national preserve to give back for what we receive. Our use and enjoyment inevitably deplete the resource. The fees received allow the park to be restored and maintained for the future.

Indeed, Acadia’s fees are very low. Entry costs $10 for up to seven days per carload no matter how many are in the car, and will rise to $20 next year, still a bargain-a two-hour movie in Ellsworth can cost $32 for a family of four. Many national parks have fees, and these fees make the difference in the quality of maintenance possible in them. It is up to us who call Acadia home, whether year round or for the summer, to lead in supporting the idea and also to inform our guests of the requirement if they plan to use the park.

My gentle comeuppance on this matter happened at a recent Friends of Acadia board meeting. Many board members, including myself, did not understand that fees are mandatory, but we do now. The board is supporting park efforts to develop a comprehensive program to educate the public about the entry pass requirement and has pledged to help get the word out.

I think of Acadia and the 387 other national parks as glorious American birthrights. But they cannot survive without our support. We who use our parks have the privilege along with the obligation to care for these treasures that sustain our deepest life pleasures.

As someone with long ties to Mount Desert Island who only recently educated herself to what it takes to preserve our beloved Acadia for all time, I invite you to join me in paying the entry fee gladly and to ask your families and friends to do likewise. Let’s lay claim to the profound satisfaction of doing right by this great national park. I know my grandfather would rejoice that this park, which is the result of the passionate work of so many, is being cherished and honored by our present day participation.

Ann Rockefeller Roberts, a seasonal resident of Mount Desert Island, is author of Mr. Rockefeller’s Roads: The Untold Story of Acadia’s Carriage Roads & Their Creator. She serves on the board of directors of Friends of Acadia.